fnfalman
Contributor
To the OP, after you get your OW cert, start getting training in solo diving. That way you can do whatever you want to do. Go where you want to go, check out whatever you want to check out.
Being a good buddy, or looking at "stuff"....
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I would not give that advice at all ... very ... VERY ... few divers are emotionally equipped to go from OW to solo. You should first get some practical experience not just with your skills but with the changes your brain has to go through to "re-wire" itself for an underwater environment. We humans have hard-wired instincts that have kept us alive as a species for millenia ... and although those are survival responses, they can easily kill you underwater because they're not designed for that environment.
The good news is that we're amazingly adaptable creatures. However, adapting to the underwater environment takes some time and practice.
That is the (very good) reason why the only agency that teaches a solo course requires you to have at least 100 dives before you can take it.
One should NEVER decide to take up solo diving because they lack decent buddy skills ... that's the wrong reason for doing it. Make the effort to learn the buddy skills. Practice your motor skills until they're as automatic as breathing. THEN ... if it's something you really want to do ... learn the skills for solo diving ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
leo5591
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I find that as you get more experience you will find buddies that suit you. Your first buddies should be people who watch over you and you watch over them until you build your skill sets.
I was very lucky to find as my first buddy and lady with a lot of experience and was / is a very safe diver, as I grew my skill sets I gravitated towards divers with my interest and who understand my need to explore, hunt and photograph.
I say not to put to much thought into it for now, for it will come, concentrate on your OW, go AOW and Rescue to build your skill sets and then once through Rescue you should have your skills and buddies for what you want to do.
I was very lucky to find as my first buddy and lady with a lot of experience and was / is a very safe diver, as I grew my skill sets I gravitated towards divers with my interest and who understand my need to explore, hunt and photograph.
I say not to put to much thought into it for now, for it will come, concentrate on your OW, go AOW and Rescue to build your skill sets and then once through Rescue you should have your skills and buddies for what you want to do.
scubamountaingirl
Contributor
with all due respect, i would really not take this advise...
IMHO one has to be a very seasoned and special kind of diver to do solo diving. It is so NOT the answer to the OP's question...
I know of a few solo divers who have been at it 20 years. not 20 dives....
Someone just getting an OW cert. has no idea what they are doing in the beginning. that is just terrible advice.
with respect
ww
Sas
Contributor
I think a few people here are throwing the baby out with the bathwater with regards to fnfalman's post. Firstly, solo diving training (be it formal or otherwise) is good regardless of whether one chooses to ever do solo diving as it teaches you self-sufficiency in case you end up with a bad buddy or for some reason (there are many reasons why this could happen) your buddy cannot assist you with a problem. I do not think that SDI's requirement of 100 dives is a good one. I think that often the people who most need solo training are those that want to start solo diving early (for whatever reason) and are going to do it anyway regardless of what others say when they don't have much experience so I think the training should be given to those who are going to solo dive or buddy divers who want to have the training for self-sufficiency, regardless of their dive experience.
The second part of fnfalman's post is more problematic, but as far as when one should solo dive, that is an individual decision that people should make after assessing the risks for themselves. I don't think it is likely that someone who is not certified knows enough to make that decision but I know of many divers who have started solo diving <100 dives because they have felt comfortable and their risk tolerance is higher.
A good OW course teaches self-sufficiency. SOLO diving teaches independence.
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As someone who does a lot of solo diving, I cannot agree. It's not a matter of risk tolerance ... it's a matter of ignorance. And while everyone progresses at their own pace, a baseline has to be drawn somewhere. And although I can see some benefit in self-sufficient training, that's what a good Rescue class will do for you.
Solo diving is AT LEAST as much about making good decisions as it is about having good skills. Self-sufficiency begins with the ability to use your judgment to keep you out of situations that will require self-rescue. And that's an ability that you won't get in any classroom ... it can only come from applying what you learn in a class to real-world experiences. Only diving can do that for you ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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