43 replies to this topic

[domino22]

I'd like to caution folks that solo diving is not for everyone or even for most. There is safety in numbers and solo diving isn't a goal. I know Marvel's abilities and I'm not concerned about her diving solo from time to time in her yard. I worry that others who are not ready or who don't have a site with which they are as familiar will be encouraged to dive solo.

I agree Walter but diving solo is what I do even with my buddy. He understands this and is new to diving and has become velcro to the DM. I shoot photos and really only need a dive buddy to share a room with and have someone to talk to at dinner&happy hour ya i bad. If you look at the distance between "Buddies" underwater it can be a very long distance. I belive in self survival and plan all dives that way and ya the pony is my buddy.

[scoobiediver]

Sounds like a dream Marvel. Congrats

[wreck_maniac]

Sounds like a great time Marvel...my first solo dive was here off the NC coast but I won't go into detail for fear of being chastized

[triggerfish]

uh, dale, honey??
i got news for ya....your BUDDY DIVES are pretty close to being solo dives!

good thing you have a cute butt, or i woulda lost you a couple times!!!

[Dennis]

As Walter said, solo diving is not for everyone. It is a personal choice where the diver accepts the consequences if there are problems. Those consequences can be severe, even if you have a pony bottle.

I have felt proficient enough a few times in the years I have been diving that I would be confident in my ability to solo dive at a known location. I have not. Why? Donna asked me to never dive solo. I have never, and I never will.

Your actions also affect others. Always remember this.

[triggerfish]

that's very sweet..and very true

[Walter]

Never? What about the Radio Tower? Admitedly, there were lots of folks nearby, but you didn't have a buddy.

[wreck_maniac]

As Walter said, solo diving is not for everyone. It is a personal choice where the diver accepts the consequences if there are problems. Those consequences can be severe, even if you have a pony bottle.

I thought that as divers we accepted the consequences if there are problems in the first place. Most buddy dives are same ocean same day in the first place. I rarely see the buddy system practiced as it is taught.

[Dennis]

Well, I guess if you get really technical about it, I was semi-solo on that dive. However, the Radio Towers were before Donna asked me to not dive solo. She asked me not to when she read my log book after that trip. Since then, I haven't and I won't.

wreck_maniac, you are completely correct in your assessment of most people that dive today. I have had a dive buddy that dissappeared after we hit the water. I never dove with that person again, at least not as my dive buddy. It only takes once. Donna is a great buddy, she was trained well and knows how to be a real dive buddy. If I need her, she is there. Same here, if I'm your buddy, I'll be close enough to help if needed.

We could get into the reasons for this problem, but mostly it's poor training and a deterioration of training standards over the years. Another thread maybe?

[Walter]

It's certainly worth discussing, but this board isn't really the right place for that discussion. While there are problems with many areas of the dive industry, including training, we want to focus on solutions to problems and remain upbeat and positive.

I know that dive was prior to your discussion with Donna, but I felt that was an important point. We learn from our past. You learned some excellent lessons as a result of that dive. You learned something of your own abilities as a diver, but you learned a more important life lesson as well. While you and Donna have always had an excellent relationship, that dive opened a new topic of discussion (solo diving) between you which expanded into a bigger topic (our actions affect others) and made your relationship even better.

[Dennis]

So true.

[GeekDiver]

Congrats on the Solo dive. Although I don't ever recommend anyone to dive solo I admit that I do so often. Safety aside (which should never actually be a side issue) I think there’s a lot that you can gain from diving solo.

It takes a certain level of confidence just to dive alone. Diving with Buddies can become a crutch by relying on your buddy to navigate or boosting your confidence falsely just by being there. This leads to never fully fine tuning some skills for some people.

Once I got more confident and desperate enough to go on a solo dive it was a real eye opener for me. Most of my dives I make are in lakes and have poor vis that at times can be measured in inches. My first solo dive was in poor vis with lots of bigger particles floating around and nerve racking as can be. Poor vis with no bottom or wall to referance leaves you virtually blind and can severely disorient you. I had to fight the urge to panic and head to the surface when I got disoriented and was anything but fun. I didn't panic though and worked through my fear and was able to reestablish my heading, calmed myself down and ended up being a valuable lesson learned. Try this sometime with a buddy, black out a mask or close your eyes and swim while they watch over you (not guiding or holding on to you) and you'll get an idea of what my first solo dive ended up becoming.

I make solo dives now partly because of this first dive. It helps me to build my skills and confidence level. I'll often head out across a deeper section with poor vis which tests my skills and confidence level. With no visual inputs on depth or heading you have to learn how to use and trust your gauges and skills. Diving solo has been a real boost to my confidence level not to mention fine tuning my skills. With all this being said and done be careful.

Edited by GeekDiver, 14 July 2004 - 03:26 PM.

[Sophia]

I thought that as divers we accepted the consequences if there are problems in the first place. Most buddy dives are same ocean same day in the first place. I rarely see the buddy system practiced as it is taught.

Not me! Not so much because I want to stay close to that other air source, but because I never have a clue where the exit location is. One time I thought I knew - I was wrong. I am pretty good aboveground, but NSEW don't seem to have much meaning underwater. Landmarks? phooey It's all so marvelous, my brain only holds about the last 5 minutes of neat stuff.

[WisconsinGal]

I learned rather quickly how bad my navigational skills were and how "Important" it is to remember land marks last year in February when I lost my dive buddy and the flag! He was spearfishing/lobster hunting (holding the flag as well) and I was following along observing how spearfishing and lobster hunting is done (very intrigued btw). What we forgot to do was communicate what would happen if he spotted dinner! I turned to look at a large shadow that caught my eye, and when I turned back he was gone and so was the flag. So there I was at 100 ft, and realized that I watched my gauges but didn't pay attention to the direction we headed! Since then I've been working to improve those kills