100% solo diving, in new location

[Elkfriend]

Hello Folks,

We just became lucky owners of a house on a lake, with excellent scuba diving right in our back yard.

My wife is not scuba diving at this point (although she is a rescue diver), as she is expecting.

I believe in the future, I will do basically 99% of my diving right there, but solo. Ie just hop in for 1 hr in the evenings.

1) I know its great diving there, but I have never been in that Lake
2) I feel confident about solo diving there, its not deep, emergency ascents are possible from anywhere in this lake.

Question: to play it safe, do people here in the forum have advice on specific procedures or equipment for me to get started exploring my new "home" site? What else do i need to keep in mind becoming a "solo" local?

I am looking for more solo specific advise, not generic diving tips. For example, I thought maybe I should print a written checklist that I religiously go through with a pen (to replace buddy check) before I hop in...

 

[dave4868]

I'd post this question on the Solo Divers forum to avoid some anti-solo rhetoric....

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/solo-divers/

Otherwise, just like buddy diving, stay within your abilities and do a little assessment of potential entanglement hazards and boat traffic hazards. Those would be tops on my list.

Your place sounds like scuba diving Nirvana!

Dave C

 

[cruiser]

My suggestion would be to have a buddy the first couple times you dive it, while you're getting familiar with conditions and lay of the (underwater) land.

 

[diveandclimb]

The check list seems like a good idea although with time you will likely internalize the list and not need it on paper. You might also want to consider a pony to replace the redundancy a buddy provides. This way if you get a free flow and are entangled preventing an OOA ascent then you can still breath off the pony while you cut yourself free.

 

[ligersandtions]

You'll probably get better (more useful) response in the solo forum, as Dave mentioned. I don't dive solo, so I can't really give you any helpful tips other than to say check out the solo forum.

I can, however, say that I am jealous that you live right on a dive-able lake and will get to dive whenever you want!

 

[spectrum]

1) I know its great diving there, but I have never been in that Lake.

I'm not sure I understand this statement.

I will say that topside impressions and the perceptions of others can be very misleading. Fresh water is all about "what you find" and sometimes it's hostile stuff. Just because it's at home I would not cut it any slack. Treat it like any other unknown location.

Pete

 

[Sas]

I believe in the future, I will do basically 99% of my diving right there, but solo. Ie just hop in for 1 hr in the evenings.

1) I know its great diving there, but I have never been in that Lake
2) I feel confident about solo diving there, its not deep, emergency ascents are possible from anywhere in this lake.

Generally I would advise that an ascent in the face of a problem be the last resort. You should be comfortable working out problems on the bottom if you wish to take up solo diving.

Question: to play it safe, do people here in the forum have advice on specific procedures or equipment for me to get started exploring my new "home" site? What else do i need to keep in mind becoming a "solo" local?

Have you done any solo diving before? If so use the same procedures you do then. I do not see any problem as such about diving a new site solo (and I have done new sites solo myself) as I am prepared to do any dive I currently do with a buddy solo - I do not understand people who feel they need to stick to easy sites when they solo dive - you're either self-sufficient or not when diving.

When I solo dive I do the same things I do as when I am diving with a buddy... basically I would not be slacker when diving with a buddy with safety checks and redundancy as buddies are fallible too. Do all your equipment checks thoroughly, have someone on the shore know of your plan, bring the right redundancy (things such as two cutting devices, spare mask, pony with sufficient gas to get you to the surface, and so on - though everyone has different ideas about what is the right redundancy and it varies on different sites - check out the solo forum for more info)

 

[ivobj]

You'll probably get better (more useful) response in the solo forum, as Dave mentioned. I don't dive solo, so I can't really give you any helpful tips other than to say check out the solo forum.

I also support that, I would post in the solo diving forum. I never dive solo so cannot give you advice.

 

[Elkfriend]

thanks for advise folks - I am new here, did not know there is a solo forum.

Someone earlier asked how I know the diving is good:
All the local dive outfits dive in this lake, also the local firefighter dive crews train in the lake, apparently there are a bunch of underwater structures. Also there is amazing trout fishing + good viz.

I will try to find the solo forum and ask the question there again!

Cheers

 

[Sas]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/solo-divers/ <Link to forum.