Solo diving

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

I did learn about an Ocean Trigger… all on my own, at night, solo.

 

[Doc]

Aha, I’ll be here all week. Tip your waitress.

 

[AnnoyedSpelunker]

Recipe for disaster, given your extremely low prior dive experience. Try to pair up with a diver from other visiting groups.

 

[NYCrecdiver]

Why not go dive and snorkel with a local dive operator? Going solo by yourself in a new environment won't nearly get you the same experience than going with someone who is familiar with the dive sites.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

So... The wife and I are going to Curacao in August. She snorkels, but doesn't dive. She posed an interesting scenario that I am not sure about and seeking opinions or advice.

There are some beaches in Curacao where I can rent equipment and shore dive. It will only be the two of us going. Her thought was. I can maybe get in a dive or two while she snorkels above. My concern is, if I do run into trouble, I am still the only one under water, but, at the same time, I really want to dive as much as I can. I have limited dive experience(9. All from boats), but am confident in my ability and don't panic easily, having already faced a regulator malfunction and remained calm throughout. My gut tells me it's a bad idea, but I don't want to overreact, either.

So the question is, is it a bad idea to go under alone with someone snorkeling above basically pacing me?

I haven't read any of the posts on this thread, but if your gut tells you it's a bad idea, don't do it. Go with your gut. Whenever those feelings occur, they do so for a reason.

I've used this thought ever since my buddy and I looked at the Oregon coast's breakers coming in for about half an hour, and decided to dive on December 8, 1974 at Rocky Creek. We rationalized that the breakers were 4-6 feet, and would stay that way while we were in the water. They didn't, going to 15-20 feet while we were underwater, precluding any possibility of an exit (we tried, and got rolled), and resulting in our being in the water for over 3 hours and having a Coast Guard pickup (thank God for the U.S. Coast Guard). Our girl friends, who were on shore watching, called the Coast Guard for us. There are three black and white photos of us and the breakers taken by our girl friends, plus a snorkeling photo from Maui of my two sons.

Enjoy snorkeling with your wife. It will be a fun experience for the two of you.

SeaRat