Solo diving class

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Hoppy:
Thats an invalid argument IMHO, the majority of diving is Buddy ergo most accidents happen to Buddy divers. You can't say they happen because of Buddy diving from that statistic.

Sorry I'll get back under me rock now.

Great thread otherwise, learning lots, which is why I'm here.

Actually, most "buddy dive incidents" involve buddy separation. That is, the casualty is alone at the time of the incident.

The problem is that he did not plan and intend to be alone. If he had, the incident likely would not have happened, as he would have been equipped, mentally and physically, to not have anyone there to "help him out."
 
Dive Source:
<snip>

Two years ago just after I got cleared to teach this specialty a very good friend of mine died while solo diving and since that time I have had no desire to teach solo.

<snip>

This is awful. Would you care to describe what happened?

FWIW, when I make solo dives they're strictly shallow, no overhead and within the NDL's.

R..
 
Genesis:
Had he been with a buddy, two would have been in trouble. Indeed, deeper two would have died instead of one.

In this particular situation, not quite. He was filming.

Through the camera lens he couldn't see the net. The buddy, ostensibly not viewing the world through the same lens, may well have noticed the net.


Genesis:
True, but in some of those situations, having another person there just increases the body count.
In the example you cite, it took FOUR people to get one out.

This is likely true. Given enough situations, theoretically some of them would be double fatalities.

I am unaware of any cases specifically involving two divers dying as both become tangled in a fishing net, however.


My point remains that there are situations that can occur underwater for which standard planning is insufficient. In these situations, a buddy may offer an option for survivability that does not exist in the absence of a buddy.

IMHO solo divers accept these odds, and solo instructors ought to bring this to the attention of their students.
 
Yep....

There have been some double fatalities due to nets and other debris on wrecks. At least that's what it looked like when the bodies were found. Whether that's a cause or effect (e.g. did they die due to entanglement, or die and THEN get entangled) is sometimes difficult to figure out.

There are also records of several double-fatalities where one diver goes into a wreck while the other "stands by", the first gets in trouble, the second goes in to rescue the first and neither come out again.

All I'm pointing out Doc is that the solo/buddy decision is not nearly as simple as it first appears. I dive solo all the time - either intentionally and literally alone, or intentionally and effectively alone. If I'm shooting video or stills I am almost always effectively solo. Ditto for spearfishing. Just about the only time I'm not is when I'm just doing a "fun dive" somewhere.

I'd estimate that of my last 100 dives, probably 70-80 of them have been either completely or constructively solo for one of these reasons.

For example when my g/f and her daughter certified, I dove at the same time as the class. While I was in their proximity, I was effectively solo diving; I had no buddy with me.

IF you're going to solo dive, you have a lot of thinking to do first. If you haven't done the thinking, you almost certainly shouldn't be doing the solo diving.
 
Genesis:
IF you're going to solo dive, you have a lot of thinking to do first. If you haven't done the thinking, you almost certainly shouldn't be doing the solo diving.

That pretty well sums it up to me, regardless of what courses or experience you have.
 
Genesis:
<snip>

IF you're going to solo dive, you have a lot of thinking to do first. If you haven't done the thinking, you almost certainly shouldn't be doing the solo diving.

I agree with this to a point. But thinking about something is like reading a book.....if that's all you do then you'll end up "book smart and life dumb", which isn't going to help you much (enough) when the dive goes pear-shaped. I believe you need to be properly prepared (of which "thinking about it" is one part) and you need to have loads of diving experience.

Personally I think if you have even the slightest doubt about whether or not your ready....then you're not. For that reason I find the entire idea of a solo "course" a little hard to follow.

R..
 
Diver0001:
This is awful. Would you care to describe what happened? R..

Not really, other than to say that he was a very accomplished diver who was very experianced however he broke a basic rule and it probably could have been avoided.

Complacency and overconfidence in experianced divers is more dangerous than anything in or under the water and it came as a serious shock to me that this could happen to someone I considered to be a model diver.

------------------------------------------------

Now on another note this thread is certainly getting interesting and sparks more questions and good points at every turn so here is another.

Instructor qualification seems to be one issue with people, so I was wondering what qualifications would you expect a solo instructor to have? (outside the SDI requirements). I have been diving for 15 years,with around 500 dives most of which are in cold water. I am a NAUI Instructor, TDI technical instructor and have my full cave with NACD/IANTD.(No GUE stuff since they came along after I did my cave stuff)

Am I qualified to teach Solo Diving?

Is anyone?

And if no one is qualified to teach it then is anybody qualified to do it?
 
If you have to ask what quifies you to dive solo you should not be doing it!
 
JPBECK:
If you have to ask what quifies you to dive solo you should not be doing it!

Hmmmm... Nah. Waay too rigid. If you don't bother asking what qualifies you to dive solo before you do it, THEN you shouldn't be doing it. Asking a question is an admission of a lack of knowledge, and at least a suggestion that you are willing to learn.
 
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