6 to 10' Solo Dive

[matt_w]

ccx2,

Don't think for a minute this is the same as the dive shop pool. If you're pulling the flag how do you feel about getting entangled in your own line? It can happen faster than you think.

Unless your flag can carry spare weights it will be a lot easier dialing things in while in a pool. Especially so when you drop a weight in to the silt.

At the end of the day I assume you're an adult and you are a certified diver. I agree a shop pool can get pretty stinking boring real fast and burning a tank may be painful. None of us have a sense of your present skills and understand that body of water as you do. Having a spotter is a good idea but depending on circumstances they may not be able to effect a rescue. Listen to that little voice in the back of your head and if you do the pond stay focused.

Pete

Did he say anything about pulling a flag? Maybe I missed it. May not be a lot of boats in a pond with a max depth of 12ft. If it is only 12 ft he could easily know if it is free from obstructions by having swam in it.

Having said that, I do not endorse his idea.

 

[Avonthediver]

I think you will be ok 6-10 ft is not bad if you get into trouble. And I think it will give you a good look at what dark and silt water can be like.
Solo is a way of life for myself and alot of people out their and I like to think its good for every diver to be able to fend for ones self "IF" the cow patty hits the fan!

I would encourage you that if you continue to solo take a class and learn how to be safe about being a solo diver.

Good luck out their!!

 

[ccx2]

Thanks for all the opinions.
I've lived on this lake all my life,it's a small one owned by the neighborhood civic league and we maintain it's banks and use,vie snorkeled the whole thing many times,know it's bottom and some off the old timers were here when it was dug,I cam along shortly after anD helped develop it,believe me the bottom is barren as a swimming pool except for old bottles and concrete riprap kids have thrown in. It's been years since I was in it but I know that there are no entanglements,but some will say how can I be sure,and to be honest I can't.
I think I'll take the advice to try out and become familiar with my new BCD in the pool, and then I'll probably solo the lake after and stay in chest deep water.
Again, thanks for the warnings and advice.

 

[elmer fudd]

I'm not going to tell you it's safe, but I do think it's interesting that many people would think nothing of snorkeling in such a lake, but take issue with scuba diving. The way I see it, when I snorkel/freedive, I have a matter of seconds to free myself if I get entangled underwater. If I don't, then I die. While on scuba, I have perhaps an hour or more to do the same thing. Solo or buddy diving, I tend to regard scuba as much safer than snorkeling/freediving.

Also, as a beginning diver, if you're diving with other beginning divers, then in reality most of your dives are probably solo anyway. Most beginning divers just don't have good buddy skills, and if your buddy's not there when you need him it's actually worse than no buddy at all. When you dive solo, at least it's clear right from the start that there's no one but yourself to save you.

 

[Token]

I would have someone watching on the shore at least. If there's a dock, put your watcher there and do your dive within sight.

I am sure that 99.9% of the time you will be okay in the conditions you describe. I know that I would be unlikely to survive such a dive, because my ex-diver wife would kill me. [99.9% joke].

 

[tengsr]

because my ex-diver wife would kill me. [99.9% joke].

??????? I thought you Flames fans would be drift diving in the Bow river

 

[Avonthediver]

I'm not going to tell you it's safe, but I do think it's interesting that many people would think nothing of snorkeling in such a lake, but take issue with scuba diving. The way I see it, when I snorkel/freedive, I have a matter of seconds to free myself if I get entangled underwater. If I don't, then I die. While on scuba, I have perhaps an hour or more to do the same thing. Solo or buddy diving, I tend to regard scuba as much safer than snorkeling/freediving.

Also, as a beginning diver, if you're diving with other beginning divers, then in reality most of your dives are probably solo anyway. Most beginning divers just don't have good buddy skills, and if your buddy's not there when you need him it's actually worse than no buddy at all. When you dive solo, at least it's clear right from the start that there's no one but yourself to save you.

Good point I agree with this thinking.

 

[ccx2]

I'm not going to tell you it's safe, but I do think it's interesting that many people would think nothing of snorkeling in such a lake, but take issue with scuba diving. The way I see it, when I snorkel/freedive, I have a matter of seconds to free myself if I get entangled underwater. If I don't, then I die. While on scuba, I have perhaps an hour or more to do the same thing. Solo or buddy diving, I tend to regard scuba as much safer than snorkeling/freediving.

Also, as a beginning diver, if you're diving with other beginning divers, then in reality most of your dives are probably solo anyway. Most beginning divers just don't have good buddy skills, and if your buddy's not there when you need him it's actually worse than no buddy at all. When you dive solo, at least it's clear right from the start that there's no one but yourself to save you.

Elmer , thats just how i see it as far as solo diving the lake or snorkeling it, as far as entanglements go.

 

[BDSC]

If I were you I'd do the dive if you feel comfortable with it. The chances of something going wrong in the situation you have described are really very slim. Sure there is some amount of risk in doing the dive but then there is some amount of risk in many things we do in life. You can't protect yourself against every "what if" senario that comes along.

 

[gbray]

I will start my reply by telling what happened to me this weekend. I went to a private quarry with two friends with whom I have dived for the last two years. One is a dive shop owner and the other is an instructor. visibility was 3 feet at best and water temp was 46 degrees. we had a dive plan and had dived this location many times in the past. On ascent at 10 feet my mask totally flooded and I could not see anything. By the time I got my mask situated my buddies were long gone. knowing the conditions and each others abilities our plan was to continue the dive if we became seperated. I knew where they were heading so I went that way. I started at a submerged cedar tree and was on my way. Just when I thought I should start seeing them here came the cedar tree again. Unfortunately I had left my compass at home and had swam in a circle. This time I paid more attention and went to where we were going to go. After 30 minutes at 51 feet and 46 degrees I never did see them and ended my dive. Shortly after I got seperated they did also. We all ended up diving solo. To qualify it we were all very familiar with the dive site had redundant gear (diving doubles) and I was the least experienced diver with well over 200 dives several of which were solo.

when diving solo in low visability you can become disoriented very easily. Even in shallow water the least little problem can quickly become a major issue. What if your mask flooded and your air was not turned on all the way or your reg got pulled from your mouth by a stick stuck in the bottom (all of which have happened to me), would you shoot to the surface or try to fix the problem there?Would you remember to breathe and not hold your breath? what if you drifted out to where you could not stand up trying to fix a problem? There is a lot to think about before solo diving. Be very sure of your self rescue skills because you are all there is between life and death. If you are comfortable with your skills and are familiar with your gear and are mentally prepared then you may want to consider a solo dive. If not then go to the pool or dive with a buddy untill you have more experience. Just my 2cents worth.