When/where to practice solo skills? And what to practice?

[Diving Dubai]

I feel that ‘buddies’ on the dive charters here provide a false sense of security - they’re out of reach, not paying attention, or poorly qualified.

So looking at your profile, I assume that you've been less than a year. Now I'm not suggesting that you are inaccurate on your description of insta buddies, but can you be 100% sure you are without fault?

Regarding skills. Things you can easily do. Practise to ensure your buoyancy and trim is good, make sure your basic skills learnt in OW are still up to scratch. For instance, can you do a mask remove and replace without fuss and while being neutral? How are you at kit removal underwater, shooting a dsmb etc etc? Do you still "scull"?

Diving is one of these things that takes a bit of practise, and while I'm not going to criticise you for being forward looking and thinking about things, I will suggest that you do remember to take baby steps and ensure your basic skills are really up to scratch.

Most self reliant courses require around 100 dives to hopefully ensure the person has reasonable skills and comfort in the water (although this is not guaranteed)

Make sure you're self aware and composed. If you want to be a solo diver you need to be able to deal with mino issues without flapping.

Sometimes buddies just need someone to take charge, I appreciate that some will always be to**ers but that's life. However often they've not dived with anyone of a decent standard - when they do they tend to fall in line, realising that they're not as good as they think they are.

One more thing, I urge everyone to take Rescue and when possible the basic tech course, so that they can become more of a thinking diver.

Hope that helps

 

[Wookie]

I have been a solo instructor since SDI offered the card. The only skills required for a solo class are things like gas planning, SMB use, gas switching, and navigation. The things you learned in open water class. That's why you can't take a solo class until you have 100 logged dives. Not because there is something new to learn, but because we want you to be good at the skills you learned in open water class. The things you can practice on a buddy dive. The things you can practice on a charter boat.

I think you have a gross conceptual error about solo diving. It is not a license to go use some particularly nifty set of gear that will keep you alive in the event of some underwater screwup or equipment failure, it is an evaluation of how well you use your noggin and how established your muscle memory is doing the things that divers do every day.

At this point you are an epic fail. Not because you aren't smart enough, or don't have the right equipment, but because you have not gained the proper experience and have the wrong attitude.

Now, go diving, nail down the skills you learned in open water class, and come back in a hundred dives and show us all how much you know.

 

[mallbritton]

I posted in the beginner forum that I did a couple of solo dives w/o proper training and equipment. So now I want to start practicing and acquiring the right gear. So, for example, when/where did you practice mask changes? What else can I start practicing?

It seems like not the best idea to practice on a chartered boat where I’m showing up alone and diving with a (generally low experience) group. Hopefully I’ll meet someone soon who lives around here and is also interested in practicing skills, but it hasn’t happened yet.

SDI Solo Diver - SDI | TDI | ERDI

You must have 100 logged dives to take the course.

 

[Olariuas]

Is it solo diving course from IANTD ?

• Proof of a minimum of 25 logged dives or sufficient experience to satisfy the instructor that the student has the ability and knowledge to continue into this level of training

IANTD World Headquarters - Self-Sufficient Diver Specialty (OC, Rebreather)


In any case- is it the same as every divers would suggest: Pick up instructor no matter which agency
How a diver are able to know if a 'solo diving' instructor do a lot of solo diving ?
How to know that this instructor is highly experimented ?

 

[mallbritton]

Thanks, I joined that meetup and will dive with them. I’m interested in solo (self reliant) diving because I feel that ‘buddies’ on the dive charters here provide a false sense of security - they’re out of reach, not paying attention, or poorly qualified.

This can be covered before you both jump in the water by TALKING to your buddy, planning your dive, and both agreeing on what behaviors are acceptable/unacceptable underwater and both agreeing how the dive is to be conducted.

One of the thing many new divers forget about diving within the buddy system is that being able to effectively communicate above and below water is also an important diving skill. Learn this skill, and practice it, along with the other skills you learned in your OW course and, with experience, you will become a better diver.

 

[tomfcrist]

I'm more concern to know what kind of risks It's possible to encounter (even if it's rare)
to know their causes and consequences
and to found solutions to prevent and reduce risks.

I'm trying to found some WHAT IF ... and I found it nice to know about it.

Those risks you speak of are present on every dive. Thus the “practice” that is needed is merely diving in general.

Bottom line, the more you dive-the more competent you should become. Don’t dive solo if you are incompetent. Don’t dive with a buddy that doesn’t know you are incompetent. Don’t dive with a buddy who’s competence you are unaware of.

 

[Wookie]

Is it solo diving course from IANTD ?

• Proof of a minimum of 25 logged dives or sufficient experience to satisfy the instructor that the student has the ability and knowledge to continue into this level of training

IANTD World Headquarters - Self-Sufficient Diver Specialty (OC, Rebreather)


In any case- is it the same as every divers would suggest: Pick up instructor no matter which agency
How a diver are able to know if a 'solo diving' instructor do a lot of solo diving ?
How to know that this instructor is highly experimented ?

No. The IANTD course is not meant as a solo diver course, but as a self reliant diver course. According to my personal conversation with Tom Mount 4 years ago at Beneath the Sea dive convention, the self sufficient diver course is meant to make you a more aware diver in the event of a buddy separation, not a tool to plan a dive without a buddy.

Most operators will not accept a self sufficient diver course card from IANTD as evidence of passing a solo diver course.

 

[Olariuas]

Currently only PADI Self-Reliant and SDI Solo diver are the only 'true' courses for solo diving certification ?
Except later gather more knowledges from own experiences or other' experiences.

 

[Steve_C]

As above - dive more first

I have bought a number of course books and then not always taken the courses either because I did not see where I would get much from the course or because it was not a type of diving I wanted to do. Other times I took the courses.

So nothing to stop you from buying the solo book and reading it. This would NOT fully equip you for solo diving but would give you some useful information. The solo course is more than facts it is also a lot about attitude, awareness. The best way to solve a problem is to avoid the problem. So part of a solo course is by only solo diving within your experience. No pinnacle dives as they say in the SDI version.

 

[Aloha Joe]

Lots of good advice - I’ll keep diving, expand my network, and will work on better communication.