Solo diving

[RonzoTheGreat]

I don't often start threads in the basic discussion area but a recent post prompted me to take great interest in something perhaps not really given enough attention in our industry. Solo Diving. Why post it in "basic" discussions? The other thread I was reading found a brand new diver asking for advice on how to train for buoyancy and testing gear and several NEWER members and divers chimed in suggesting that solo diving is completely the choice of the diver and/or there is nothing wrong with it at all. I was/am pretty bothered by this and perhaps my training and respect for life AND the harsh environment of underwater in which we dive biases me towards "safety" but perhaps ALSO, I am wrong and it's no big deal to jump in to any body of water (pool or open) regardless of your experience if you "hold a cert card." If new divers read this and havent been exposed to accurate ideals, thoughts, and beliefs, maybe we can help someone to make better choices, or convince me that new divers "messing around in shallow water" is simply safe and acceptable?

Another factor, for me, is that a friend of mine passed this year while doing a solo dive off shore on a breather and there are many in our local community that firmly believe had she been with a buddy, she'd be able to enjoy her 30s and beyond (very young). My point here is perhaps I'm thinking about this when considering the thought. She was VERY experienced too however, but not sure that makes huge difference.

Thank you in advance for helping the idea in either direction.
Be well and Dive safe,
Ron

 

[waterpirate]

I am truly sorry for your loss, any loss.
However one of the benefits that go along with opposing thumbs is the ability to reason. The ability to identify and mitigate risk. I am a strong advocate for freedom of choice and all the possible scenarios have been disscussed add nauseam in the solo forum and elsewhere. Rather than get worked up one way or the other help steer curious people to training or mentors so they can make a intelligent choice, not just parrot what they heard at lds.
Eric

 

[MichiganScott]

As waterpirate said above, I too would like to express my condolences. Anytime we lose someone we know and care for it is difficult, and we end up doing a lot of asking why, or what if’s.
I Also would like to second the idea of finding a mentor to assist one if they so chose to follow the solo route. As an occasional solo diver myself I understand, and do what I can to mitigate the risk each time I dive. I'm sure anyone who has been diving anytime at all has experienced random tangles from line, rope or other hazard. Getting hung up or tangled is something you just can't teach someone and expect them to learn in class. (Something I think should be taught to all new divers in a controlled environment is entanglement hazards. Not just learning how to take off a vest and put it back on but actually how to disentangle oneself).
As for the "new divers messing around in shallow water..." being safe and acceptable, it definitely is not! I remember when I first was interested in diving I got a wet suit before I was even close to being certified. Naturally I wanted to try it out. Now I have to say here that I had many years of snorkeling experience around the world but had never had a wet suit on. So I put my new suit on (7 mil farmer john specially made for me, at the time 350 pounds and very buoyant), and climbed into our 4 foot pool with no vest, or weight belt. Having never worn one before I had no idea how to maneuver once I started floating, and found myself face down and unable to stand up. I could not for the life of me put my feet down they were too buoyant and when I tried to force them down all it did was put my face further under water. After a bit of panic I was able to make it to the side and pull my face up so I could breath. I then learned that had I simply turned over I could have easily put my feet down and stood up, but in the moment when you realize you have a problem it's not always easy to think rationally.
My point of telling this embarrassing personal story is to reiterate the ease of making a mistake, possibly even a fatal one.
Diving is a great sport but it is one that is not negotiable. There are rarely second chances, and when you’re submerged and OOA, there is no difference from being one inch from the surface or twenty feet.

 

[DaleC]

Safe one could debate but acceptable? To whom? Is there a panel somewhere that judges these sorts of things.
Not being obtuse but it's best to seperate the practical from the ideological.
btw, was it this thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/solo-divers/357859-thinking-solo-dpv-get-reef.html

 

[Codiak]

All agencies stress diving within your training and limits, neither of which guarantees success but can improve the odds. You said she was on a "breather", that too added risks beyond just soloing.

Solo training exists for those that want it... not everyone is accepted into the class, nor does everyone pass, nor does every who has the C-Card dive alone all or most the time.

Like diving in general, solo is a choice... if it holds interest then by all means get the training.

My condolences for your loss

 

[fjpatrum]

Ronzo,

I suspect I'm one of those "newer divers" you refer to and I think this is a great discussion in the basic area.

As others have said, more eloquently than I probably can, freedom of choice is a concept I value highly. As I've said in several other posts throughout my few months reading SB, I am one of those people that carefully analyzes risk versus reward when making decisions like this.

I have made efforts both here and at my local shops to find buddies to dive with that haven't been very fruitful, so far, for whatever reason. Maybe I come across as a newbie "know it all"? I try to come across as s newbie eager to learn it all, but it's a fine line to walk. In the end, I would prefer to always dive with someone else, but realistically I see that not being the case in the future. Schedules conflict, diving goals don't meet up, etc etc. If I find a mentor (or five) and/or some good diving buddies I won't be diving solo any time soon, but for now I haven't found that elusive creature.

When I consider the idea of solo diving, in a pool or otherwise, I take a lot of factors into consideration. Am I truly solo, or is there someone that is "responsible" to watch out for me, or whom I know will watch out for me even if it isn't their responsibility? Am I planning anything that is at the edge of my skill or competence? Am I using new gear or "tried and true" equipment? Am I doing anything deep? (This is arguably an invalid concern because you can die in a couple feet of water just as easily as you can die in 100 feet of water.) When was my last dive (I'm still new so all my dives are within the last 6 months) and was I comfortable with everything then? Do I feel well. Do I have time to postpone this dive until I can find a partner? The list goes on and on.

I have been a member of a Search and Rescue team for 11 years and was military before that. I'm well versed in my own "panic response" and how to deal with any emergency. I'm trained in first aid (arguably no help for myself underwater but it helps with the "panic response") and I know my limits very well and keep well away from them when not in "ideal" situations. Ideal here being partnered rather than solo. All these things I consider any time and every time I'm thinking about any kind of solo diving.

So far I have done exactly one "solo" in a pool with a lifeguard present and my wife and daughter "snorkeling" directly above me. I advocate learning your gear and your sport. I advocate practicing skills as often as you can, when it's reasonably safe to do so. Sometimes that means doing things in a pool alone, even if it's not the ideal. I am a person that gets immersed into whatever hobby I am interested in, and as such I dedicate a lot of "mental" time to it. I often can't dedicate as much physical time to an activity. As such, the times I can commit to active, physical, participation I consider very valuable and I'm willing to choose solo over "no go" for some of those times.

I chose not to do a "real" solo dive on my vacation to Hawaii because I decided I am simply too inexperienced and didn't have what I consider to be the minimum requirements for soloing (redundant air etc) and it's really not that important for me to dive at every possible opportunity at this stage in my diving career. Reasonable or not, I don't consider "solo" in a pool the same level of concern. It's my confidence in myself (perhaps it's misguided confidence) based on other activities completely unrelated to SCUBA. Perhaps it's just my eagerness and lack of experience at "all the possibilities" that makes me more willing to "overlook" them in a pool? I tend to doubt that, though, as I am very cautious about the choices I make and will always "thumb" a bad situation even if it's just a "gut feeling" that something is amiss with no verifiable evidence of it.

I can see myself doing the occasional solo in the future, simply because I'm comfortable with my own skill and doing things on my own. I've solo hiked and camped. I solo climb, on occasion, well under my limits and at low heights, and I solo kayak, bike etc etc. I don't expect diving to be much different. I'm realistic in the requirements of doing things solo and the ramifications should problems arise. As such, I believe solo is a valid choice for many people, me included.

I don't believe it's the right choice for all occasions or all people, which is why I tend to give myself and others the advice that they wait to solo. I will always tell people it's their choice, though, and try to list all the possibilities I can come up with that they (and I) should consider as potential issues before making the choice to solo.

I really appreciate these threads as it often gives people a lot of insight (if they're willing to look for it) that they may or may not have had. It also gives very personal accounts, yours included, of the finality the "issues" can take even for experienced divers. Reality checks are very important.

Thanks for the discussion.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I dive solo (sometimes) and have for over 30 years. I posted this in another, similar thread:

"I don't think solo in any situation is as safe as a dive with a good, attentive buddy.

But I don't think that the danger is automatically increased when diving solo either.

On the same dive, the absolute risk is similar whether solo or with a buddy.

The difference lies in the final outcome of various underwater and surface incidents.

The greater your skill and experience, the better chance you have for a good outcome if something goes badly wrong during the dive (both with a buddy or solo); but there are some situations that just may not be surviveable solo (serious entanglement or injury are two that come to mind)."

Best wishes.

 

[DevonDiver]

Solo diving, is diving without assistance. A newly qualified diver needs assistance, regardless of their confidence level. Confidence can exist in the early stages of a diver's experience simply because they have not yet been confronted with problems. It is different from the confidence that is gained from experience and the knowledge that you have been exposed to problems and learnt how to deal with them.

Every scuba agency espouses the 'buddy diving' system, for good reason. Whilst divers have a freedom of choice, they should be aware that their decision making and the possible negative consequences of this have a direct impact on their families, friends and even the rest of the scuba community.

I would never say that a diver cannot go solo diving. But I do recommend that divers take advice from a suitably qualified and experienced mentor or instructor about their capacity to solo dive safely...and then follow that advice.

 

[TSandM]

I think anyone who advises someone that the right way to test new gear or new procedures is to do it alone is giving very bad advice.

I think the choice to dive alone is a risk assessment. Someone with a lot of experience and information, properly equipped and educated enough to weigh the risks, who decides to dive alone . . . it's a choice. I have dived alone for brief periods, to set floats and the like. I am not a rabid anti-solo person.

But testing new gear? Practicing a new procedure? Those are times to have a buddy. Those are dives where you KNOW before you get in the water that the risks are higher. I think many of us have had those dives where you added a piece of gear, or changed something and found it didn't work . . . they're not happy, relaxed dives. Telling someone, particularly someone relatively new, that doing that alone is reasonable, is quite simply bad advice.

Regarding solo diving in general, I wrote a cry from the heart when Wes Skiles died. If you dive alone and something happens to you, you may be like Kawika Chetron -- you may never be found, and leave your family without closure. You may be like Wes, and be found, but without explanation as to what happened. The event is over for you; it will never be over for the people on land who are left with nothing but questions.

 

[TartanFrog]

As a newly certified diver, this past summer, I have thought about diving alone but have chosen to not so so. A long time ago in a far away galazy I used to borrow a friend's gear and we would go diving but never had any formal training until recently. There have been many times I tried to find someone to just go diving without having to arrange a trip or something similar but just couldn't find anyone at the time. Yes, it would have been easier to grab my gear and go dive but as with most things that have an element of risk it is always better to have a buddy close when the stuff hits the fan. I suppose it is over 21 years in a military uniform that ingrained that in my feeble brain.

Can you dive without a buddy? Sure but what are the risks? Just like going out in the boonies without a buddy. It can be done, but is it prudent?