Worth getting a solo card?

[kensuf]

I am surprised at the number of AOW certified divers that cannot properly send up a dsmb with a reel / spool.

Why are you surprised? It's only become a "standard" to work with SMB's in the past few years. Someone that was AOW certified 15 years ago and is the recreational only diving on their once a year vacation to Cozumel type diver may have barely even heard of one.

 

[lowviz]

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

Take that to Dutch Springs.

Have they changed their policy?

 

[Landstander]

Take that to Dutch Springs.

Have they changed their policy?

The policy of an individual dive operation has little to do with the merits of the certification itself.

 

[stuartv]

The policy of an individual dive operation has little to do with the merits of the certification itself.

Or everything to do with it if that individual dive operation has the only access to the site you want to go to.

 

[Schwob]

The policy of an individual dive operation has little to do with the merits of the certification itself.

True,
but for diving at a particulare private location or with a particular boat, their rules matter more than what a certification may or may not be meant for.

Out of the two quarries closest to me, one lets you go solo with a Solo Cert. (not so with self reliant), the other does not allow it no matter what cert. is produced. So if you want to go and practise a bit on your own that sort of limits your choices and whatever the original intent of whatever cert. may be, it makes no appreciable difference to the facts on the ground in that case and so it at least appears in many other places.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

I haven't had issues in FL and CA, they don't babysit. Not sure about other places. If I was diving in either of those I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[ReefHound]

I have the card. Some places it's not needed (e.g. Bonaire). Some places it doesn't help (e.g. Cayman).

It did when we dived with Ocean Frontiers in the Caymans.

"Ocean Frontiers offers the use of Pony Bottles (Air) with regulator and gauge free of charge to divers who are certified as PADI Self Reliant or higher, such as a tech diving certification."
Diver Safety - Requirements, Policies and Best Practices - Cayman Islands

 

[rek_diver]

Some of the boats I have been on seem to have somewhat of a Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. If you actually ask if you can dive solo, they probably will say no unless you have a Solo card. But, if you don't ask, then somewhere along the way they will ask everyone if they have a buddy. If you just, basically, give some sort of grunt or nod or say "I'm all set" they won't "know" (or care!) that you're diving solo.

On those same boats, it's completely normal that people drop in and meet their buddy down on the anchor line. So, buddies don't necessarily waddle up to the entry together or pair up on the surface. So, if you don't tell them you're solo, they probably won't ask and they won't really have any way of knowing for sure. Which seems to be really what they want - the ability to say "we thought he had a buddy."

Yes to all of the above but I'll add you better have a redundant source of gas on your rig when you do so.

 

[sportxlh]

After diving solo for years in Jupiter and WPB without a certification with dive operators that knew me pretty well, I eventually got the SDI solo certification since many Keys operators began to insist in 2014/15 that you have the card and the redundant gear before they let you dive solo: even when they know you well. Since moving to ATL and diving more in the Gulf and freshwater lakes/quarries, I've found that operators also want to see the card before they will turn you loose by yourself. Like some have said, I think it is insurance CYA for the shops in case there's a dive accident with a diver who doesn't have a buddy.

I'd also add that it was a really good class, probably the best I've taken. The drills were excellent. I think it made be a better overall diver, even on those rare occasions when I dive with a buddy.

 

[rek_diver]

My SDI solo course consisted primarily of a couple of dives during which consisted me of shooting a lift bag and untangling myself from coils of string wrapped around me by the DM. The book material was helpful but overall the training part was fairly useless.

The card itself has proven itself useful when I've dived solo but could not have done so if I didn't produce the card- primarily in the Florida Keys.