Advise Please

[Rick Inman]

I spoke with my instructor last night. What we discovered is that I have we have a lot of work to do. Although I have enough experiance I need to get a few more specilities out of the way. Nothing earthshaking they just need to get done. It sounded interesting and promising. I am going to persue the specilities first then consider and or reconsider after that.

Thanks for all the advise, it was very helpful.

Sounds like a good instructor - one who isn't trying to run you through a class you're not ready for. Sounds like you are wise to receive this knowledge.

 

[bottomrunner]

I am considering getting a solo certification. I am going to be speaking with my OW Instructor, also a solo instructor, this weekend.

What questions, besides the obvious, need to be asked?

Hi
The advise I would give would be to work at getting your rescue or divemaster course.
that way you get all the skills you need to cover most of your diving conditions.

 

[Tom Winters]

There's some good stuff here. I dive solo a lot because there's no one else around. I day or night dive alone off charter boats because I don't babysit divers anymore and my wife hates night diving.
When we're diving together on our boat, one drives - one dives.
Now, that all said, we both have a pretty good idea what we're doing. She's not a gear freak like I am so I take care of her stuff, but I know our stuff inside and out. You gotta know this stuff too - there's no shortcuts on equipment prep and maintenance.
Now, you also have to know to realize when you're screwing up underwater and what to do about it. Sometimes I rush things to get in the water and I don't feel quite comfortable with things - except I'm now in 120' of water. Just take a few minutes to sort your stuff out, seat the mask a little better, cinch, tug or loosen whatever it is that needs a tweak, neutral yourself out, and then get on with your dive.
This all comes with time, practice and a little common sense. Just make sure when you log your dives - something that I am horrible lax at after all these years - that your descents equal your ascents. Other than that, it's a piece of cake.

 

[Rick Inman]

I dive solo a lot because there's no one else around.

In Boca Raton?? Now here in Spokane in the dead of winter I sometimes can't find a buddy. But my guess is, you mean, there's no one you prefer to dive with around.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I spoke with my instructor last night. What we discovered is that I have we have a lot of work to do. Although I have enough experiance I need to get a few more specilities out of the way. Nothing earthshaking they just need to get done. It sounded interesting and promising. I am going to persue the specilities first then consider and or reconsider after that.

Thanks for all the advise, it was very helpful.

What other specialties and why?

Sounds like a good instructor - one who isn't trying to run you through a class you're not ready for. Sounds like you are wise to receive this knowledge.

...or maybe he's trying to run him through other classes.

Solo diving is a choice. From what I've seen of solo training, it looks like a scam.

Did I ever tell yall about the solo instructors I know? I'll bet I did but the only solo class that I know of allows doubles as meeting the requirements for redundancy (of course I think they'll take a spair air too). Not one of the solo instructors I know has ever even dived in doubles but this agency says they can teach it.

I always thought it would be fun to show up for a solo class at the shop with a manifold and bands in pieces. Shoot my money says they'd make a mess of helping me with the assembly. It would really be fun to ask them to demonstrate valve drills.

I really get a kick out of watching them dive the 25 ft deep quarry with backmounted pony bottles looking like Christmas trees with regs plastered all over their chests...when they stay plastered that is. I don't know what they should be teaching but I don't think they should be teaching any one how to dress for diving.