100% solo diving, in new location

[DaleC]

I am in Calgary, BTW - Cow Town, Rodeo Mecca, Oiltown, Skiing paradise and Hunting heaven!

I lived there for 6-7 good years (back in my climbing days) and met my wife there. I am thinking of non powerboat lakes nearby: Mackenzie or Bonavista?

 

[Elkfriend]

Dale - Lake Chaparral!

Yes-you guys are probably right on the monofilament!

One more question:

Has anyone ever done ice diving solo by any chance?

 

[ZzzKing]

The best part about taking a few dips with the locals is getting free knowledge about the place. The second is that you may just pick up some regular dive buddies and reduce the need to dive alone as much. I do about 25% of my dives solo but it's not for lack of buddies. It's because I like diving alone.

I have no experience ice diving but I would guess that doing it solo is a big no no. You need surface support to tend your line and probably to get in and out of the hole. Plus it's COLD!!! You Canadians...

On the other hand, if you drown while ice diving solo you'll be easy to recover. They can just haul you in by your line.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

One more question:

Has anyone ever done ice diving solo by any chance?

Define "ice diving solo".

Was I the only diver under the ice? Yes.
Was there a safety diver ready to go? Yes.
Did I have a line tender? Yes.

So, was I ice-diving-solo?

 

[drbill]

As a solo diver for much of the past 48 years, I would also advise doing a number of your initial dives with a buddy before you go solo. Although the lake doesn't sound deep, I'd highly recommend a pony bottle as part of your kit. You mentioned there is fishing in the lake so that adds to the risk of entanglement. Make sure you take a cutting tool. I prefer shears over knives if fishing line is involved. They are much easier to hold onto and you don't have as high a risk of dropping them as you are cutting.

 

[b1gcountry]

For bouyancy I inflate and deflate my BC and DS. This catches any unattached hoses.

I once had my LPI fail where it wouldn't hold air. I was ending a dive in a 200' quarry. After a 170' dive, I took off my deco bottles, and my fins and put them on the side of the quarry, then I moved over to the exit stairs, and my bladder let go, and all my air went out of the wing. I was on a ledge near the side, but was moving over a deeper area. My head went under water a little, and when I hit my drysuit inflator, the air went out my neck seal. I struggled for a second to get my head above water, then realized I still had my back gas, and put my backup in my mouth. I flipped over on my back, and hit the DS inflator again to get the air by my feet, and pushed myself the 5' or so until I was in water shallow enough to stand up in. This was a 170' deco dive, and the most dangerous part of it was on the surface, in shallow water, with my buddy less than five feet away from me.

I rebuilt the LPI later on, and the previous service guy had put some silicone caulk on the end of the corrugated hose to 'help' the connection between the hose and LPI. The caulk broke loose, and jammed in the LPI vent.

Tom

 

[Tigerman]

Dale - Lake Chaparral!

Yes-you guys are probably right on the monofilament!

One more question:

Has anyone ever done ice diving solo by any chance?

I have not and even the thought of doing so scares the **** out of me.
If I dont find that hole in the ice, Id be dead..
Id be having a line tender if I where to go under any ice..

 

[Elkfriend]

Hello all,

Thanks a lot for your comments!

I took your combined advise and went to my LDS of choice and it turns out that they are happy to spend some time with me in the Lake before I head out soloing.

Also, they had very neat underwater maps, showing all the uw structures and uw training facilities, depth profile etc, which will help a lot.

Also, they warned me where NOT to go (there is a big ass water intake that feeds a big waterfall nearby) and its on their diving maps. That one piece of advise is probably the BIGGEST benefit from talking to them.

So in a nutshell, i will be heading out with a professional at least once to get to know the area, focus on self sufficiency and to learn where NOT to dive.

Again, its not deep and I am a pretty confident diver, but even 1 ich of water can be deep enough to drown if you cant get up (for example because you get sucked into the water intake described above)...

Thanks and happy diving
Chris

 

[b1gcountry]

Sounds Great!

 

[BEM]

B1Gcountry
"then I moved over to the exit stairs, and my bladder let go, and all my air went out of the wing"

Oh! I assume it was you bpw/bc bladder.