Solo diving

[Cave Bum]

Interestingly enough, I just finished reading Jablowski's Introduction to DIR (he didn't call it that, but anyhow...) and to me it is interesting how DIR is still firmly committed to the buddy system (although they prefer to refer to teams) whereas other tec training organisations put much more emphasis on total self reliance. I know, I know, DIR preaches self reliance as well, but you know what I mean.

The original prohibition against solo cave diving by the NSS-CDS was introduced by Wes Skiles when he was training director. Knowing the amount of solo diving he's done, I never really understood that.

In 2005 (?) the NSS-CDS board voted the provision out of the standards. The following morning one of the board members saw me at Ginnie and came running over.

He said "Hey, we voted to allow solo cave diving again!".

I said "That's nice, but the prohibition never stopped me anyway...".

He then said "Know why we got rid of it? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

I said "No" and he said....

Spoiler

"Because absolutely everyone on the board was solo diving!"

I’m (amongst other things) a commercial instrument pilot. According to the government, I can fly single engine (no redundancy) solo pilot in the clouds at night over the Rocky Mountains but up until 2005 the NSS-CDS didn’t think I had the wits to take a 40 minute swim up to the Maple Leaf in Ginnie by myself. There was something wrong about that…