DaleC
Contributor
A will.
If that bothers you you shouldn't solo dive.
If that bothers you you shouldn't solo dive.
What equipment should I have before I begin.
- Thread starter Protist
- Start date
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kanonfodr
Contributor
I'v been considering solo diving a lot recently. Soon I'll be moving to Florida and ill be losing the one of three divers that i fully trust with my life to be my dive partner. (the other two were my past instructors (who do live in Florida), and even though they are willing to be my dive partner, its just not always practical because there busy teaching)
So before i get off topic, my question is, what equipment do you solo divers suggest that I should have before I tackle solo diving for the first time?
There are some pieces of equipment that I know I will need.
-Safety Sausage.
-Extra source of air.( Or two or three)
-2 dive knives.
But is there anything else i'm missing? Anything that would be useful from personal experience?
Thanks in advance
Protist,
Ask yourself how comfortable you feel in the water without any of the items you want to use when solo diving. And also ask yourself how you will carry said items.
Beyond my normal buddy dive gear, I sling a pony. Which means that for every dive I have a rigged SMB/reel, slate, spare mask, and safety spool in my pockets, as well as a knife and shears on my waist and two lights on my chest straps. Granted, I do solo dives on mostly shallow reefs with little chance of entanglement (save for that octopus I thought about snagging for dinner).
Also, I solo with as small an ego as possible. My dive today I met 20 feet for about a minute and finished with 1300 psi in a 2400 psi tank, simply because I was getting bored and cold.
Peace,
Greg
LeadTurn_SD
Contributor
One last thought regarding things to consider when starting to solo dive:
"Take off and landing."
What I mean is, like in an airplane, for many dives the greatest risk is at entry and exit from the water.
On a shore dive for example, you REALLY need to carefully consider how easy / hard it is going to be to get in and out of the water, including rocks you may need to climb over, surge, wave action, etc.
Without a buddy to assist you, if you slip and injure yourself at the entry/exit point (sprain/break an ankle or wrist, etc.) can you still haul yourself out of the water?
In the areas I dive, my single biggest fear is a slip-and-fall injury wearing full gear as I enter/exit the water. I see this as the most real and immediate danger of solo diving where I live. I've canceled solo (an buddy) shore dives just because there appeared to be a bit too much surge.
Just more stuff to think about. We tend to get wrapped-up in discussions of redundancy, pony's, two of everything.... but need to remember that some of the most common risks are mundane things like slipping and falling, not wrestling with giant squid or fishing nets.
Best wishes.
"Take off and landing."
What I mean is, like in an airplane, for many dives the greatest risk is at entry and exit from the water.
On a shore dive for example, you REALLY need to carefully consider how easy / hard it is going to be to get in and out of the water, including rocks you may need to climb over, surge, wave action, etc.
Without a buddy to assist you, if you slip and injure yourself at the entry/exit point (sprain/break an ankle or wrist, etc.) can you still haul yourself out of the water?
In the areas I dive, my single biggest fear is a slip-and-fall injury wearing full gear as I enter/exit the water. I see this as the most real and immediate danger of solo diving where I live. I've canceled solo (an buddy) shore dives just because there appeared to be a bit too much surge.
Just more stuff to think about. We tend to get wrapped-up in discussions of redundancy, pony's, two of everything.... but need to remember that some of the most common risks are mundane things like slipping and falling, not wrestling with giant squid or fishing nets.
Best wishes.
Step #2 is deciding what gear to take with you. Once you've completed Step #1, then the gear you need in Step #2 becomes obvious.
So it sounds like you are trying to tackle Step #2 before you've gotten a good grasp on Step #1. So let's back up to Step #1.
Step #1 is deciding your solo philosophy. How much risk are you willing to take? What emergencies are you likely to face? How are you going to manage your emergencies as a solo diver? How deep will you go? Will you be soloing at night? From a boat? What are your special circumstances?
For instance, I decided that I wanted total redundancy when soloing. Two of everything. I also wanted more experience in doubles, so I obtained my air supply redundancy with twin banded cylinders and two independent sets of regulators. Since I also dive in cold water, I obtained redundant buoyancy in the form of a drysuit. I also carry two masks, two bottom timers, two compasses, etc.
There have been times when redundancy has proven it's worth. Once I was diving in a cold, dark lake at 100 feet in total darkness. The lake bottom was undulating, and the viz was so poor that I really needed my compass to make sure I was heading in the correct direction. My main compass froze up (the pin broke) and I became disoriented. With the back-up compass I was able to turn around and navigate back to shore without having to make an open water ascent in darkness in a boating lane.
Other people have decided that "simple" is more reliable and so they do not use any redundancy at all. Other say they will solo no deeper than they can comfortably CESA, so they do not carry anything special, either.
What's your philosophy?
Once you answer that question, your equipment slection becomes obvious.
P.S.
A solo card has some value. Some dive ops in Fort Lauderdale will let you dive solo with a card, others won't let you dive solo at all. In the latter case, I team up with a pair to form a group of three. Then I arrange to "accidentally"
get separated from the pair once we are underwater, and I go about my merry way as a solo diver.
So it sounds like you are trying to tackle Step #2 before you've gotten a good grasp on Step #1. So let's back up to Step #1.
Step #1 is deciding your solo philosophy. How much risk are you willing to take? What emergencies are you likely to face? How are you going to manage your emergencies as a solo diver? How deep will you go? Will you be soloing at night? From a boat? What are your special circumstances?
For instance, I decided that I wanted total redundancy when soloing. Two of everything. I also wanted more experience in doubles, so I obtained my air supply redundancy with twin banded cylinders and two independent sets of regulators. Since I also dive in cold water, I obtained redundant buoyancy in the form of a drysuit. I also carry two masks, two bottom timers, two compasses, etc.
There have been times when redundancy has proven it's worth. Once I was diving in a cold, dark lake at 100 feet in total darkness. The lake bottom was undulating, and the viz was so poor that I really needed my compass to make sure I was heading in the correct direction. My main compass froze up (the pin broke) and I became disoriented. With the back-up compass I was able to turn around and navigate back to shore without having to make an open water ascent in darkness in a boating lane.
Other people have decided that "simple" is more reliable and so they do not use any redundancy at all. Other say they will solo no deeper than they can comfortably CESA, so they do not carry anything special, either.
What's your philosophy?
Once you answer that question, your equipment slection becomes obvious.
P.S.
A solo card has some value. Some dive ops in Fort Lauderdale will let you dive solo with a card, others won't let you dive solo at all. In the latter case, I team up with a pair to form a group of three. Then I arrange to "accidentally"
get separated from the pair once we are underwater, and I go about my merry way as a solo diver.
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Experience is the most important thing. Redundant air supply is important especially if you are descending deeper than you can reasonably do a CESA from. I carry my pony bottle on ALL dives even when I'm buddied up. Redundant cutting tools are a good ideas although I prefer a set of shears and a knife.
Atomic_Diver
Scubaboard Enthusiast
Doubles are a big plus, also Redundancy in most gear is key...
Well, I almost feel like if one is a good diver, with good planing skills and a good head on their shoulders, then one shouldnt need redundant gear. But at the same time, I also understand it cant do anything but help, (possibly disrupt streamline). So I'm still up in the air.
Scott L
Contributor
Well, I almost feel like if one is a good diver, with good planing skills and a good head on their shoulders, then one shouldnt need redundant gear. But at the same time, I also understand it cant do anything but help, (possibly disrupt streamline). So I'm still up in the air.
There is used scuba gear plastered all over the net at great prices. Purchase a pony rig and reg system used. If it is too much drag for your liking you can always sell without taking a material finacial hit...
LeadTurn_SD
Contributor
Well, I almost feel like if one is a good diver, with good planing skills and a good head on their shoulders, then one shouldnt need redundant gear. But at the same time, I also understand it cant do anything but help, (possibly disrupt streamline). So I'm still up in the air.
Hi Protist,
It looks like you are doing a good job thinking every thing through. Here is some more food for thought, related to the statement above that I've highlighted:
Up to a point, you are correct that redundant gear should not be needed. I'm typically one of the guys who advocates a "less is more" approach when it comes to equipment, and usually apply the following test when thinking about redundancy or extra gear:
"If I arrived at the dive site, and discovered I had forgotten (fill in the blank), would I still dive, or abort?"
If I would I'd still do the dive, that is a piece of gear I don't need, or don't need two of.
The problem with my approach is that the location of the "line" between acceptable risk and too much risk varies with each diver, and with each dive environment.
Increasing depth, colder water temperature, low visibility, overhead, possible deco obligation, etc., all drive the need for specialized equipment, and at a certain point redundancy becomes mandatory unless you have an amazingly high tolerance for risk.
For the majority of the dives I do in Hawaii, I am very comfortable diving with a single Al80, a spare knife, my dive watch as a spare "bottom timer" and that's it. (But on some deeper dives I do sling an Al30).
If I dove where you live (New Jersey), I might have a different outlook and gear configuration. You have to do what is best for your dive environment.
In gereral, your thinking that redundant gear "cant do anything but help" is mostly true (ignoring added weight and steamlining/entanglement/failure points
), unless the extra gear causes a false sense of security. My concern is that redundant equipment might help get you out of trouble, but will it prevent the bad situation in the first place? Will it encourage you to do a dive you would not ordinarily do?
If you knew you did not have the redundancy, would you have checked your equipment more diligently, watched your air consumption more closely, did a better job of pre-dive planning, or taken a step back and thought "maybe this dive under these conditions is not such a great idea"?
The extra equipment will not keep you out of trouble, only your good judgement can do that.
And again, I'm not anti-redundancy, I'm just pro-good judgement
Best wishes.
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Redundancy has nothing to do with your "skills," it is about how much your trust your life to your equipment.
Well, I almost feel like if one is a good diver, with good planing skills and a good head on their shoulders, then one shouldnt need redundant gear. But at the same time, I also understand it cant do anything but help, (possibly disrupt streamline). So I'm still up in the air.
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