Solo.. Or No Solo?

[gabbriell]

I never have, but my husband has at least several times. He knows I really disapprove of his doing so, but I guess when I haven't been around for one reason or another he has thought, "What the heck?"

If one is going to do so, he / she should at LEAST let someone know - just as one should when hiking or going into "the back country." Otherwise, just disappearing would really suck for you and your loved ones, for you and your loved ones if you find yourself in a position of wishing someone would look for you, and your loved ones if they need to recover what is left of you.

 

[eponym]

Yes I know, you're only meant to solo dive with the proper training and proper redundancy of equipment but how many people have been tempted to, or actually dved solo without the necessary equipment?

During my open water checkout weekend two years ago, I was chatting with one of the instructors (there were two or three classes in the river that day) about his experiences and his likes and dislikes. Out of the blue, he volunteered that he dives solo more than occasionally. He said so much of his dive time is spent leading students and putting them through their paces that he feels the need from time to time to just get in the water by himself, on a weekday when there's no one else around. (The site is a small slow river in the Summer, with max depths of fifty feet.)

I was surprised by his candor. Solo diving had not even been mentioned during our OW course, although other specialties had. I gather that solo diving is not yet considered a respectable pursuit?

-Bryan

__________________________________

Their sons have no politics. None call recall
Allegiance from long generations before.
O'this or O'that name just can't mean a thing
Or be cause enough for to war.
And meanwhile my babies are safe in their home,
Unlike their pale cousins who shiver and cry
While kneecappers nail their poor Dads to the floor
And teach them to hate and to die.

--Stan Rogers, 1949-83, The House of Orange

(this was the last song Stan wrote)

 

[IslandHopper]

Know the risks, accept the risks ... if you are comfortable, capable, and prepared for it, solo diving is no more dangerous than diving with a buddy.

I'll limit that statement to sites where you have direct access to the surface, and at depths where YOU are capable of surfacing if needed.

 

[eponym]

Island Hopper -

I see from googling around that SDI teaches a solo course, and that SDI=TDI (or did I get that wrong?). As I see you're TDI trained, I thought I'd ask whether you know of SB threads that discuss the solo certification and its reception in various quarters. My quick SB searches haven't turned up anything obvious.

-Bryan

 

[MikeFerrara]

I can just imagine your face dude. I would have solo snorkled it just to piss them off.

LOL, I would have snorkeled it except for at this site snorkelers have to stay inside the beach ropes.

I thought taking a sdudent with me was a good solution.

 

[Scuba]

I'd love to solo dive. I'm not old enough and I know I'm not experienced enough but It's something I'd love to do. I frequently dive in a group where I tend to wonder off on my own or go just above them and I can pretend I'm solo diving. It's more quiet, it's more peaceful and you see alot more. But I always dive with a pony bottle, and never below 15MSW (45FSW).

Junior diver, I hope you don't take this wrong, but the example you give above is not a description of a solo diver - but of a bad buddy. If you are going to buddy dive, learn how to be a good buddy. Same for those who choose to solo dive. Do It Right.

I was surprised by his candor. Solo diving had not even been mentioned during our OW course, although other specialties had. I gather that solo diving is not yet considered a respectable pursuit?

Yes, there are many divers, and in general most training agencies, who'm oppose solo diving. Frankly, to each their own, but I believe solo diving is a legitimate form ot technical diving. The risks are increased from general recreational diving. However, I'm aware of no evidence or persuasive argument to support the acceptance of wreck, cave, and deep diving, over solo diving, on the basis of safety or assumed risk.

The result of industry opposition is a lack of solo courses as a conduit to safely train those interested in this aspect of diving. This also impinges on the creation of better quality courses. Thus, many divers simply engage in solo diving unprepared, just as they used to do in other forms of tec diving before instructional courses became widely available.

Some in the dive industry are quick to blame solo divers as the cause for many accidents. In reality, a close, unbiased examination of many of these accidents, shows the cause to be deficient buddy practices and errors.

You would think that an industry so pro buddy diving would at least turn out better buddies. I find many, from personal experience and postings on this forum, who simply lack an adequate notion of the qualities and reponsibilities that make a good buddy.

Got a little off topic here, but his is how I see it.

Yes, on occasion I do dive solo. I think its an acceptable and respectable form of tec diving. Intent is not to encourage anyone - but to inform. Diving can be a dangerous sport. Know what you're getting into, and how to deal with it - beforehand.

 

[Scubakevdm]

I solo. I wear a redundant fin when I do.

An interesting fact:
The YMCA taught (and probably still teaches) that you should never swim alone. The YMCA, as we all know was the first certifying agency. The swim buddy carried over to the scuba program, and that's where dive buddies started.

 

[hex92]

I dive solo alot. I prefer it in most situations. I haven't found the perfect buddy yet so its a necessity in my view.
My girlfriend has no interest in diving locally. Its too cold and the vis sucks - for her. So I typically go on the boats alone. I dive dry - the water temp this year hasnt gotten above 53. I have 120 cuft tanks. So I get on the boat and my choices are diving alone, dry with my 120 or pairing up with someone diving wet with an 80 (or 100 if Im lucky).....

I have dove with a few buddys that I like being in the water with. SO when they are available I dive with them. If not I go solo.

I feel as a diver you are ultimately responsible for YOURSELF.

 

[quimby]

The YMCA taught (and probably still teaches) that you should never swim alone. The YMCA, as we all know was the first certifying agency. The swim buddy carried over to the scuba program, and that's where dive buddies started

For all practical purposes your right, but actually LA County had the first by several yrs and still going today also.

1954 - Al Tillman and Bev Morgan develop the first public skin and scuba diver education program in the United States. The Los Angeles County program quickly becomes the template for all programs that were to follow

1959 - The YMCA develops the first national diver certification program

I feel as a diver you are ultimately responsible for YOURSELF

That whole sentence should be in caps with many exclamation points.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I solo. I wear a redundant fin when I do.

An interesting fact:
The YMCA taught (and probably still teaches) that you should never swim alone. The YMCA, as we all know was the first certifying agency. The swim buddy carried over to the scuba program, and that's where dive buddies started.

Either way it works. I don't know about the redundant fin though.