Most Memorable solo dive
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DevonDiver
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I have two memorable solo dives:
1) Waking up at 4.45am in Anilao, Philippines, donning my doubles and jumping in for a pre-dawn shore dive...ridding a light current at 75m along a steep sand slope watching into the lightening gloom for the outline of passing hammerhead or tiger sharks....enjoying some light narcosis that made my tranquil and smiley... rising back up the slope as the sunlight began to penetrate the water, before enjoying an extended and relaxing deco amongst the amazing house reef at 6m. I emerged from the water at 7.40am...camera full of photos...refreshed....grinning....and was sat at breakfast whilst all the other divers emerged from their villas bleary eyed and fresh from bed
2) My first solo penetration of the USS New York, in Subic Bay. The trepidation of tying off my line outside, checking my lights....and slowly reeling into the tiny hatchway...into the eerily dark tunnel to the engine rooms. Passing the warning signs...and commemorative plaque for a US Navy Seal who had died in that area of the wreck years previously. My only companion in the darkness was my measured, slow breathing and the small area illuminated in my torch beam.... the monotone silt covered pipes and dials drifting slowly past my vision as I eased my way deeper into the inky maze of metal. I enjoyed the satisfaction of the slow drifting motion...leaving undisturbed silt and a tight line in my wake.... and yet the 'undercurrent' thrill of know that my life was in my hands and that any error would be catastrophic. The peace of mind brought by knowing that I wasn't responsible for any other soul but my own... no responsibility and no worrying about the mistakes of others. It was a 'zen like' experience... just the performance of technique and the meditation of keeping a calm mind in a scary place
1) Waking up at 4.45am in Anilao, Philippines, donning my doubles and jumping in for a pre-dawn shore dive...ridding a light current at 75m along a steep sand slope watching into the lightening gloom for the outline of passing hammerhead or tiger sharks....enjoying some light narcosis that made my tranquil and smiley... rising back up the slope as the sunlight began to penetrate the water, before enjoying an extended and relaxing deco amongst the amazing house reef at 6m. I emerged from the water at 7.40am...camera full of photos...refreshed....grinning....and was sat at breakfast whilst all the other divers emerged from their villas bleary eyed and fresh from bed
2) My first solo penetration of the USS New York, in Subic Bay. The trepidation of tying off my line outside, checking my lights....and slowly reeling into the tiny hatchway...into the eerily dark tunnel to the engine rooms. Passing the warning signs...and commemorative plaque for a US Navy Seal who had died in that area of the wreck years previously. My only companion in the darkness was my measured, slow breathing and the small area illuminated in my torch beam.... the monotone silt covered pipes and dials drifting slowly past my vision as I eased my way deeper into the inky maze of metal. I enjoyed the satisfaction of the slow drifting motion...leaving undisturbed silt and a tight line in my wake.... and yet the 'undercurrent' thrill of know that my life was in my hands and that any error would be catastrophic. The peace of mind brought by knowing that I wasn't responsible for any other soul but my own... no responsibility and no worrying about the mistakes of others. It was a 'zen like' experience... just the performance of technique and the meditation of keeping a calm mind in a scary place
Back in May, I did a 45 min. solo dive in the Devil's Run at Ginnie Spring, While the more experienced cave divers in our group went on an advanced dive, I tooled around in the run, practicing valve drills & fine tuning my buoyancy. After a bit I saw & started messing with some tiny fresh water flounder- like fish. I had an absolute blast chasing thos things around the run.
My first solo dive, among a few other to mention:
1. My first solo dive was in the Mediterranean sea.
To avoid being harassed by people ("where's your buddy" *****) I choose a cold wintry night on an dark isolated beach.
Being alone and all that, I discovered a dark gear manufacturer's conspiracy: the back zippered wetsuit is a "buddy system enforcement design"!!! The damned zipper is not designed to be used by solo divers!
So, after struggling with the zipper, looking for creative ways to pull up the stubborn zipper I even tried to tie the pulling chord to a high fence- if there were any people passing by they would have though I was trying to kill myself . On the other hand, this is the attitude towards soloist in my area anyway...
Eventually decided that it is OK to dive with the suit only half zippered
On the way to water line I had to descend from a 1m high rock step, somehow managed to put the mask under the tank. The glass broke to pieces, luckily I always have a spare mask in my pocket, so the dive went as planned.
Did I mention it was winter night? Oh yes, water temperature was 15 degrees (Celsius for sure, but still cold as hell), so I dived (or is it "dove"?) with a chilled spine...
The waves kept me rocking from side to side until I got seasick and almost vomited, I said to myself "let's call it a dive".
So how was it? Got a mask destroyed, a zipper cursed, my spine frozen, got sea sickness and also felt like a criminal for unbuddied diving- I just felt great
2. In Red Sea. Met an extremely friendly wild dolphin. Trying to be friendly with him, and keep his attention and curiosity so he doesn't go away, I removed one of my fins and tried to play with him. The dolphin immediately took off and went away, while I cursed my bad luck of scaring him away.
A couple of moments later I see him coming back to me, ploughing the floor with a black object and raising lots of sand. When he came closer I saw he was bringing me a gift- an Aqualung Rocket Fin!
ended the dive with three fins...
3. Red Sea. While diving I suddenly saw some baited fishing hooks popping up and down a few meters in front of me. Took evasive maneuver in order to avoid getting caught. Then I feel that I am getting "heavy" to move, and something is trying to pull me out of water... Hehehe, the fisherman on boat probably was sure he caught a really big fish
Anyway, I had some scary times as I could not detect where the heck the hooks caught on me, nor could I see the transparent fishing line, and the dumb fisherman did not understand from the clouds of bubbles that he got a scuba diver instead of a fish. After seemingly endless time (probably 10 seconds
) I managed to sweep the line with the hand, cut it, trace and remaining line and see where the hooks caught me (on the bladder, lower back side).
Since then I started carrying a small mirror in my thigh pocket- very handy when you are alone and need to see what is entangling you. Of course, one can remove the gear etc. but when somebody is trying to pull you out of the water it's not always the good thing to detach oneself from gear.. Plus, the mirror is also a good toy to keep the dolphin's attention and play with him :cool2: (never got additional fins from him, but he did gave me a kayak's puddle)
1. My first solo dive was in the Mediterranean sea.
To avoid being harassed by people ("where's your buddy" *****) I choose a cold wintry night on an dark isolated beach.
Being alone and all that, I discovered a dark gear manufacturer's conspiracy: the back zippered wetsuit is a "buddy system enforcement design"!!! The damned zipper is not designed to be used by solo divers!
So, after struggling with the zipper, looking for creative ways to pull up the stubborn zipper I even tried to tie the pulling chord to a high fence- if there were any people passing by they would have though I was trying to kill myself . On the other hand, this is the attitude towards soloist in my area anyway...
Eventually decided that it is OK to dive with the suit only half zippered
On the way to water line I had to descend from a 1m high rock step, somehow managed to put the mask under the tank. The glass broke to pieces, luckily I always have a spare mask in my pocket, so the dive went as planned.
Did I mention it was winter night? Oh yes, water temperature was 15 degrees (Celsius for sure, but still cold as hell), so I dived (or is it "dove"?) with a chilled spine...
The waves kept me rocking from side to side until I got seasick and almost vomited, I said to myself "let's call it a dive".
So how was it? Got a mask destroyed, a zipper cursed, my spine frozen, got sea sickness and also felt like a criminal for unbuddied diving- I just felt great
2. In Red Sea. Met an extremely friendly wild dolphin. Trying to be friendly with him, and keep his attention and curiosity so he doesn't go away, I removed one of my fins and tried to play with him. The dolphin immediately took off and went away, while I cursed my bad luck of scaring him away.
A couple of moments later I see him coming back to me, ploughing the floor with a black object and raising lots of sand. When he came closer I saw he was bringing me a gift- an Aqualung Rocket Fin!
ended the dive with three fins...3. Red Sea. While diving I suddenly saw some baited fishing hooks popping up and down a few meters in front of me. Took evasive maneuver in order to avoid getting caught. Then I feel that I am getting "heavy" to move, and something is trying to pull me out of water... Hehehe, the fisherman on boat probably was sure he caught a really big fish
Anyway, I had some scary times as I could not detect where the heck the hooks caught on me, nor could I see the transparent fishing line, and the dumb fisherman did not understand from the clouds of bubbles that he got a scuba diver instead of a fish. After seemingly endless time (probably 10 seconds
) I managed to sweep the line with the hand, cut it, trace and remaining line and see where the hooks caught me (on the bladder, lower back side). Since then I started carrying a small mirror in my thigh pocket- very handy when you are alone and need to see what is entangling you. Of course, one can remove the gear etc. but when somebody is trying to pull you out of the water it's not always the good thing to detach oneself from gear.. Plus, the mirror is also a good toy to keep the dolphin's attention and play with him :cool2: (never got additional fins from him, but he did gave me a kayak's puddle)
Attachments
Dive #22 when I nailed neutral buoyancy.
my first solo dive didn't start out that way. 122 dives under my weightbelt,i was on a club boat (big rules about not solo diving) with 3 other divers & i was paired with a great guy, but he can be moody & he had his camera, he is in a serious relationship with his camera & i was not a happy bunny, i anticipated a seriously boring time. I had only dived the Betsy Anna in Poole Bay once before & loved it, when we got to the bottom of the shot we had 15m visibility and he had his macro lens on S***!!!!! so i took a deep breath, disturbed his concentration and signalled that i was going for a swim around & would see him on the surfact in 40 mins, he readily agreed.
it was superb, the bow was covered in pink, green & blue colonies of Jewel anemones all out feeding, every tube in the boiler had a congar in it with squat lobsters cleaning the debris. there was a shoal of bib & pollock hovering amidship, a real wide angle lens day i really hate diving the popular wrecks where every time you look up there is a torch shining in your face. every so often i saw some bubbles, but we were each on our own dive. he was a little behind me going up the shot line, but i hung about an extra minute when i saw him coming & the diving officer never found out.
when we started diving outside the club we could take the boat so there was only me & the husband on board, the first time i bit the bullet & didn't actually go in at the same time as someone elsewas on the valentine tanks in Poole Bay (yes these are tanks like you see on a battlefiels, complete with gun on turret and they float the way a brick doesn't). it's one of my favourite dives, the vis wasn't brilliant, probably a couple of meters, still the biggest schoal of bib i've ever seen on it, but more fun concentrating on the congar & the prawns.
i think they are both the most memorable, but there are others
it was superb, the bow was covered in pink, green & blue colonies of Jewel anemones all out feeding, every tube in the boiler had a congar in it with squat lobsters cleaning the debris. there was a shoal of bib & pollock hovering amidship, a real wide angle lens day
i really hate diving the popular wrecks where every time you look up there is a torch shining in your face. every so often i saw some bubbles, but we were each on our own dive. he was a little behind me going up the shot line, but i hung about an extra minute when i saw him coming & the diving officer never found out.when we started diving outside the club we could take the boat so there was only me & the husband on board, the first time i bit the bullet & didn't actually go in at the same time as someone elsewas on the valentine tanks in Poole Bay (yes these are tanks like you see on a battlefiels, complete with gun on turret and they float the way a brick doesn't). it's one of my favourite dives, the vis wasn't brilliant, probably a couple of meters, still the biggest schoal of bib i've ever seen on it, but more fun concentrating on the congar & the prawns.
i think they are both the most memorable, but there are others
Early in my solo diving career... Solo shore dive off Cozumel at night... Scared out of my mind, theme song from JAWS running through my head... Anxiety level was peaked... A piece of plastic brushed against me in the current and startled me so badly that I crapped myself.
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LeadTurn_SD
Contributor
The one I remember was the one that was the most peaceful and zen-like.
About a year ago, I spent an entire dive, near stationary, watching the most amazing sea turtle display at Leleiwi, a local dive spot. It was exceptionally clear, calm, the sun was shining, and the entire reef was in a "good mood".
About a half dozen large sea turtles swam within a few feet, and they appeared to be "playing".... rolling, looping, bank turns like an airplane.... I'd never seen that before (or since). Afraid to "break the spell", I just hung motionless a few feet above the bottom, and watched for about 45 minutes.
I was sorry to have to leave.
Great dive.
About a year ago, I spent an entire dive, near stationary, watching the most amazing sea turtle display at Leleiwi, a local dive spot. It was exceptionally clear, calm, the sun was shining, and the entire reef was in a "good mood".
About a half dozen large sea turtles swam within a few feet, and they appeared to be "playing".... rolling, looping, bank turns like an airplane.... I'd never seen that before (or since). Afraid to "break the spell", I just hung motionless a few feet above the bottom, and watched for about 45 minutes.
I was sorry to have to leave.
Great dive.
vladimir
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I called the Telita in Papua New Guinea looking for a berth, but it was booked for a private charter. Back then I was single and self-employed, so plans could be made on the spur of the moment. The group that had booked the boat faxed me an invitation to join them, since they had some unfilled slots, and I leapt at the opportunity. Flights were booked, money wired, and arrangements made. Dik Knight, the proprietor of the Loloata Island resort in Bootless Bay, led a fun, cohesive group that included Neville Coleman, the Australian naturalist.
Before our first breakfast of the week, while most of the others were still in bed, I geared up, grabbed my trusty NikonosV, and headed up-current in the inflatable with the Papuan crewmember. He dropped me on a wall and headed back to the Telita, and I descended to about 60 feet as the gentle current took me back. I may have had a thousand miles of ocean to myself at that moment. As I combed the wall for nudibranchs I caught something moving towards me from the blue. I turned to see a great hammerhead shark swimming slowly but purposefully towards me from the depths. I got a long look at him, and there was no question he was swimming directly at me. My first thought? What f-stop do I use? The realization that the extension tubes on my camera made a picture impossible gave me a strange sense of relief: one less thing to worry about. And I was starting to worry. The shark swam relentlessly towards me, and the dorsal fin looked huge. What could I do? Without thinking, in some visceral response to the prospect of being eaten, I balled up into the fetal position, and only relaxed as the shark made a slow turn within touching distance of me and slowly cruised by. The temptation to stroke it as it passed was overwhelming, but the lingering fear trumped it. I finished my drift, climbed aboard, and ruined everybody's breakfast with the story.
Before our first breakfast of the week, while most of the others were still in bed, I geared up, grabbed my trusty NikonosV, and headed up-current in the inflatable with the Papuan crewmember. He dropped me on a wall and headed back to the Telita, and I descended to about 60 feet as the gentle current took me back. I may have had a thousand miles of ocean to myself at that moment. As I combed the wall for nudibranchs I caught something moving towards me from the blue. I turned to see a great hammerhead shark swimming slowly but purposefully towards me from the depths. I got a long look at him, and there was no question he was swimming directly at me. My first thought? What f-stop do I use? The realization that the extension tubes on my camera made a picture impossible gave me a strange sense of relief: one less thing to worry about. And I was starting to worry. The shark swam relentlessly towards me, and the dorsal fin looked huge. What could I do? Without thinking, in some visceral response to the prospect of being eaten, I balled up into the fetal position, and only relaxed as the shark made a slow turn within touching distance of me and slowly cruised by. The temptation to stroke it as it passed was overwhelming, but the lingering fear trumped it. I finished my drift, climbed aboard, and ruined everybody's breakfast with the story.
Queen
Registered
A night dive in Dale Hollow Tennessee, it was one of those velvety warm nights and the water felt great! I just piddled around watching the fishies for about 45 minutes. No drama, nothing scary, just really really nice.
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