even the small stuff in MX is not as evil as the small stuff in FL that's full of that awful, fine clay.
That would depend on the cave itself and cant be generalized to specific countries.
Even though some agencies may not agree with it, it is still an excepted method amoung the cave comunity and a tool in a divers tool box. For an individual to say that he was asking for it because he was diving alone, shows the lack of education and understanding.
The view point that cave diving is safer alone depends on the situation, cave that one is diving and the potential buddy one may have . Everything depends on the situation.
The following from bill is worded fantastically:
My opinion on Solo Diving
As an Instructor for the NSS-CDS, NACD, and IANTD, I am appalled at the writing of some people who presumably do not understand the finality of cave diving. By this I mean the most important person underwater is yourself. By this I mean only you can swim for yourself, and only you can think for yourself, and above all only you can breath for yourself. If you cannot take care of yourself underwater then how do you expect to help a buddy in need. A question of the full cave test is “What is the most important attribute of a cave diver?” And the answer is “ The ability to think and reason for yourself underwater”.
How many of you have been in the Florida Keys and someone hand signals you, where is your buddy? In most cases the buddies are way more than a few feet apart. In open water diving we have the option to surface at any time. In open water training the emphasis is that even if you run out of air at 130 feet, no problem, all you have to do is the emergency swimming assent, and every thing will be O.K. This is the reason for the regulator out of mouth swims in the cave training courses. Seventy-five feet is a long way on the horizontal to swim without air. And, the purpose is to teach close buddy contact. In cave diving I see buddies way too far apart all the time, and in essence they are solo diving whether they believe it or not. In fact one day my class of two students and I witnessed a scooter diver getting caught in the line at Ginnie Springs and after approximately 3 minutes the buddy was still nowhere to be found. They both were solo diving at this time until buddy contact was reestablished. No matter how innocent the separation or time you must be able to take care of yourself at all times. During silt out, even though you and your buddy may be inches away from each other, you are solo diving until contact is made. When divers buddy up with difference levels of experience, is not the one with the less experience a liability to the other?
Solo diving may well be the most peaceful and rewarding phase of cave diving. You have only yourself to take care of, so all thoughts of the dive are concentrated on the enjoyment of the dive or the accomplishment of the task you have for the dive. In fact solo diving may be safer than diving with a buddy. In solo diving there is little or no ego threat or peer pressure. Minimal time pressure on getting ready. Spending more time looking and enjoying the cave as the speed or presence of the buddy is not a factor. Proper equipment configuration is the most important factor for solo diving. No manifold is safe, as there are too many weak points present which could be a total air loss. So in solo diving you will need a buddy bottle or side mount configuration to be safe. A buddy bottle is carried like a stage bottle and is never used. You never swim in a cave further than your buddy can get you out. In side mount configuration the tanks can be positioned in front of you. You have complete control over your equipment, even the ability to change regulators underwater if one fails. All equipment is at your disposal.
How many times have you been assembling equipment talking to your buddy. Every thing is peaceful and discussion and talk while away the time. Inherently you are subconsciously thinking you have a buddy to take with you.
In solo diving you look at every O-ring and make sure your equipment is properly assembled, because there will be nobody to assist you.
Because of the probability that some of the last deaths of certified cave divers in the caves have been from solo diving, the proposal to add a sixth rule to accident analysis is absurd. Of the over 30 certified cave divers who have perished in underwater caves, approximately 25 of them had the long hoses wrapped around their necks. Is that reason to add another rule to accident analysis? All who have perished have been wearing exposure protection, whether wet or dry, is that a reason to add a rule. When people who do not have the experience or knowledge to properly evaluate the situations and randomly propose rule changes I get upset.
Some of the most important people who have contributed to the successful learning curve of the training agencies are avid solo divers. I myself prefer solo diving at times, especially exploring in sidemount caves. I firmly believe that some tunnels in these caves are solo only tunnels. In extremely small tunnels do you really want a buddy between you and the surface?
Yes I do agree that for the most part solo diving is not for everyone. In teaching, over half of the students are easily confused as to which way is out. You can explain the dive over and over again to some people and they still really don’t understand what they should do. Some people have become lost in caves with multiple lines and luckily found another opening. There have even been several tragedies when buddies disagreed on the way out. In this scenario one was right and one was wrong. Some divers are leaders and others are followers, and the divers who normally never lead dives are usually unprepared mentally for solo diving. As I state to my students who have finished a cave course, “this course is a license to start learning how to cave dive”. Cave diving is a learned process and with experience and knowledge our safety is greatly increased. And with the proper experience solo cave diving is a viable option to experience the beautiful caves. Does not other sports demand a solo jump or a solo flight before you get the appropriate license? In fact should not cave diving demand a solo 1500 foot penetration to insure you have learned your lessons well? It should not be the sixth rule of accident analysis.
I do not want to turn this into a big debate on solo diving but just to put out there that people should thing before they make comments of things they may not fully understand.
