Practicing Solo Diving

[mick allein III]

Hi All : I recently got my SDI Solo Diver Cert. I'm curious how others practice their solo diving skills. What scenarios or skills do you practice? In what order? At what point in a dive?

I'm interested in becoming a better safer solo diver.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I don't do anything differently other than not looking for my buddy.

 

[cephasiii]

Every dive for me is a training dive. I am usually wearing double cylinders so I practice my valve drills multiple times. I work on my buoyancy. In all actuality it is no different than any other dive.


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[Bob DBF]

What I want, when I want, kind of why I solo dive.



Bob ---------------------------------
The most important thing to plan when solo diving is to make sure that you are not diving with an idiot. Dsix36.

 

[drrich2]

Mainly I more meticulously think through what I'm doing before I go in, and before I submerge. A non-solo friend of mine tried to argue that that's not different from buddy diving; you're still supposed to check your gear, think through what you're doing, etc...

But I find an added measure of thoughtfulness is part of it. That's the main thing.

Richard.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

I make sure I can reach my valves in shallow water, and again at my max depth on every dive. I pay attention to my drysuit squeeze during the dive to make sure it doesn't restrict my flexibility too much. I switch to my backup reg every couple dives. I shoot a bag or SMB on most every dive. I do a bubble check with my signal mirror on most dives. I practice employing my backup light every so often. I do a valve drill on safety stops every so often.

I suppose this really isn't specific to solo diving, it's just how I dive. I guess what I do most is just solo dive .

 

[Kharon]

An excellent diver once told me that any C-card is a learners permit. All it does is introduce you the the things you have to learn and perfect on your own. It impressed me. She also told me that I should work on one thing at a time until that became second nature. For example, don't do anything but work on weighting and buoyancy. Once you have that down move on to trim. After that ... The point is to only add to your task load one skill at a time.

As far as what I practice - I try to vary that each dive. I think about what I haven't done the longest and do that. Example - when was the last time you shed your BC and then put it back on underwater? Me too. It's one of those "I'll probably never need to do this" skills that is kind of a PITA to practice. Especially with a pony slung from the BC. But probably never is not never. So next dive I'll be practicing that, and repeat till it's no longer a PITA. I'll probably do it a few times this winter in my living room just to build some muscle memory.

One thing I would encourage you to do is to develop a standard, step by step procedure of organizing/laying out gear and putting it on. Similar to the checklist rebreather divers use. I dive the same kit every time - all my gear everytime, always in the same place. I setup and don my gear the same way every time. May sound OC but I have almost no chance of forgetting something that way. One personal rule I have for solo diving is that if I forget something that dive is a no-go. Focus is supreme and I didn't have it if I forgot even one thing. I'm not going to be a statistic that gives solo a bad rap.

 

[agilis]

There is nothing you do while solo diving that you can properly omit when diving with other people. Every dive should be considered a solo dive. Any reliance on other people while diving is dangerous, a delusion which indicates that you are not properly trained and should not be certified.

 

[underH2Oman]

I use learned skills on every dive. I practice skills periodically on dives that I plan just for practice, leaving other dives just to dive.
I also evaluate all dives on completion to determine any areas that could use improvement. It might be something skill or equipment related.
Some things to ask are;
Was I in total control of my buoyancy through the entire dive? Check your computer profile to see if it agrees with you.
Was I aware of my location on the dive in relation to the exit location at all times?
Did I execute the dive exactly the way I planed it? If not WHY?
Did all my equipment work perfectly? This could be something like my regulator tugs when I look left or there are little bubbles from the fitting on the BC inflation hose connection.
While they may not put you at risk it makes you more aware of what is happening during your dives, and allows you to make decisions based on your diving.
I think a post dive evaluation is as important as the plan to evaluate my dives. It allows me to focus on what I need to practice or adjust to make my diving more enjoyable.

All said as a solo diver only you are able to evaluate, what you need to work on and when to practice skills. Plan it, execute it and, enjoy it.

 

[markmud]

There is nothing you do while solo diving that you can properly omit when diving with other people. Every dive should be considered a solo dive. Any reliance on other people while diving is dangerous, a delusion which indicates that you are not properly trained and should not be certified.

Hey agilis,

I agree with the part of your post that I emphasized above. I don't necessarily agree with the last part of your statement as a learning system is in place for people to advance their dive skills with supervision.

Taking care of oneself while on the ocean is a must and should be the goal of every diver or mariner.

markm