Diving without a buddy?

[Kharon]

Solo diving is a polarizing subject, the people that do it on a regular basis (I'm in that group) can't understand the people that only buddy-dive. It almost feels like we come from different planets, and that's fine, the problem only starts when people try to change each others philosophy.

For me I find it unacceptable that a diver will depend on another for their safety. I don't consider it a cowboy attitude, I'm not an adrenaline junky, it just fits my way of life to dive solo. I definetly don't appreciate people coming to preach the error of my ways, and I make a point to not preach to people that aren't self reliant.

Bravo!!! Well said!!!

 

[cnar]

I have been diving without a buddy almost from the start. I dove with my cousin when I first started diving but he did not stick with it very long and at that time there were not a lot of divers around so I continued diving alone. It freed me up from having to dive only when I could find someone else to go with me so I got a lot more diving in then I would have otherwise.

I know this feeling only too well. I have persons around me who are trained and certified divers. Problem is while all of them invested in diving I invested in equipment. Of course they have many more dives however paying to rent gear and do boat dives is expensive and hence they stop especially since you can't rent gear for shore diving as far as we're aware. Owning my own gear I have way less dives as a result but now I can go diving at will. Unfortunately its always been solo. Every once in a while I fork up the cash to go on a boat dive so I can actually log dives in my log book and dive with a buddy.

 

[Spiiina]

Although I don't plan on controlling peoples thoughts, I was just hoping to open him up from his brainwashed mind and that just because PADI makes a statement, it's not necessarily the only way. But you make a valid point and I agree that we all have our beliefs. Thanks for the input... I'm off to work on world peace

 

[Akimbo]

Although I don't plan on controlling peoples thoughts, I was just hoping to open him up from his brainwashed mind and that just because PADI makes a statement, it's not necessarily the only way. But you make a valid point and I agree that we all have our beliefs. Thanks for the input... I'm off to work on world peace

Good luck with that.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I did this once, at Bonaire, at about the same point in my experience at the time as the op is now. I was fine, because I was lucky. I don't think a solo dive should be done without being knowledgeable about additional safety equipment and measures, and in Bonaire no one should ever have to dive alone. Finding a buddy or couple to join will not be hard. It is of course a matter of personal responsibility and choice, but if you dive alone, be very cautious, very conscientious, and have your life insurance paid up. The point I want to make is find someone to dive with and enjoy those 10 meter deep dives for an hour or more, relaxed, rather than an anxious 30 minutes.
DivemasterDennis

 

[shoredivr]

Not sure why you can't rent gear for shore diving? If shore diving is available at your location that is.

My log book is for me, I keep track of things for my own interest, so I record my solo dives.

I know this feeling only too well. I have persons around me who are trained and certified divers. Problem is while all of them invested in diving I invested in equipment. Of course they have many more dives however paying to rent gear and do boat dives is expensive and hence they stop especially since you can't rent gear for shore diving as far as we're aware. Owning my own gear I have way less dives as a result but now I can go diving at will. Unfortunately its always been solo. Every once in a while I fork up the cash to go on a boat dive so I can actually log dives in my log book and dive with a buddy.

 

[Kharon]

The point I want to make is find someone to dive with and enjoy those 10 meter deep dives for an hour or more, relaxed, rather than an anxious 30 minutes.

I have much more hassle and anxiety diving with a buddy than I do diving solo (which I do almost exclusively now). I can't think of anything less appealing than having to keep track of and close to a buddy. Talk about task loading. Solo diving for me is supreme peace and freedom - whether at 30 feet, 60 feet, 90 feet or 130 feet, and for whatever length of time.

 

[kaerius]

As an instructor I can tell you that while you're not technically alone on an instructing dive, you're often without anyone with a cert, and can't rely on students to do the right thing. Further there is a lot of risky diving behavior associated with instructing(particularly as a PADI instructor like myself, who must do repeated yo-yo diving during some portions of the course, for the CESA). I'm probably safer on my own than during a OWSD course, and I have done some minor solo diving (short and shallow).

If you're really going in for it though, you should probably do the SDI solo diver course, and follow those guidelines(spare tank+reg, spare computer, minimum two divetools, spare mask).

 

[Puffer Fish]

kaerius, I am guessing that you are pretty comfortable without a mask..so that should not be a worry. Cutting tools...yea. I carry 3 in very different locations just in case I cannot reach my primary or I drop it. Spare computer...if you need that, I would suggest you would be diving too deep and too long for solo diving (deco diving). If you computer breaks, just abort the dive. Spare tank + reg...if the surface is not something you can safely and easily reach without it, yea that makes sense. I carry one on deep dives, and don't on shallow ones.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Spare computer...if you need that, I would suggest you would be diving too deep and too long for solo diving (deco diving).

Interesting approach. I look at it the other way around: shallow recreational dives are the ones where I'm most likely to put up with the extra risks and obligations presented by having a buddy. It's the deeper, more complex dives where I'm happiest without worrying about someone else and carrying gas for them to boot.