A 'solo' hello, from a newbie to this forum

[Tod]

Howdy all!

I recently signed up for this forum (out of bordom at work), primarily because I was looking for ideas and feedback from other solo divers. Like most of you, I have been solo diving for a while and have recently enrolled in a SDI/TDI class (just to get the card) through my "local" dive shop (45 miles away).

Due to my location, I am not a "wreck" diver nor a cave diver. We do have several mine shafts in this area, but I wouldn't recommend going in most of them. Most of my "technical" diving is altitude stuff. While there's a bit of learning to do (about thoretical pressures), I wouldn't really consider it a very technical dive, necessarily. In fact, most of the higher elevation lakes are rather borning. There is, however, some historical finds with some of these lakes (near my location) as many were built for the hydraulic mining era of Northern California's gold rush days and some of the then-new lakes covered old mining camps and smaller town sites. So there is a bit of archaeologoical interest in some. If not, beer cans and fishing tackle is what you'll find in most!

Anyway, I thought I'd try to say hello in here, as this was my primary area of interest. If I should not of done this, my appologies - some boards are rather nontollerant of newbies.

Dive safe, dive often!

 

[Nemrod]

Howdy, welcome, looking forward to arguing with you--lol--really--WELCOME, we solo guys need to hang together.

 

[barc802]

Welcome, I am newbie to the board as well.
Nemrod we are solo guys and here we need to hang together! Your right but its ironic! don't you think?

 

[Tod]

Thanks guys for the welcome.

I met the instructor this morning for my Solo Dive Class (through SDI/TDI) and it looks like this should be a pretty interesting class. Although most of the stuff seems rather straight forward (I'll let you know if it isn't) the format will be one night of class room discussion, one night of a pool session (to experiment with various forms of equipment), and then a boat dive. The boat dive is on Saturday the 16th (down in Monterey) and that will be it!

If anyone is interested in this class, the requirements are as follows:

Prerequisites:

Must be 21 years old.
Candidates must be certified as Advanced Open Water Diver.
Have a current medical examination and a complete Medical Diving Release.
Have a minimum of 100 logged dives.

Required Equipment:

Mask, fins & snorkel
BC with low-pressure power inflator
Regulator with submersible pressure gauge or air integrated hoseless computer.
Redundant air source (pony bottle, twin cylinders w/isolation, independent doubles.)
Weight system
Personal dive computer
Exposure suit adequate for the training conditions.
Compressed air cylinder
Compass
Knife
Surface audible signaling device.
Visual rescue signal

Subject Areas Covered:

Why should we dive Solo?
Who should Solo dive?
Solo Diving Mentality
When not to dive solo.
Equipment for solo diving.
Planning and conducting a solo dive.
Navigation
Skill Performance

 

[barc802]

Thanks guys for the welcome.

I met the instructor this morning for my Solo Dive Class (through SDI/TDI) and it looks like this should be a pretty interesting class. Although most of the stuff seems rather straight forward (I'll let you know if it isn't) the format will be one night of class room discussion, one night of a pool session (to experiment with various forms of equipment), and then a boat dive. The boat dive is on Saturday the 16th (down in Monterey) and that will be it!

If anyone is interested in this class, the requirements are as follows:

Prerequisites:

Must be 21 years old.
Candidates must be certified as Advanced Open Water Diver.
Have a current medical examination and a complete Medical Diving Release.
Have a minimum of 100 logged dives.

Required Equipment:

Mask, fins & snorkel
BC with low-pressure power inflator
Regulator with submersible pressure gauge or air integrated hoseless computer.
Redundant air source (pony bottle, twin cylinders w/isolation, independent doubles.)
Weight system
Personal dive computer
Exposure suit adequate for the training conditions.
Compressed air cylinder
Compass
Knife
Surface audible signaling device.
Visual rescue signal

Subject Areas Covered:

Why should we dive Solo?
Who should Solo dive?
Solo Diving Mentality
When not to dive solo.
Equipment for solo diving.
Planning and conducting a solo dive.
Navigation
Skill Performance

I also have been looking at the class so please keep us posted as to how you liked it.

 

[derwoodwithasherwood]

Regulator with submersible pressure gauge or air integrated hoseless computer.

Wonder why it has to be hoseless? Or do they just consider an AI computer to be a type of SPG?

 

[Tod]

Wonder why it has to be hoseless? Or do they just consider an AI computer to be a type of SPG?

Good question. I suspect that it's probably the later, or maybe it's just a typo. To me, the hoseless technology sounds pretty cool but it also seems like it could be something else that could leave you in a little trouble if the battery dies in mid-dive; not unlike if your computer dies and you don't have a back-up.

I'd try to look up the answer but unfortunately I am told the "textbook is still in the works" and the class will be just a lecture with some suggested reading (Solo Diving, by Robert Von Maier). The instructor did promise to give me a copy of the SDI/TDI Solo textbook when they became available.

In any event, I am not really relying upon this class to give me anything other than some more information on the subject and, hopefully, a c-card that some dive boats may honor. (I realize some probably won't if there is an attorney anywhere nearby within the same hemisphere.) I already dive solo frequently and feel confident in my abilities when doing so. Besides, how many of us have jumped off a dive boat with a group people only to surface some time later by ourselves? I bet in many cases the DMs don't question this on recreational dive trips. But I digress...

 

[Nemrod]

"Welcome, I am newbie to the board as well.
Nemrod we are solo guys and here we need to hang together! Your right but its ironic! don't you think?"

LOL,yes, but some of my best dives have been made with another solo diver, the "with" being used loosely!
I actually meant within the dive community where we are regulary shouted down by the snorkel nazis types.
Best of luck with the course and please enjoy it.
N

 

[Tod]

Welp... the Solo class is over! It went pretty good, but there wasn't much for me to really learn from the experience. Most of the lecture stuff was rather straight forward and was to be expected. There was one night of lecture (no test), a night in the pool (practicing specific drills), and a day at the ocean (few drills, mostly confirmation of the diver's abilities).

The single biggest thing my particular instructor wanted was that all redundant sources of air were kept in the "off" position during the dive. As such, we had to show that we could turn the valves back on when needed. For the double folks this is a basic drill. For those of us with pony bottles on our backs, it usually meant they had to be mounted upside-down so we could reach the valve easily. (Unless, of course, you're one of those bendy-stretchy folks who can reach over your shoulder and scratch your butt while wearing a full wetsuit/drysuit.)

The last dives (in the ocean) each of the students was required to make a dive plan, and we were "shadowed" by an observer. Then, at some point during the dive, the observer would signal us that we were out of air and we had to then turn on the valve and switch tanks - no big deal. When we reached the surface, we were required to do a moderate surface swim in full gear with no regulator (snorkles only).

Like I said, it was all pretty basic stuff but was worthwhile to watch others in the class deal with the various "problems" we were given. One thing that was cool, though, was that on the boat dives (in the ocean) the captain noted when he was giving his pre-dive talk that his boat did allow "Solo Diving." He did not mention whether or not anyone had to be certified for this, either. So I guess it's safe to say that more people in the dive industry are starting to recognize this actually does happen and some are willing to allow it to occur (without sticking their heads in the sand).

 

[Nemrod]

Glad you completed the course--good for you--but pray tell what is the logic for turning your air off? I don't do that at all. I figure if I might need it I want it then and there, nope, I see no reason for that. That must be some individual instructors criteria.