Bad attitudes about solo diving are still prevalent

[gcarter]

Well...maybe if experienced divers would buddy up with newbies, newbies wouldn't feel the need to just show up to a quarry, hope to find a buddy, and consider going it alone if they can't find one.

Ex. I drove two hours to a quarry yesterday and tried that. I'd been messaging (here and elsewhere) attempting to line up a buddy, with no luck.

I've lost track of how many times an experienced diver has either told me to go buy-a-buddy (take classes to rack up my dive count) or said "oh" when they processed that I just have a OW cert. I get it...only going to 30-50' of depth instead of doing a deeper dive and not going into deco on a single dive is a significant imposition for them.

Lots of people are interested in giving newbies advice, but not many seem interested in diving with them. INB4 "I'm an experienced divers and I dive with newbies all the time."

That is one of the things I love about our local divers here. Regular Wet Wednesday dives on the St Lawrence during the summer, open to all, lots of experienced buddies for newbies, and a genuine enjoyment of introducing newbies to the fun of the river. We can get upwards of 40 on a Wednesday night.

Having said that, I wouldn't do a two hour dive to a quarry on spec.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Recently on one of the solo diver pages of which I’m a member someone posted that their friend died from solo diving. Obviously this is false and someone was grieving. I cut such people slack but I am concerned to whether they accept that their friend had a medical condition or negligent in some way.

 

[Rollin Bonz]

You're probably having a hard time wrapping your head around the requirement because it makes no sense from a practical standpoint. It only really makes sense from a legal standpoint (attempting to limit the dive operators exposure to liability in the event that something happens to a solo diver).

In the situations discussed (ex. Quarries)...you need a certification card that says "solo" or "self-reliant" on it. Period. A master, rescue, etc. card is not going to help you in those situations.

The requirement to show a solo or self-reliant card at a quarry has nothing to do with diving conditions. As you said...no current, surf, surge, etc. In most cases...there's no fishing permitted in the body of water in question, so you shouldn't even have to worry about getting tangled up in fishing line.

If you've never had to show a solo card, I would just consider yourself fortunate and keep doing what you've been doing.

Exactly. All about liability and insurance. Dove a quarry this weekend with a buddy, but thought I might come back solo later. Close to a 2 hour drive, so wanted to be sure it was allowed. Spoke to the owner and he said they could not allow/condone even certified solo diving under his insurance policy. I don't think it's anyone's desire to micturate in anyone's toasted flakes of corn, but the owner is understandably afraid of being sued/held liable and loosing his arse if something happens .

 

[rjack321]

Recently on one of the solo diver pages of which I’m a member someone posted that their friend died from solo diving. Obviously this is false and someone was grieving. I cut such people slack but I am concerned to whether they accept that their friend had a medical condition or negligent in some way.

How is that "obviously false"?
People can die while solo diving.
Deciding that soloing was a root cause, a contributing factor, or completely unrelated is rarely obvious.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

How is that "obviously false"?
People can die while solo diving.
Deciding that soloing was a root cause, a contributing factor, or completely unrelated is rarely obvious.

I didn’t say that solo diving is the cause of death. The person died while solo diving. They may have had a medical condition. The only issue I can see is an entanglement where they were not able to extract themselves. But then one could examine their configuration.

 

[rjack321]

I didn’t say that solo diving is the cause of death. The person died while solo diving. They may have had a medical condition. The only issue I can see is an entanglement where they were not able to extract themselves. But then one could examine their configuration.

Divers have had bad gas and gotten confused from the contaminants and had to be lead out of a cave (by a buddy)
Divers have vomited due H2S or just seasickness and had to be assisted to the surface (by buddies)
Divers have gotten narced and gone down instead of up
There are a whole lot of non-medical, non-equipment, "bad judgment" ways to expire underwater.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Divers have had bad gas and gotten confused from the contaminants and had to be lead out of a cave (by a buddy)
Divers have vomited due H2S or just seasickness and had to be assisted to the surface (by buddies)
Divers have gotten narced and gone down instead of up
There are a whole lot of non-medical, non-equipment, "bad judgment" ways to expire underwater.

Okay, so divers didn’t check gas for carbon monoxide. If two divers get their gas from the same source they are still in trouble. Narcosis? Sounds like they should be using helium.

Seasickness? We’re they seasick before getting into the water?

So yes, bad judgment that sounds like it began before getting into the water. If good judgment is used, then as long as a medical emergency doesn’t occur, they should be equipped and trained to handle it.