Worth getting a solo card?

[sheeper]

the SDI Solo class is a great class. And it's really popular and I enjoy teaching it...a lot.

however, SDI Solo will tell you not to solo dive in caves, on deep, technical deco dives and wreck penetrations/overhead environments.
also be aware that many operators will not care that you have a solo card. the places I go honor it but I've been on boats where they did not care that i'm an SDI Solo Instructor.

 

[Kharon]

I have the card. Some places it's not needed (e.g. Bonaire). Some places it doesn't help (e.g. Cayman). Some places it is necessary (e,g, Dutch Springs). I tend to dive where it's not needed, though I'm glad to have it when it is required. I got to dive the Kittiwake solo (external) while the group explored the interior. The DM made an exception for me because of the card even though the Cayman "rules" prohibit diving solo.

But, the real reason I studied for the SDI Solo DIver was to make sure that I understood everything I could, to make sure I had all the equipment necessary, and to make sure of all the skills I needed to perfect to reliably dive solo.

 

[TrimixToo]

That card came for "free" with Extended Range for me. (I had to pay for the card itself.) It has been convenient to have from time to time, but in this part of the country it is largely optional outside Dutch Springs.

 

[Akimbo]

The Explorer Ventures Liveaboards require a card for solo.

 

[iarf]

Got it. After talking to a shop in Thailand where I intend to be, I'm told they'll allow solo diving with the card after doing a "check off" dive with one of their DMs. sounds reasonable enough to me. I guess I'll pay the fee and get the certification for it to be safe. The "don't ask don't tell" thing seems true to me in a lot of places, intentionally or not. Nobody's going to play scuba police most of the time and confirm you have a buddy I guess.

 

[Cyborg Pirate]

I captain on a dive boat, and I also have my solo cert..... that being said as you have heard some places don't care, many do, some just don't ask. My shop asks, I am required to see the cert card if I have divers who want to go it alone. So make it easy on yourself and don't put the dive crews in a tough spot. Get the card and be prepared for which ever comes your way.

 

[drbill]

I've been diving solo since the first time I tried SCUBA back in 1962. Local operators know me but when I travel I am almost always asked to buddy up. Generally I'm fine with that because I'm diving sites unknown to me. Have thought about the SDI solo cert for some time, but given the reasoning above I doubt I'll do it.

 

[divezonescuba]

Solo / self reliant courses should do more than just result in a card. You should learn / reinforce gas calculations, dsmb use at depth with a reel or finger spool, and properly set up an use a redundant gas source. These are all good primers for tech courses as well.

I am surprised at the number of AOW certified divers that cannot properly send up a dsmb with a reel / spool. Some have only inflated it on the surface if that. These people have even surfaced on their own in places like Cozumel without a smb / dsmb.

On our last trip there, we had several boat pass above our heads at high speed while doing safety stops. Every time I hear about divers struck on the surface I wonder if they had and deployed a smb / dsmb.

 

[Rred]

Before there were solo cards, when the industry said "BUDDIES!" and some studies quietly were saying "Buddies only ensure two divers die together"...I had to work late and my buddy caught a boat dive, solo. So they pointed to another diver and said "You two are buddies, you dive together". For some reason that never got explained, the new guy literally pulled the inflator on my buddy's BC. (Yes, in the 80's it was normal to have power CO2 inflators on BC's.) Sent my buddy right up to the surface, not happy about the incident or the replacement cartridge expense. From that day on, he vowed he'd rather dive ALONE than with some random guy he'd never met.

These days, most boats won't let you in the water alone, under you have that (preferably PADI) set of liability releases (one for the owner, one for the operator, one for the agency) that says gee mom, really, I can do it myself. So from that point of view? The cert is worthless, but if you want to play, you've got to pay.

 

[Colliam7]

Here (USA) "Self-Reliant" is NOT solo. It is a totally BS card.

Wrong! Very wrong! Here (USA) the SRD is a certification for BOTH divers who are diving alone (aka 'solo') and diving with a buddy.