...and one more: DAN for solo divers

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Elkfriend

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Location
calgary, canada
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Hey Folks, sorry for all these threads, but I am in the midst of getting set up and I have some time on my hands too, thus all the questions that pop up!

Here is another one:

For my new planned solo diving adventures in a local lake, should I get a DAN membership? I just checked their website but did not scrutinize everything, but from what I can see its mainly like accident insurance. But then I am not sure if solo diving is maybe excluded (?)

Anyways, just hoping to get some input from other solo divers here, are you maintaining (and paying for) an additional DAN membership? If so, why?
 
I can't answer your question about if they cover it - your best bet is to call them direct for an exact answer - but DAN Coverage is good to have even if it isn't an aspect covered as they really are an invaluable resource for us divers - for all of what..$100 max a year?
 
In addition to a DAN membership... Do you have emergency oxygen for yourself in case you get bent?

DAN Rescue Pack
 
Yes, DAN will cover you if you are solo diving.

Something worth noting in the July/August Alert Diver Magazine published by Divers Alert Network (DAN). There is an interesting article on page 68 called Identifying Problems – Common Causes of Open-Circuit Diving Fatalities. In the article, it says, “…57% of divers who died began their dive with an assigned buddy but were separated prior to death.”
 
Yes, DAN will cover you if you are solo diving.

Something worth noting in the July/August Alert Diver Magazine published by Divers Alert Network (DAN). There is an interesting article on page 68 called Identifying Problems – Common Causes of Open-Circuit Diving Fatalities. In the article, it says, “…57% of divers who died began their dive with an assigned buddy but were separated prior to death.”

Thanks for posting that Rick.

I had actually thought the percentage of buddy-team breakdowns followed by a fatal accident was higher based on accident reports I'd seen. It does seem all too common that when a fatality occurs the surviving buddy did not know where the victim was until it was too late to provide assistance.

The hard part about that statistic is that it implies (without saying it directly) that the fatalities were caused by the victim being solo (solo by accident that is). With the exception of entanglement / entrapment, I think it is tough to really draw any conclusion except that a failure of some sort occured, and a fatality may have resulted due to the diver being solo.

It is often equally difficult to assign blame even when a true solo diver suffers a fatal accident, again unless there was entrapment / entanglement or a gear failure that a buddy could have assisted with.

It is a good, sobering statistic to keep in mind, for both buddy teams and solo divers.

Best wishes.
 
For my new planned solo diving adventures in a local lake, should I get a DAN membership? I just checked their website but did not scrutinize everything, but from what I can see its mainly like accident insurance. But then I am not sure if solo diving is maybe excluded (?)

Yes, DAN will cover you and yes, it's worth getting. For several reasons. First, (as PADI has us say) 'in the unlikey event that something happens to you...' in a diving accident DAN pays all treatment costs including evacuation if that's required.

But second, and probably more importantly, the money goes toward diving research. That's really the main benefit. The money we invest with DAN benefits us all by making diving safer!

Something worth noting in the July/August Alert Diver Magazine published by Divers Alert Network (DAN). There is an interesting article on page 68 called Identifying Problems – Common Causes of Open-Circuit Diving Fatalities. In the article, it says, “…57% of divers who died began their dive with an assigned buddy but were separated prior to death.”

When I was flying, there was a statistic going around about {some high percentage} of instrument flight rules (IFR) accidents were incurred by pilots on visual flight rules (VFR) flights continuing into instrument conditions. Alot of these pilots were IFR rated pilots. It's just that they hadn't prepared on that particular flight to go into IFR conditions, they hadn't done the prep.

I think the statistic in Alert Diver doesn't say anything about solo diving. It speaks to what happens if buddies get seperated. When I dive with a buddy I don't take all the redundancy that I carry when I'm alone. Different prep...
 
Overly aggragated data like that is very limited in what it really tells you it as it does not speak to causation or any of the conditions that may have caused the outcome. There are several questions that need to be answered before you could conclude that buddy versus solo diving is safer. For example:

In what percentage of accidents would having a buddy present "until death occurred" have made a difference?

In what percentage of accidents would the above condition resulted in a double fatality?

In what percentage of accidents did having a buddy in the first precipitate the events leading to an accident?

What were the diver experience/competence levels and is their a point where solo diving is safer than diving with an inexperienced buddy?

But this is America and by God we love to cite over aggragated data even if it is largely meaningless.
 
When I was flying, there was a statistic going around about {some high percentage} of instrument flight rules (IFR) accidents were incurred by pilots on visual flight rules (VFR) flights continuing into instrument conditions. Alot of these pilots were IFR rated pilots. It's just that they hadn't prepared on that particular flight to go into IFR conditions, they hadn't done the prep.

I think the statistic in Alert Diver doesn't say anything about solo diving. It speaks to what happens if buddies get seperated. When I dive with a buddy I don't take all the redundancy that I carry when I'm alone. Different prep...
That is an excellent analogy - and it is one of the prime selling points of a solo diving course for a recreational diver as it helps them get in the habit of preparing for any dive as if they were going to end up solo.

Technical dive training is in most respects the same way. Agency philosophies differ, but all technical divers regardless of agency are trained to configure (and directly or indirectly) to plan in a manner that allows them to complete the dive on their own if it cannot be avoided.
 
In what percentage of accidents did having a buddy in the first precipitate the events leading to an accident?

What were the diver experience/competence levels and is their a point where solo diving is safer than diving with an inexperienced buddy?

But this is America and by God we love to cite over aggragated data even if it is largely meaningless.


Great points, and although I'm a firm believer in the buddy system, I've often thought along the same lines.

Sometimes no buddy is safer than a poor buddy.

Best wishes.
 
You can never go wrong with getting DAN insurance. Just make sure you get the "any depth, any gas" coverage. Remember too that DAN is secondary insurance. You must submit your claim to your primary insurance carrier and DAN will pick up whatever your primary insurance does not cover. As some insurance specifically excludes SCUBA, DAN is a valuable asset!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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