The indispensable Solo Diver certificate

[CaveMD]

I'm not going to call any dive just because of a lack or a dive buddy or buddies. I'll do any dive solo I'd do with a buddy. That includes some overheads and those requiring deco.

I totally agree with this statement and would even take it a step further, there are quite a few overheads like really small sidemount/no mount caves that I wouldn't even consider doing with a buddy.


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[Jim Lapenta]

Well you can keep your caves. Not my thing. But the inspection I did a few weeks ago in zero vis by feel is one of those occaisions where a buddy would have been a liability. Too distracting.

 

[Tigerman]

A major problem with the solo cert is that some dive charters and shops will still not allow you to dive alone with the cert, even if you have the proper redundant equipment (liability issues or just protocol).
...

In some locations its even ILLEGAL to dive solo full stop.

I do travel alone not only alot, but pretty much always and the ammount of times where Ive gotten an utterly useless buddy I can count on 1 hand.

That being said, being self sufficiant DOES help a LOT when youre "insta-buddied" if not for anything else just because you know you wont rely on a buddy to keep you safe.

The only "down side" is that other divers will think you're crazy, but it actually weighs nearly nothing in the water, the stage bottle strap packs very small in a suitcase, and it's amazingly cool to have a spare 80 CuFt of gas with you on a dive.

I've yet to see anybody surface after an emergency and say "Wow, I wish I didn't bring so much gas with me".

flots.

When my buddies o-ring blew at depth resulting in a 10-minute dive I was thinking DAMN! She still has half her air left and it was only allowed to leak 2 minutes, I coulda waited another minute before shutting her air down and aborting the dive




(NOT REALLY)

 

[BluewaterSail]

That would depend on how independent minded you are from my point of view. GUE has very heavy emphasis on team skills and as far as I know discourages solo diving. It is also likely to be way more expensive. I looked into GUE F a couple years ago and gave it a pass. It just is not necessary for me. I would rather do targeted work shops and small courses focusing on what I feel I need and want to work on. The Solo course was a good fit for me and the instructor very good. He is also a friend. If you have enough dives for it (recommended amount is 100) I'd go for the solo course and decide on GUE later. The other hindrance for me to GUE training was a lack of two other team members that I would dive with on a regular basis that I could get to take it with me. I'm not going to call any dive just because of a lack or a dive buddy or buddies. I'll do any dive solo I'd do with a buddy. That includes some overheads and those requiring deco.

I agree that GUE is team oriented, however, there are no GUE police to make sure that you dive in a team once you have completed the course.

Personally, I do not have a local team to dive with:depressed:, but I consider alot of what I learned in Fundamentals very applicable to every dive. It helped me to be able to put myself whereever I want to and stay there. It helped me to keep my position when task loaded. It gave me usable helicopter and back kick, which greatly contribute towards control of position. It also gave me some useful tools for dive planning and situational awareness. Unless someone was on a high skill level already, I can't imagine taking Fundies and not gaining something applicable to any type of diving.

 

[Layla]

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

Oh dear, no
So, you have a solo cert and then some time later you find yourself unexpectedly on your own in a new unknown destination on single cylinder open circuit carrying usual warm water equipment. How is having the ticket better?

There are many things you need for Solo diving as Devon et al have mentioned al ready
Will you have done any solo practice before this unexpected even?

I'm curious ... what is your dive experience
you are low on air and you thought about followwing the guide down from 20m another five meters???

I plan also to take a GUE Fundamentals course

Doesn’t Fundies contradict solo diving

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SDI Solo
But, use it wisely
Learn and apply what you have learned to every dive
Not, only when you unexpectedly find that you are on your own
if you do this you will not have the right equipment and you will not remember what your instructor has taught you

If you are ever in the UK, I can give you an instructors name

Bryan, right now I am taking my SDI AOW course (deep, night/limited vis., navigation, basic nitrox) and also Dry suit with PADI. It's a good question, to where to head from there? I was considering SDI solo diver - partially for the reasons I mentioned above and partially because it looks a serious course where one can learn a lot. I also made thoughts about a GUE Fundamentals. The more I read the AOW speciality manuals, the more I realize that there is nothing new in them. It is all about the same OW skills, esp dive planning and buoyancy control, only in somewhat different conditions. GUE F seems to be a serious re-visiting of these basic skills. (I use BP&W anyway). If you say so, may be I should have a closer look at the Divemaster course.

Saxatilis, good for you. I really hope to find good instructors, too. Did you encounter situations, when your solo cert was not honored by the dive centers?

Jim, what do you think - GUE F or SDI Solo?

Thanks!

J.

 

[Johanan]

Hi, Layla!

So, you have a solo cert and then some time later you find yourself unexpectedly on your own in a new unknown destination on single cylinder open circuit carrying usual warm water equipment. How is having the ticket better?​

No way! What I did mean was a situation, when you start a dive with a buddy but he or she swims away and you unexpectedly become a "solo". My humble experience (a fresh SSI AOW, 40+) proves that it happens once in a while. When I reach the 100+ that is required for the SDI Solo - maybe next year - I might need a good instructor for the solo course. Thanks for the offer!

Cheers!

J.​