47 replies to this topic

[Capt.JP]

Do any of my single diving compadres have an opinion regarding solo diving?
I would like to gather some feedback. It is my opinion that solo diving can be very safe and enjoyable if the diver is cautious and plans a very conservative dive and sticks to that plan.
What do you folks think? Jim.

[chinacat46]

I agree but besides sticking to the plan you need some extra gear that you may or may not already be using. Like a pony bottle, knife and compass. A whistle and safety sausage are also good to have.

[canuckdiver]

Well, I know that my views on this subject are somewhat controvercial, but....

I think solo diving CAN be done successfully, I also think that every diver should be self-supporting to the point where they could pull off a solo dive. I have dove with a fair number of inexperienced buddies that I don't really think I could absolutely count on to pull my ass out of the fire, should everything go to hell.
I.E. if you are doing a dive that you cannot safely do an out of air ascent, then you should have a redundant air supply. If you are diving in an area that will require a light, carry a small redundant backup. Always carry 2 cutting devices, etc.

In other words, my opinion is that you shoud not be relying on your buddy in the case of equipment failure and/or situational hazards (entanglement, etc.). In this sense, every dive becomes a solo dive.

Now, that being said, when you start talking about dives that are more "technical" in nature, or more demanding (mixed gasses, gas switches, penetration, etc.) then you NEED a buddy that you can ABSOLUTELY rely on to save your life if it comes down to it. No amount of redundancy can help you in the case of say, an OXTOX episode. I personally know only about 4-5 people that I would put in this catagory.

LOL, clear as mud?

[Diverbrian]

No, very clear to me.

As a DiveCon, many of my dive buddies are newer divers that I wouldn't trust (even after briefings) to be an assest to underwater. Worse, some are in the intermediate range where they know alot about diving but not a lot about situational awareness. I am more of a safety diver with them than us being equal dive buddies in these cases. These are like solo dives anyways. So I don't think much about diving solo with my doubles on wrecks that I am familar with and staying away from NDL's.

My favorite buddy is less experienced than me but has the brains to help me in all sorts of inperceptible ways. (Like reminding me of the proper home for my wrist mounted dive computer, doh!).

On technical dives, I only do them with buddies that I trust implicitly. I have dove with at least one who had the cards and more dives than me, but too much arrogance to improve his skills beyond a certain level. That was not a fun dive. I have dove with others that were invaluable in little things that made my dive far safer. In return, I have done that for them. Pulling lines away from tank manifolds is a common occurence for either myself or my buddy on deep dives. These lines may be difficult to see to cut whereas, a buddy sees the line hook the tank manifold right off. These are examples of "buddy services" that you lose when you solo dive.

If you plan to dive solo, I highly suggest the training to rig redundant air supplies that is generally offered in any of the "entry level technical" courses like IANTD Advanced Nitrox. Otherwise, the solo diver may find that pony bottle to be quite a fiesty little critter.

[SquattingRadishDM]

Welcome to the board Capt.JP

I think solo diving CAN be done successfully, I also think that every diver should be self-supporting to the point where they could pull off a solo dive.

Bingo, because every COULD become a solo dive if you get seperated. Its no good relying on breathing from ur buddies tank because you didn't manage ur gas, then you get seperated and now you dont have enough gas to decompress safely. (see DiverBrians air share incident, luckily for his buddy they didn't get seperated http://www.scubaboar...-air-share.html hope you dont mind me bringing this up Brian but its an example of the above point).

I have dove with a fair number of inexperienced buddies that I don't really think I could absolutely count on to pull my ass out of the fire, should everything go to hell.

I practically have a new dive buddy on every dive I do so I can empathise with this.

As has been said if ya gonna set out to do a solo dive then you need a seperate redundant air source, like a pony or doubles with isolation manifold. And if ur gonna use either of those you should take an entry level Tech course as Brian suggests.

Its a good idea to take a leaf out of the serious cave and tech divers book and plan for virtually every eventuality. Carrying backup cutting devices and lights, REALLY calculating ur gas requirements for what ur about to do, and analysing points of failure in your equipment and plan.

Then throw in some "!*£$! hitting the fan" type of scenarios e.g. What if I go too deep and have to add more time onto my deco obligation, do I have enough gas for that. If my primary reg free flows is there enough gas in my pony/stage bottle to ascend and decompress.

Even tho you'll be alone underwater you should tell the support boat or whoevers watching from the shore what ur doing and arrange emergency procedures with them. A common one is if you need to get a message to the surface is to send up 2 Delayed SMB's 1 with a slate attached explaining ur problem, 1 normally means "Im decompressing", 2 means "theres a problem". This can be usefull if you need to get more air to decompress safely, or in other problems where the surface could concievably provide assistance.

So Capt.JP, I think so far ppl agree with you that solo diving can be safe and enjoyable. Provided you take it as seriously as the cave and tech divers take their sport.

I'd like to hear what the regular solo divers like Dr Bill have to say on this..........................

[Latitude Adjustment]

Most photographers and hunters are so wrapped up in what they are doing that they are diving solo.
As long as you plan to be able to bail yourself out I don't see the problem but there are some beach dives I won't do solo because of changing currents.

[Walter]

Very few people should even consider diving solo. If there's any doubt in your mind that you should be solo diving, you shouldn't.

I never recommend solo diving to anyone. I do understand some people are able to dive solo safely. Keep in mind, if you have a medical problem such as a heart attack, stroke or even an allergic reaction to a Bristle worm or Man O' War sting, you are much more likely to die than if you're diving with a buddy.

[randy54]

Yes it can be safe, and I do some myself. It takes a lot of diving and being comfortable underwater. It takes a different mind set, understanding that there may not be anyone else there to help if it's needed. It takes extra planning, and care of your equipment, pre and post dive. The first few at least, and for me all, are done at dive sites I've dove before and know, and only shallow depths, 60fsw max. NO wrecks, NO caves, open water only. Alone I spend much more time monitoring my gauges, and never travel far from the anchor line. Generally I keep it in sight. My back on the boat air pressure goes up from 500psi to 1000psi. I'd much rather have a short safe dive, than a long scary one.

[WreckWench]

Its a good idea to take a leaf out of the serious cave and tech divers book and plan for virtually every eventuality. Carrying backup cutting devices and lights, REALLY calculating ur gas requirements for what ur about to do, and analysing points of failure in your equipment and plan.

Herein lies a fallacy we've been dancing with lately....just because you have a back up plan and/or redundancy for lights, cutting devices, etc. doesn't mean you know how to use them properly or can use them successfully when under stress and called upon to perform.

We get back to an underlying problem many of us face and that is lack of proper training, skills development and satisfactory practice in confined water of these skills PRIOR to needing them in open water. Too many of us are learning skills via sites like SD and others and that is fine UNLESS you try to do all your learning via the net/books/videos and don't seek out proper instruction and corresponding practice of these skills and/or gear.

For example, I recently did a free ascent from over 100ft in my new dry suit for which I had not prepared for, nor had I planned for it, nor had I practiced it nor a similar ascent from more shallow depths, nor had I focused a lot of my training time on these skills in my drysuit course. Why may you ask? For starters I dive regularily to depths over 100ft off the Eastern seaboard and I always descend and ascend on an anchor line. In this case I was especially intent on using the line as I was using new equipment, however on the last dive of the trip, I found myself in very low vis and unable to find the anchor line. (I also had lost my buddy but was not concerned as I had dove this wreck many times before.) I was already approching deco and did not want to do a long safety stop away from the boat so decided to ascend in what I thought was the direction of the anchor line. Another lost diver joined me and not only ascended too fast but also failed to properly monitor depth and ascent rates and so tried to keep slightly above me but would end up below me and then above me all the way to the surface. This diver had additional safety gear however to my knowledge has not been properly trained in their use. I was able to make my ascent safely and slowly despite still being novice in my drysuit and having just dropped another 2 pounds, extremely worried that now I would be too light. Even with proper training and practice on the use of a reel and signaling device, the newness of my drysuit precluded me from shooting my bag to the surface while doing my safety stop. I chose to wait until after my safety stop and fortunately that was the right decision as I slowly floated to the surface while deploying my signaling device. Had I attempted this prior to the safety stop I would have blown it. Had I practiced deploying a signaling device in my new drysuit? No. Had I practiced deploying a signaling device in my normal diving gear? Yes. Had I practiced recently? No.

So what's my take on solo diving? It is not something you should choose to do unless necessary. Necessary is a definition open to many variations. However I do believe that all divers should do more then just carry additional gear for safety reasons. They need to be properly trained in their use and practice those skills. And yes...some of the skills I've learned in my life I've tried to learn by solely reading a book or the internet...it doesn't work. Many instructors have had to undo many things I've learned the wrong way so now I try to do it right the first time. It saves a lot of problems, issues and hassles in the long run.

[jextract]

Great posts, all! Thanks for sharing - it's nice to get so many different perspectives.

[Bubble2Bubble]

I dive solo
In shallow water only 20/30ft max it is for testing equipment only. I bring a friend/ non diver but swimmer with me. a plan is made that if i dont return in a certain time call the sheriff and tell them where to find the stupid ass, throw caution to the wind diver
but that is the only time I dive solo.



B2B

[SquattingRadishDM]

Its a good idea to take a leaf out of the serious cave and tech divers book and plan for virtually every eventuality. Carrying backup cutting devices and lights, REALLY calculating ur gas requirements for what ur about to do, and analysing points of failure in your equipment and plan.   

Herein lies a fallacy we've been dancing with lately....just because you have a back up plan and/or redundancy for lights, cutting devices, etc. doesn't mean you know how to use them properly or can use them successfully when under stress and called upon to perform.

Dont know (given the quote) if this was aimed at my post or a general disclaimer, so if Im way off on this one dont worry about it!

fallacy - A false notion. I still dont see any falsehoods in my statement, indeed in my post I remember encouraging any prospective solo diver to take extra training. WW, I agree with ur post about seeking proper training from an instructor not just online chit chats. I remember posting something similar on the thread concerning this topic aswell. So we both agree.

I personally can see very few situations were solo diving would be beneficial over having companion(s). I know some ppl dont like the buddy system but that is usually born out of previous experiences concerning poor buddies and anyway thats a whole different thread.

Photographers and Hunters I can possibly see the logic where you dont want to scare away marine life. Although it can be useful for photographers to have an assistant, so it goes both ways. Certain deep cave explorations (Exleys Catherdral Canyons) were done solo due to the conditions involved. But other than simply wanting the "feeling" of being on ur own underwater I cant think of too many specific scenarios where the the goal of the dive demands it is done solo.

[Laura]

I've done 4 solo dives, but just like B2B, it was in shallow water in a dive location that I know very well. There were always other divers on the surface who knew me, and would watch for my bubbles, and made sure I returned safely.

I would NOT attempt anything more challanging than that solo, unless I had much more advanced training .

[WreckWench]

Dont know (given the quote) if this was aimed at my post or a general disclaimer, so if Im way off on this one dont worry about it!

My post was NOT aimed at you. It was a general disclaimer and assessment of several growing trends I see...the positive one is that people reading a statement similar to yours fully understand that it was made with the implicit and inherent notion that one would properly train themselves as part of the "redundant gear collection process'!

However the second trend I'm seeing is NOT positive and its where many divers are reading similar such statements and believing that just owning the 'gear' is sufficient. In fact I've been on dive trips and been asked by the boat capt or dive master if I knew how to use all the gear I carry. I am not offended by the question...in fact I welcome it. I'd rather have someone question me about my abilities only to see me be competent in the water rather then not question me and see a disaster waiting to happen. Not sure what they would have done if I'd said 'no' or even if they felt I was not capable of using the gear that I carried but it shows a trend I see becoming very rampant and that is divers 'carrying the toys' but not knowing how to use them or at least use them well.

We are both in agreement that proper training is vitally important to being a sufficient diver whether with or without a buddy.

[canuckdiver]

Good point WW!
I may have mistakenly given the impression that all you need is the right gear set-up. My bad.
Training is THE most important thing. You need to be totally confident AND competent in the water before you even consider solo diving.