Seeking the elusive SDI Solo Diver course...

[Divin'Papaw]

Other than the card, I don't think I need it, although I will of course glean every speck of new information the course may provide.

My reasons for wanting the card are plentiful: Flower Gardens (at least one charter there), Pennyroyal, Haigh, Gilboa, White Star (officially, at least... don't tell on me :biggrin, et cetera. It is the means by which many sites choose to limit their perceived liability, and if I want to dive solo at their facilities, they require I have the card.

(I truly love learning, but in this case, that's basically lagniappe -- I'm seeking the card primarily for the access it grants.)

I'm surprised Gilboa lets you dive solo period, card or not.

 

[ClayJar]

I'm surprised Gilboa lets you dive solo period, card or not.

I think they do with the card. (Honestly, I made a rather whirlwind tour that week. )

 

[ClayJar]

Hehe, sometimes you've just gotta chuckle.

I called a shop in Birmingham which offers the SDI Solo Diver class. They'd be glad to have me, but they do the solo class within the confines of a fossil hunting trip up to South Carolina. It makes sense -- low vis, high current, and all sorts of other complications, so you're well and truly solo, and once you've passed that checkout, you've got some *real* experience to draw from.

Of course, that means that getting the card from the Birmingham shop requires a *considerably* longer trip than getting it from, say, Atlanta. I guess I'll have to get back on the phone again...

 

[captain]

Photoshop one.

 

[ClayJar]

Okay, a shop in Atlanta is going to look at their schedule and call me back tomorrow. (With my luck, they'll call back while I'm underwater, but hey, them's the breaks, as they say.)

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

You might try Austin AquaSports

http://austinaquasports.com/

Mapquest lists it as 7 hours.

I get my regs serviced there, but haven’t taken any classes from them. They are probably the most technical shop in town.

 

[TheWetRookie]

Photoshop one.

Pssst, wanna buy a c-card?:14:

 

[shark.byte.usa]

Haven't seen it taught in my neck of the woods either; although my boss and shop owner *can* teach it (Actually that's how we met, I was inquiring about this course), I've yet to see it taught. Someone had signed up for the class about a month back, so several of the DM's myself included said we'd like to take it as well, the customer cancelled or rescheduled so we all were SOL. I'd like to take it for the heck of it, I'd learn something I'm sure, it's not about the card, but the experience. I ordered the Solo Diving book awhile back but did inventory at the shop today and noticed the count was Zero, so either it was stashed waiting for me to take home, or it was inadvertantly sold.

-Garrett

 

[Nemrod]

I second the photoshop, I photo shopped a nitrox card--worked good. None of these agenices have any mandate. Make your own card if you want a card.

N
NAVED Master Diver 112

 

[markfm]

If you're taking a DM class, you might find that gets you there, permitted to solo dive at various locations. We're supposed to have been trained more in multiple theoretical areas, have a better appreciation for risks and rescues, and the nature of the work (first in, last out). One of the perks of going pro

(I'm absolutely not saying it really does necessarily make someone all that much better a diver, but it seems that people will cut you more slack, that there's an assumption of moderate competence and knowledge of risk.)