What topics/information would you write into a Solo Diving textbook?

[jagfish]

With virtually no decent books on the subject (my opinion), what would you include in a solo text if you were to write one....

 

[dave4868]

I'd include a chapter on Panic:

Self-assessment guide to evaluate one's personal panic threshold, factors, prevention, personal limitations and how to decrease one's risk of panic.

A chapter like this could be made more palatable with real-life accounts.

Psychobabble on managing stress and anxiety could be translated to practical tips on self-appraisal techniques, such as being aware of one's heart rate and breathing rate, watching for distorted thinking, evaluating one's ability to accept the need to abort a dive, etc.

Just a start....

Dave C

 

[Silver_Diver]

I think one of the most stressful things I encounter as a solo diver is not underwater. It's actually other divers who feel that their openwater certification gives them the right to tell me where I can swim. I think a chapter on dealing with other divers would be as important as panic and self rescue techniques. I certainly never feel 100% like solo-diving after I've suited up and walked down the beach only to hear people yell, "Hey, where's you're buddy. What are you, crazy?" That's not the kind of stress I need before I go diving, and it's worse if you are on a dive charter. I've heard the term SOB (that's same ocean buddy, not the other kind) so many times it makes my ears burn.

Aside from a chapter on mental and physical assessment, I also think you'd want a chapter that specifically addresses marine hazards. Techniques for dealing with monofilament entanglement, natural navigation, marine animal attacks, etc... A solo diver has to know his/her environment before they step into the water.

I personally prescribe to the notion that diving with a poorly trained buddy is more dangerous than diving alone. That being said, it's important that a solo diver have emergency procedures to take the buddy's place. Things like letting people know your dive profile, time in, and time out, along with having spare dive tools in different locations, are little things that can really save your life someday.

The rest, such as redundant equipment, training, and such have been covered before.

 

[b1gcountry]

Okay, I will chime in. I've thought about how I would write a book on Solo diving, and I think I would write it about buddy diving in general. There is no discussion about what makes a good buddy in any of the OW literature I've seen. Not even AOW/Rescue. In order to dive by yourself, you need to know how to dive with someone, and then realize what you are giving up when you go alone.

I would talk more about concerns throughout the dive day, not only during the actual dive. Buddies help underwater, but also help when you surface, when you're gearing up, when exiting, and even getting back to the car/dock/wherever you can from. I would stress analyzing the dive plan, analyzing the site and conditions and what problems they could cause, and how to self rescue for solo or buddies.

If this info was put in a buddy book, everyone would read it, and it may even make people more accepting of solo divers...

Tom

 

[Diver Dennis]

A chapter about a realistic and honest evaluation of your present skills would be prudent.

There seems to be more of an accepting tone on the board over the last year about solo diving since a lot of us have not cared about the people here that consider solo a crime and a sin.

Great thread Jim.

 

[Charlie99]

With virtually no decent books on the subject (my opinion), what would you include in a solo text if you were to write one....

Perhaps there aren't decent books because solo diving is mostly just diving. In most cases, whether the diving is with or without a buddy has much less impact than things such as depth, water temp, currents, whether or not it is a wreck penetration, etc.

"Risk Identification and Assessment" would be a good chapter. Only once one has identified potential risks can you then go about minimizing them, assessing them, and deciding whether or not they are acceptable.

 

[redacted]

I think one of the most stressful things I encounter as a solo diver is not underwater. It's actually other divers who feel that their openwater certification gives them the right to tell me where I can swim. I think a chapter on dealing with other divers would be as important as panic and self rescue techniques. I certainly never feel 100% like solo-diving after I've suited up and walked down the beach only to hear people yell, "Hey, where's you're buddy. What are you, crazy?" That's not the kind of stress I need before I go diving, and it's worse if you are on a dive charter. I've heard the term SOB (that's same ocean buddy, not the other kind) so many times it makes my ears burn.

Aside from a chapter on mental and physical assessment, I also think you'd want a chapter that specifically addresses marine hazards. Techniques for dealing with monofilament entanglement, natural navigation, marine animal attacks, etc... A solo diver has to know his/her environment before they step into the water.

I personally prescribe to the notion that diving with a poorly trained buddy is more dangerous than diving alone. That being said, it's important that a solo diver have emergency procedures to take the buddy's place. Things like letting people know your dive profile, time in, and time out, along with having spare dive tools in different locations, are little things that can really save your life someday.

The rest, such as redundant equipment, training, and such have been covered before.

Check out the chapter on solo diver hand signals.

Perhaps the subject should be about independent diving rather than solo diving. That way it would appeal to a broader audience. There are many "buddy" divers who would benefit by being self-reliant.

 

[Stonecrab]

I think I would add a chapter about the psychological benefits of solo/ independent diving.
There's a certain "meditation" aspect of it for me, being alone in the sea. The best anti-depressant for me is getting in the middle of a huge school of fish and having them "accept" me as just another fish in the school!

I really believe there are certain benefits to mental health - being able to rely on yourself, your own judgments and decisions (especially when something does go wrong) - now that I'm thinking about it, it has been a great boost to my "self-esteem" (I'm not sure that's the right term?):huh:

 

[captain]

Perhaps there aren't decent books because solo diving is mostly just diving. In most cases, whether the diving is with or without a buddy has much less impact than things such as depth, water temp, currents, whether or not it is a wreck penetration, etc.

"Risk Identification and Assessment" would be a good chapter. Only once one has identified potential risks can you then go about minimizing them, assessing them, and deciding whether or not they are acceptable.

By God old chap, I think you have it, nuf said.

 

[TomP]

Perhaps there aren't decent books because solo diving is mostly just diving. In most cases, whether the diving is with or without a buddy has much less impact than things such as depth, water temp, currents, whether or not it is a wreck penetration, etc.

From a practical perspective I respectively disagree with you and Captain on this one. There are plenty of books from the general to specific on all kinds of diving. If diving was diving there would be only one. Not a great reason to write another one but there is certainly room for one more

"Risk Identification and Assessment" would be a good chapter. Only once one has identified potential risks can you then go about minimizing them, assessing them, and deciding whether or not they are acceptable.

Agree, and I think this speaks directly to point above. We can do our best to minimize rsiks but can't eliminate them. Ergo any 'have your buddy...' references have to be translated into 'then you should...' type of solutions.

Think many of the key chapters have been covered already. I think the mental aspects can't be understated. I like Dave's practical assessment approach in particular. The reader should be able to logically conclude that they might not be cut out for solo. A couple of more chapters might be:

What is Solo?
We don't agree and that's okay. I think we'd need to cover the varients so no one tries to impose some 'standard' definition on solo

Rigging for solo
what gear is necessary/desirable based on profile. No mandates just sound recommendations