Solo diving... thumbs up, thumbs down?

[DiverLS]

I used to go to the boats in S. California a LOT. After some bad mis-haps with "insta buddies" I started diving solo. Then I got into cameras and the on board photo competitions. We all dived solo then, except a few life time couples.

Now I hit the jackpot. I have a snuggle buddy and we do all our diving together. The bonus: He's an IANTD instructor. Cool. He introduced me to cave diving. I fell for it head over heals. The camera is in storage and when I get confident in a cave, I'll take it there. That could be years.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Our teams are a bit more interactive than that ... particularly on more aggressive dives. Things like communication and positioning are much easier when they're habitual. Of course, that assumes you use those skills when you're with a buddy. If you don't then I can understand your point.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Depends on your dive Bob, also a big difference is you are mostly in the big ole pacific, the caves I'm in is not quite that vast. Good situational awareness is a lot better than over communication in a cave. You know the plan, you know where to communicate and where you should be. On most dives I know what my buddy is about to do before he does it, and vice versa. It doesn't matter if we dive every day together or skip a few weeks there is no breakdown in communication from diving solo. I can't see a good reason for there to be.

 

[Peter_C]

I have done it and enjoy the solitude solo diving provides. Just like in many ways I prefer to ride my mountain bike alone. I can go at my own pace, stop when I want, go as far as I want, and where I want.

Except...our ocean on the North Sonoma Coast of California is unforgiving and dangerous. Strong currents, great white sharks, kelp monsters, and all the beauty that the ocean holds, is not to be taken lightly. So in warm water I enjoy solo dives on top of the reefs poking around. Local waters I like to have a buddy to push in front of the shark. Some of Monterey's more protected waters are great solo with a scooter as my buddy. Mostly though it is nice to share the experience with a buddy or two

 

[Nemrod]

Who solo dives, and who doesn't... and why for each?

I solo because I want to and that is the only reason I need.

N

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I go from solo to buddy diving every weekend. Nothing hard about it and no solo or team hood to wear. Either you have someone to discuss and plan a dive with and throw some signals or you don't.

I hear ya... I dive solo so much that I don't even distinguish it anymore. Now it's just diving. In fact, I have to give buddy diving more thought now than solo diving. I tend to push hard when I dive and I have to remember to dial it back to be a good buddy.

 

[InTheDrink]

I haven't gone solo but it's one of the next steps for me. On a practical basis, trying t round up troops is just too difficult. Plus what I like seem to be different from my buddies. I like being in the water no matter the conditions. My buddies feel differently Which is fine. But their jobs give them the luxury of time, something I don't have.

I really want to start playing about at my own pace and come up when I want to come up, not when lightweight buddies start feeling cold .

I love all types of diving I've tried. For shallow shore dives I think solo has a lot to recommend it.

J

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Depends on your dive Bob, also a big difference is you are mostly in the big ole pacific, the caves I'm in is not quite that vast. Good situational awareness is a lot better than over communication in a cave. You know the plan, you know where to communicate and where you should be. On most dives I know what my buddy is about to do before he does it, and vice versa. It doesn't matter if we dive every day together or skip a few weeks there is no breakdown in communication from diving solo. I can't see a good reason for there to be.

Very true ... environmental differences to a large degree determine what diving habits work out the best ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[KY_BOB]

Do I as a rule? no. Have I? yes

 

[WetLens]

In a word, yes. My preference would be to either dive with a competent buddy or be in a teaching/mentor role with a less experienced diver (with the dive agenda targeted beforehand). I do enjoy sharing the underwater experience, but I do not want to be put in the position of babysitting someone through a dive - therefore, I do dive solo on occasion.

I agree with the poster that said as an instructor, you are essentially diving solo. Agree with that premise, having instructed for 20-some years. The flip side of that is having been an instructor, I do feel a tinge of guilt diving solo as a primary tenant while rising through both YMCA and NAUI training was "never dive alone." I get over it, but the guilt tinge is there.

I also agree with the poster that was an UW photographer. When I am shooting, I am a lousy buddy. Worse when my buddy is also shooting. That is "same day, same ocean" diving - which is another term for solo diving. We may enter and exit together, but we were not functioning as a buddy team.

Over the past couple of years, I've found myself in a position to solo dive much more frequently. I've ended up on charter boats in North Carolina and more recently in Panama City where I don't know any of the other divers on the boat. I'm at the point in my life where I don't tolerate incompetence well - and I see quite a lot of that these days on charters. Rather than take on an unknown - and potentially incompenent diver - I prefer diving on my own.

Unlike other posters, I do not set arbitrary limits on solo activities. Conditions dictate how I dive and how I manage my time underwater. I find the notion that diving at 34' vs. diving at 30' is inherently more dangerous to be somewhat silly. What is that depth where it finally becomes too dangerous??? To me, there are other conditions - visibility, currents, task-loading, etc. that have more of an impact than setting some silly limit.

Bottom line - I enjoy diving with others and given the choice to dive with someone competent or dive solo, I'd choose the buddy (more likely for social reasons than safety).

 

[Cave Diver]

I've done a few solo dives in OW but in general prefer diving with one or two trusted buddies. If I really wanted to do a dive and didn't have a buddy I feel competent and comfortable enough to dive solo but it's really not a preference. Most of my diving is planned to avoid having this be a concern.

In the highly unlikely event I were to do an O/E dive solo, I'd tend to keep it extremely conservative.

on another note...
... i can't comment on solo diving CCR as I do not have any experience with this type of diving but it would seem to me that bailout is as important in both closed circuit and open circuit.

I have no intention of doing CCR dives solo. IMO, there is a higher degree of risk there than I am willing to take.