The indispensable Solo Diver certificate

[DevonDiver]

I asked one of the divemasters - who will be my buddy. "I will", she replied. OK then, what could be better?

Having received that reply, what did you do then to ensure that your buddy procedures would be effective during the dive?

Did you plan the dive together?
Did you discuss your expectations; buddy spacing, communication, signalling, support etc etc?
Did you agree contingencies, limits etc?
Did you do a comprehensive pre-dive buddy check?

YOU aren't following the buddy system if you didn't.

Were you expecting, or relying, upon your buddy to do it for you?

Did her status as a DM mean that you expected her to take all responsibility for you... to the extent that you neglected taking action to pro-actively implement proper buddy procedures from the off-set?

Do you expect that from every buddy?

However, during the dives she often deserted me.

Again, how can this happen if proper communication of expectations had occurred before the dive?

Is this a case of your buddy willfully ignoring predetermined and agreed parameters?

Or is it a case of having no predetermined and agreed parameters?

In one instance in the very same moment I tried to signal that I am low on air and must ascend, she made a fast descent of some 4 - 5 meters to see something in the wreck. I had to decide whether to follow her down or ascend on my own.

1) Why wait until you are "low on air and must ascend" before signalling? Perhaps she'd have been more observant and cautious if fore-warned of your air consumption?

2) You had to make a decision - take personal responsibility. Does that shock you? It seems as though you expected her to do that for you?

She was already onboard when I was still swalowing samples of the waves and waiting for my turn to grab the ladder.

I don't see a link between the order that people 'board the boat' and a failure of the buddy system. As a trained, competent diver - surely there is an expectation that you can float at the surface whilst waiting your turn to climb the ladder.

To me, and please forgive my honesty, it seems as though you are misconstruing a lack of supervision or customer service as a failure of the buddy system.

The buddy system is about mutual support, within pre-define parameters. It's not about being wet-nursed.

The same thing often happens everywhere with strangers as your buddies.

If that's a definite trend for you - then perhaps the root cause needs to be investigated. Either every diver you meet is incompetent, or you are failing to create the circumstances that you want/need.

Or.. you have unrealistic expectations of the buddy system.

As per my first comment - what actual actions do you take to ensure the creation of the circumstances that you want/need?

how on the earth is it possible to implement it on a dive boat full with strangers and unpredictable divemasters?

It's easy to predict something that been determined in advance.

The buddy system doesn't start when you get in the water... it starts when you have a (nominated) buddy and a nominated dive site. It starts with mutual dive planning and communication of expectations.

The PADI Open Water course describes, and trains, precisely how the buddy system is to be implemented. You were taught dive planning as a team? Buddy checks? The need to 'plan your dive and dive your plan'? An individual's failure to utilize that training is not a failure of the system itself.

To point a finger at your buddy/s and say they are guilty of not doing that... when you don't do it either.... is unfair and self-deceiving.

It seems, again forgive my honesty, that you expect the buddy system to happen - but place all responsibility for that happening on your buddy.

... under these circumstances it is highly probable to end up as a solo diver.

If you don't take pro-active steps to ensure a buddy system, then you won't benefit from having a buddy system.

That doesn't make you a solo diver, just a bad diver.

A solo diver - in the context of mindset - is one who is highly pro-active in ensuring a pre-determined outcome on a dive. That is light-years away from what you describe in your post...

It seems to me that a SDI Solo Diver certificate is a must-have to dive with tour operators and without your own buddy.

Personally, I think an OPEN WATER certificate is a must-have. More importantly, actually utilizing the skills and procedures taught on that course is a 'must-have'.

Implementation of the basics is where the failure often lies. It is illogical to view advanced scuba training as a solution to weak basic skills.

Don't view a solo diver certification as an alternative for proper use of foundational scuba diving skills. If you can't buddy-dive effectively, then you sure-as-heck won't solo dive safely.

In that respect, solo diving isn't the answer. What may be more beneficial is to conduct remedial/development training that emphasizes team/buddy skills. Something like the GUE 'Fundies' course is a far more logical solution to the deficit that you are experiencing.

How do you handle this problem?

I describe it here: How to Dive with 'Insta-Buddies'

A solo diving course is not the solution.

That's just a quick-fix, lazy option, to avoid admitting that you are not properly applying the basic principles and procedures that you were taught at Open Water diver level. Blaming everyone other than yourself for a failure that you have equal responsibility in allowing to happen... and have absolute capacity for resolving, using your existing training and knowledge.

It takes TWO sloppy divers to make a bad buddy pair. It only takes ONE contentious diver to steer things towards an acceptable level.

 

[TSandM]

When I get in the water with a buddy, I expect that that person and I will dive TOGETHER . . . that means we will move at the same speed, swim the same course, and each of us will devote a part of our attention to keeping track of, and monitoring the other, and being available for assistance. I think, when someone who is guiding a group says he or she will be your buddy, that you can pretty much expect that that person's attention will be severely divided, since they likely feel some responsibility for all the divers in the water. If I agreed to buddy up with the dive guide, I'd honestly expect that I'd have to do more than half the work of staying together, and that I'd have to make a real effort to get my buddy's attention if I needed assistance.

If no other parameters for the dive -- max depth, dive time, gas limits -- were discussed, you can't really be angry when someone doesn't follow the parameters you didn't set.

 

[Roland Luijken]

When I dive with my buddy we dust dive and keep an eye on each other.
We don't have to stay next to each other all the time in good clear water. When we go for wrecks or whatever difficulty we automatically stick together.
At night dives we follow the lamps light bundle we carry.

But when I have to dive with a new buddy I just check out how this person dives and try to stay next to the diver.
If the diver want to go back up to the surface for whatever reason I just go with the diver up it is a simply as that.

There is no reason to stay down you are together and stick together its a clear rule. I see it more as a gentlemen’s agreement then a diving rule.

 

[scubadiver888]

I have been diving for 11 years and when travelling I never travel with a buddy. It has just worked out that way. So every dive away from home has been with an insta-buddy. I quickly recognized that the higher the level of certification or the more gear they have (especially camera) the more likely they'd bail on me. So when I meet the group I start chatting people up. I note who exhibits good buddy characteristics (they are concerned about communication and safety, they want to make sure we are on the same page, they ask me what I want to do on the dive). I also expect them to help me with my gear. I help them with their gear. We go over procedures like what happens if we become separated. We talk about what we are trained to do and what we are uncomfortable with. We agree that anyone can call a dive at any time for any reason. I am not great at reading people but I have never had any trouble avoiding the twit who bails on their buddy the moment they leave the boat. Most the time, I start talking to someone and the twits usually have no patience for me and find someone else to buddy with.

I'd say, put some time and effort into who you pick as an insta-buddy. I do and in the past few years I have never had my insta-buddy bail on me.

That said, I think getting the Solo Diver cert does not hurt. I've only dove with one guy who has this cert. It was me and my buddy, the Solo Diver guy and his insta-buddy. I had the float and flag so everyone stuck near me for most the dive but I could see the Solo Diver was a good buddy and never bailed on his insta-buddy.

 

[Johanan]

Thanks for your posts so far, friends! They were thought provoking, but especially I appreciate your time and effort.


japan – diver,


Thanks for the list of questions. It is a good checklist of knowledge and skills to be mastered in a Solo Diver class or other way. I like the idea of hiring a private guide, even though it sounds expensive. How do you find a good guide after arriving in a new place?


Beaverdivers


In real life I do not look so pretty. PM me if you plan a trip to Riga.


flots am,


Yes, I was thinking of slinging an AL80 as a redundant air. I should first learn it as I have never tried. Thanks for advise!


DevonDiver,


Thank you for honesty, it’s refreshing. I should and will think about many points in your post and the article about insta-buddies. I hope, it will make me a better buddy and help to mitigate the problem.


However, if your point was to indicate that the root cause of the problem was in me, then it just ilustrates what I said. Yes, I still remember my dives #13 and #14 when I was the unpredictable stranger and deserted my buddy. Shame on me! And – if I could do that, other people can it, too. Sure, my DM buddy and I sat together and discussed the dive – the depth, the time, the gestures, even the differences between psi and bar and that I am somewhat high on air consumption and probably will have to end the dive before the planned 45 minutes. What I presumed (mistakenly), was that a PADI DM will stay close to her buddy according to the PADI rules. It’s like in church you expect that the priest will practise what he preaches. And then in about 20m (66ft) she suddenly made a sign that I should follow another guide and gone she was. The other guide was some 10m from me and maybe couple of meters deeper (OWD limit is 18m), and he had no idea of this reassignment. In that moment, did I have „my redundant 1st stage on my buddies tank“ as it often says here in ScubaBoard threads? Nope. I could only pray to God and trust in my regulator.


I do not question the buddy system at all. Im not angry with her. I just say – as you also do in your article: „Firstly, be self reliant.“ As much as you can. I think, a solo diver course helps to be more self-reliant. If there is a chance that you unexpectedly may find yourself diving solo, so better be a certified solo diver. Yes, I plan also to take a GUE Fundamentals course. And then try to make the best out of the buddy system. BTW, isn't there a contradiction between your article:


„If your buddy enters the water first, then be prepared for water entry before they do so. If they have a problem, then you will be capable of immediately joining them in the water and providing assistance.“


and your post:


„I don’t see a link between the order that people ‚board the boat’ and failure of the buddy system. As a trained, competent diver – surely there is an expectation that you can float at the surface whilst waiting your turn to climb the ladder.“


What then about your advise: „Never assume that an unknown diver has had equal quality training to yourself“ and „I believe that the dive doesn’t end until both divers are back on the boat and de-kitted“?

Thanks once again everyone for your posts!

Best wishes

J.

 

[w ripley]

If you show up at a "new" boat and you are an unknown commodity, then you have to expect the "employees" on the boat to follow the rules given to them, usually as prescribed by the insurance the boat/shop carries.

If you've waited until you get to the boat to ask about solo diving, you've got a couple of strikes against you already. The best time to find out about solo diving is before you book your trip. Discuss solo diving, and your cards & background, before you book. If you get the green light on shore, and had "solo" diving written on your boat ticket, then you shouldn't have any issues once you get to the boat.

I have a solo card and believe it will become an increasingly important item in the years to come. It's a pretty new card, so it isn't universally accepted at this time, from my personal observations.

Agree it's not so much about the certifying agency as it is about your solo instructor and your solo diving habits. You log book IS important when you are coming into a shop/boat for the 1st time. It is reasonable for the shop/boat to look at your log and evaluate how often and how recently you have been diving before they permit you on board or to solo dive.

The logistics of any dive site are easier when you put yourself in the operator's shoes, and successfully answer the same questions you would ask if you were. The time to answer those questions is before you arrive at the boat.

 

[beaverdivers]

We travel we pony bottles all over the world.

It is fine as long as the valve is off and the tank empty.

It is a good idea to have a copy of the TSA regulation.

Getting your SDI Solo cert. will make you a better diver.

You may dive with a buddy.

Solo Diving is the Art of U/W Self-Sufficiency.

You might find situations where you are better off Solo!

 

[DevonDiver]

What I presumed (mistakenly), was that a PADI DM will stay close to her buddy according to the PADI rules.

I do think you have a just cause for complaint in this respect, however - part of the pre-dive planning should include buddy separation and spacing. If clearly defined, that should have resolved any potential issues.

It's important to note that PADI doesn't have 'rules' on this, or anything. There's only recommendations. In respect to 'buddy spacing', there is no hard-and-fast guidelines; the spacing has to be appropriate to the dive and based upon an agreement between divers.

That's where so many misunderstandings come into play. Every individual diver has their own view on how to conduct a dive, especially in respect to buddy spacing/attentiveness etc. Unless clearly stated, people will assume you're happy with whatever happens. As that's rarely the case - it's important to clearly define your expectations in advance.

"I would like you to stay with X meters of me throughout the dive"... works well.

"I would like you to stay within X meters of me throughout the dive, or I will abort and surface alone"... works even better.

adding... "and I will demand a refund for the dive I had to abort"... works perfectly with pro divers who are employed to supervise you!

If such parameters were clearly agreed prior to the dive, in addition to depth limits etc - and the DM broke those, then it's nothing short of unprofessional behavior. It should certainly warrant a 'post-dive debriefing' - to prevent further misunderstandings on subsequent dives.

Personally, I'd raise that as an issue with the dive center management. Not necessarily an 'angry complaint'... just feedback. I promise you, dive ops management do rely on such feedback to ensure the performance of their staff...

As for being 'passed off' to another buddy - that'd be something open to discussion. I personally don't see a problem with that - re-grouping during the dive is appropriate if the situation demands it, especially if a safety issue raises its head. However, if done, it should involve all parties concerned communicating and agreeing the change at the time... that'd mean gathering and 'ok-ing' it.

As it was... you did have support within a short distance. One hopes that the 'other DM' would have been proactive in understanding and adapting to the situation. That said, it wouldn't be something that'd reassure or relax a novice diver.

Having said all of that - I still don't think that a 'Solo Diver' course is a magical solution to the problem. In many cases, it's just an attempt to abdicate personal responsibility for others, rather than a specific strategy for personal dive safety in the 'unknown buddy' scenario.

As a dive pro myself, I have to dive with 'unknowns' every day of the week. A little leadership and some good communication goes a very long way towards determining an optimum outcome on the dives...

 

[drbill]

I've dived solo most of the time for the last 50 years. However, when I buddy up with anyone but my #1 dive buddy Andrea, I keep a close eye on my buddy to ensure we are within a few kick cycles of one another should something happen to either of us (I still wear my pony when diving locally with a buddy)... an especially close eye if it is my son or one of my nieces/nephews. When I travel, I prefer to have one of my primary buddies with me... but usually end up with insta-buddies if I'm traveling internationally, especially for several months at a time instead of a week or two.

If the DM stated that you would be buddied up with her, she does not seem to have accepted that responsibility. If she was guiding the entire group, I don't see how she could be a good buddy to one diver. However, it sounds from your description that she was somewhat on her own too.

I have been paired up with insta-buddies who were great, and with several who were disasters waiting to happen. If an insta-buddy is honest about their skills level, etc. before the dive and I accept their limitations (and they mine), no problem.

 

[beaverdivers]

In the June, 2012 Dive Training article " Is the Buddy System Unsafe? An Unbiased look at Diving Alone.

Johanan and anyone interested in Solo diving should read this article.