Solo lake diving question

[greg somers]

here are a few considerations...
Don't dive even if you are slightly unwell.
Have your gear checked and serviced thouroughly.
Dive in fine conditions with good viz.
Have a knife, possibly hang an extra bottle and reg hanging from you boat.
and remember, that water depth can be deceptive. A majority of injury is caused in the first 10mtrs and on the surface. All it takes a moment of panic and a holding of breath and it's all done. No buddy and no help. That's the risk that you choose to make.
Hope that helps
Gasman

 

[mgri]

I think we may be taking this discussion a little to broad.

He is talking about lake dives off docks with a bottom of 25 feet.

In this environment there is little difference from scuba diving and snorkeling.

He isn't going to get narked, he isn't going to find himself at 100' with a malfunctioning reg. The only danger you are adding is the chance of an air embolism and maybe an overweighed problem.

I don't hear of many people arguing against swimming or snorkeling solo so what's the difference if you have a tank of air on your back?

 

[Charlie99]

mgri once bubbled...
He is talking about lake dives off docks with a bottom of 25 feet.

In this environment there is little difference from scuba diving and snorkeling.

He isn't going to get narked, he isn't going to find himself at 100' with a malfunctioning reg. The only danger you are adding is the chance of an air embolism and maybe an overweighed problem.

I don't hear of many people arguing against swimming or snorkeling solo so what's the difference if you have a tank of air on your back?

Swimming or snorkeling solo exposes you to additional risks as compared to going with a buddy. I'm consistent though. I'll swim, snorkel, or scuba solo when the conditions are such that it is reasonable. And I just came back from sailing around for 2 hours by myself.

The question is whether there is a reasonable way to avoid this additional risk, and if you do choose to do these activities solo, whether the overall risk is acceptable.

 

[MikeFerrara]

washow88 once bubbled...
Ron,
May be we need to start a solo diving specialty certification.

SDI has already done it.

 

[diverbrian]

Actually, the instructors at the shop that I frequent and SSI will advise against snorkeling alone as well. The theory is that if you are going to be out in any kind of open water, anything can happen. A buddy helps if Mr. Murphy plays an unplanned visit.

I see their point. But let's face it, we all live in the real world. That is why I won't lecture against solo diving and snorkeling. The people that are going to do it will do it. The key is to do it as safely as possible. And there are good reasons for diving/ snorkeling solo. I have been tempted a couple of times myself on weekends like this where I am stuck working and finding a dive buddy for a quick dip won't happen. (The *nearest* "good" diving spot even by local standards is an hour or hour and half from here one way. ) By the next week I'll have the shakes.....

But, I will not be the one to put that bug about solo diving into a new student's ear. Let them find that out for themselves when they are ready to make an educated decision....

 

[mgri]

Charlie99 once bubbled...

The question is whether there is a reasonable way to avoid this additional risk, and if you do choose to do these activities solo, whether the overall risk is acceptable.

Good point, I guess it boils down to two questions.

1 Is my skill level and equipment suitable for solo diving

2 Do I feel its an acceptable risk

 

[Iruka]

I LOVE to dive alone...mostly for the freedom. I own a dive shop & guide divers nearly every day, so the purpose of the dive is to keep them all safe & happy. Alone, I can tailor the dive to what I want to do/see. Of course there are more risks alone...something like a heart attack, stroke, etc, you're pretty much out of luck. As someone doing triathlons, those risks are certainly reduced (I've done a triathlon & a few marathons, but I won't brag about my time!) but they DO exist. Similar to going for a solo hike in the woods...except, you can lie on the ground for hours & maybe someone will wander by to rescue you...harder to lie on the bottom of a lake & wait for rescue!
At the depths you are talking about, the main significant risk is if you panic...for any reason...and shoot to the surface holding your breath. You need to be VERY VERY comfortable with getting water in your mask, in your mouth, etc. If ANYTHING will cause you to hold your breath & rocket to the surface...well, you shouldn't really be diving, but if you are, you should have someone there to call for help or the coroner, as the case may be ;-0 That being said, 20' is really easy to make a slow ascent...I've done it free diving (fast) from about 70' and on scuba (for practice...sloooooooow) from about 90'. You will learn in class (if you don't know already) why you can't hold your breath ascending ON SCUBA (compressed air)...unlike freediving, where it's no problem.
Unless you're an air hog (fast breather, no offense intended) it will take a looong time to use up a tank at 20' (somewhere around 1:40 for me)...and if you DO stay that long...and forget to check your SPG (air gauge)...something a buddy should remind you to do!...at shallow depths especially, you get a few minutes "warning" from your regulator as breathing gets progressively more difficult. (You might want to try this on a nearly empty tank in, say, 5' of water, just to check & get an idea what it feels like...that's the case with any regulator I've ever used, but maybe a really good/expensive/out of my price range regulator wouldn't react the same.)
Others have mentioned other potential problems above, so I won't repeat them. Working/teaching, I never recommend diving alone, but adults should be able to make up their own minds, knowing & accepting the additional risks involved.
Final advice, if you go alone...be sure to let someone know where you are, when you expect to be back, etc....and if there are any people on the beach, you might want to say "hey, if you see me pop up & wave my arms around frantically, that means "I need help," not "hi, I like waving to people."
By the way, I did my certification dives in Devil's Lake, Wisconsin about 20 years and 4400 dives ago.

 

[Ceberon]

Thanks for the information people. As some people have mentioned, at that depth it should be fairly similar to snorkling. I do take the risks myself to snorkle alone (and hike in the woods We have a place in Wisconsin with lakefront property, if you wake up at 6am, you sometimes walk down in the lake and snorkle around for awhile for fun. I'm willing to take those risks to snorkle, and I was curious what risks there would be to be wearing the other gear.

I know from reading about the dangers of holding your breath while breathing compressed air. I also know in general I can hold my breath longer while breathing out slowly, even when freediving, so I have a pretty healthy habit of always breathing out when I'm under water.

I did my first pool dive this last weekend, had a great time, practiced taking off my mask, and taking out the regulator underwater, mainly to satisfy my own curiosity. No problems, I love it just as much as I thought I would

I think I have a pretty good concept of the additional dangers of using scuba gear solo, and perhaps once I've had enough dives to feel confident, I may try solo diving the lake where I normally would free dive. It won't be for a fairly long time, but next summer it's an idea.

For safety, I already know my wife would be in the boat next to me (if I wasn't just going off of the dock) and quite possibly snorkling next to me while I stayed down (too bad she's not interested in scuba). I plan on having a pony bottle with me simply because I'm generally a strong believer in murphy's law.

 

[diverUp]

There is a cert for solo from SDI

check this link: http://www.tdisdi.com/sdi/courses/courses.html#Solo

 

[Ron Brandt]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...


SDI has already done it.

Yes , I know.
But still.....who checks you out on a solo dive

Ron