Solo Diving

[seaducer]

Well I started it so I guess I have to pay up.

I can recognize a good idea when I see one
My first dive was solo, sort of. My brother let me sit on the bottom of a pool when I was a little kid with his gear(he is 11 years older than me).
Took my first class in 1989 but didnt get the card because I ran out of money, couldnt rent the gear and my parents were on vacation so couldn't loan me any.
I still dove with some friends, and being in NJ with low vis some of those dives started with a buddy and ended alone. This is when I started considering self sufficiency.
I became official in 1998 but never considered solo as part of my enjoyment came from sharing the experience with people I enjoyed hanging out with. Until they all got married, became parents and moved away. Then I discovered I still loved diving for the sake of diving.
I then discovered photography.
With the exception of dives that require local knowledge due to hazardous conditions, any dive I would do with a buddy I can do by my lonesome.

When I solo, I carry:
a 19cf pony. I can CESA, I just don't want to.
smb whistle and thumb spool. With me on every dive.
regular pry tip knife on my leg. Most every dive.
small knife on my shoulder strap. Every dive.
line cutter (plastic sharp thingy) on my opposite shoulder. Every dive.
compass. Most divesI know by heart and all those I don't.
computer, spg and depth gauge. Every dive. SPG and depth gauge are old favorites, and the computer becuase I like techy stuff.
signal mirror. Every dive
for deep dives I will also take a reel and lift bag
Small light for day, 3 for night. Night dives are primary, smaller back up, and the AA light that is always on my gear anyway.

I don't bother with a spare mask, but if I were to plan a [-]penetration[/-]overhead dive I would take one. Otherwise I don't need to read my SPG, w/o a mask I am heading up and I know how much gas I have when I lose the mask. I can't read my depth gauge but my computer has an ascent alarm, and at any rate I know by feel if I am ascending faster than I normally do.

I thought alot about every piece of gear I take with me. I lost sleep over redundant gas supply choices. then again I lose sleep all the time thinking about diving. I reserve the right to retire, replace or add to anything at any time. I don't use or not use something because someone else does, does not, or because I always have or never did, if you follow.

I am hesitant to give advice to a would be solo diver because I personally think someone considering solo diving should know enough to make those decisions for themselves. Otherwise they are not "solo", they are just alone. Nobody has to teach themselves or dive alone anymore.
IMO&YMMV

 

[Nemrod]

This is supposed to be a no troll, no "should I dive solo" forum. Imagine if similar threads were placed in the DIR forum. This forum should be for the how and leave the why and should I to other forums. N

 

[Tigerman]

Ok. Here goes...
- I do not have any formal training for solo diving. Mainly because the instructors are few and far between here and I havent even found one that certify solo divers. However I did research amongst other things places like scubaboard before I started.

- I have dived solo in water temps from tropical to freezing. Never in overhead enviroments like wreck penetration, caverns, caves or ice dives.

- I have solo dived on drift dives as well as calm waters. Drift dives is a type of dive that is fairly likely to be solo at some point of the dive regardless if you want it or not. My solo drift dives has been in the caribbean, from a dive boat so there was a few other divers in the water - "same ocean buddies". The crew as well as the guide (cave instructor i think) knew I would not have an assigned buddy and allowed me to dive solo. The other divers on the boat was also informed about this.

- I dont solo dive anywhere I would not dive with a buddy and after I started solo diving I have been considering more carefully if I should do a dive with a buddy, by considering if I would have done the dive alone and wether or not the buddy justify me doing something I might not have done solo. It usually dont.

- I always carry cutting devices when solo diving.

- I usually stay within OW limits (18m/60ft) when solo diving.

- I only solo dive sites with minimal entanglement risks and otherwise good conditions.

- I started solo diving for time and availability reasons as well as very few buddies being available around here. I work odd hours and live right next to a big lake that almost always have great conditions for diving, except this time of year when its all iced up. I also love the "shutting out the rest of the world" aspect.

The majority of my local dives is solo, but I still love diving with a buddy or a group of divers. It IS more social and you can learn a lot from other divers, both good and bad. Solo diving have however taught me a certain things that "routine buddy trust me dives" wouldnt have.

 

[Tigerman]

This is supposed to be a no troll, no "should I dive solo" forum. Imagine if similar threads were placed in the DIR forum. This forum should be for the how and leave the why and should I to other forums. N

I didnt intend to reply to the posts opinioning this, but I will..
This thread was started in a "would it be safe in specific conditions/how can i do it safely in these specific conditions" spirit as far as I see it and as such it would be the right place. People dont ask if they should if they dont want to unless its for trolling purposes.
I also think that people by asking "should I solo" is considering it seriously enough to warrant having their questions answered as theire way past the "you should never ever dive alone or youll die" mindset already.
Flaming should be left out none the less, but the flaming that has happened in this thread was before it got moved to this section. The thread was started elsewhere and got moved here by a mod because it started to catch a fire..

 

[Nemrod]

Captain hits it right, I can tell you what I do and then you can do the same or different, that is the nature of solo diving but I cannot tell you if you can or give you persmission. This thread should have stayed where it was originally, JMO. N

 

[eddie the pink]

come on guys, as I said before its not just diving I (and possibly many others) are really new to forum info, rules and regs, but I need to learn, I started this thread, not because I had instant fear of solo diving, I wanted to see what those in the know could tell me about it, in just the last few posts that follow captains suggestion, I can see many things that I did not think about originally, and when I (and others)do solo, I will take all that information, process it and use the parts that will work for me, making my dive a lot safer than it would have been if I had just jumped into the drink without that knowledge. I am not looking for anyone to make my disission, that I can do for myself, but for me maximum knowledge is a major tool, and this form of information that captain has suggested gives all the sort of information you could ask for. thanks guys

 

[Timeliner]

Eddie In Pink God Bless your little heart but You started this post December 7th... a day that will live in infamy and if you don't just get it in your mind to make your own decision and then come back and tell us about your solo dive... or not. Your thread will just eventually die and never really be infamous.

Solo or not....either way it's your choice dude.

It does not "Take a Village" to be a Solo Diver

 

[Diveral]

Now this thread is getting to where it needs to be.

Eddie, I would love to dive your cove with you. Sounds like a perfect place for me to solo.

Things to consider. How good of physical shape are you in. You capable of swimming that cove by yourself? What are the current conditions in that cove? Do they change? Any traps? Is it fished? What's the surf like? I personally recommend a minimum of rescue diver certification before anyone gets seriously into solo. That's not how I did it which is primarily why I recommend it.

I started solo diving almost 30 years ago. I was working as a lifeguard at summer camp and the waterfront director was old navy UDT. He let those of us who were interested try diving in the lake. Back then I had been a lifeguard and freediving for a number of years. I swam 1/4 mile 2-3 times a day and a 1 mile course every week. So I actually self taught scuba diving.

I was AOW and Rescue certified before I started soloing a lot. I have practiced ESA's from deeper than 90' and can still freedive to below 30'. I've done a lot of solo dives and I'd say the majority of the dives I did while in the navy were solo. I frequently carry a pony bottle on my solo dives. I also usually carry at least 2 line cutting devices and a divelight when I solo.

AL

 

[diveChiq]

i have to say, i dont solo but i am reading this for more information on how to be 'self reliant'

and yea ... the last few posts have been really interesting