Confession

[SCUBA482]

Thanks Paddler3c...I'll look into the AL19 and mounting hardware...

 

[carrielsal]

This makes perfect sense and thanks for the input. I was looking at a 40 (or maybe it was a 30) and my first blush was it being a tad larger for my takings, but you offer somethings to consider. I'm SOLO in shallow (60' or less) most of the time and off my own boat. Kind of hard to crawl up my ladder onto the swim step with my reg dive gear without putting too much stress on my swim step ladder. What would you say the weight of the 40 is full and outfitted? 15-20 lbs?

Take a look at this page for tanks specs, Scuba Cylinder Specification Chart from Huron Scuba, Ann Arbor Michigan

Carrie

 

[DaleC]

There is a solo diver course that would not only answer your questions but also suit them to how you dive and when. take it or not.

I dive with my wife, her safety is more important to me than mine so I am never very far from her ever. it is a frame of mind, not a how to. it is easy to be a same ocean buddy, but it has to be important to you to be a real buddy that is there when you are needed. if you find your buddy always runs off and it is not the same person then you should look at yourself before you cast blame. having a buddy can be thought of as having a spare everything that you do not have to carry or pay for. I will take the solo dive course but not because I want to dive solo I do however want to survive all of my dives.

Not sure what this has to do with the discussion or why you chose to post in the solo section if you are opposed to soloing???



482

Here's a reply to a simular thread about mounting ponies. If you do a search here you will find many posts where the two options are debated. Lots of things to think about.

"...I'll answer the question in the context you have given. For someone who is possibly considering going "tech" down the road and doesn't want to rebuy a bunch of gear or relearn skills you should consider a 30-40cuft pony slung from the left chest D ring to the left hip D ring. This is how you will carry your stage/deco bottles and a 40cuft Al bottle is a very common deco bottle size.

There isn't anything wrong with that system you reference but it will be obsolete if you progress further down the tech path and you will wind up trying to sell it on ebay. The bottles are too small and that fancy SPG they describe is just a button SPG. While it (spg) will work for a pony bottle it will be useless in the tech realm. I bet it would probably be just as cheap to buy a quality first and second stage, brass and glass SPG with a 6" hose and an Al bottle (considering such a set up would be valid for the rest of your diving career).

I used to sling my 30cuft pony on my BCD (Seasoft sealion) before switching to a BP/W. None of the D rings were that great but I was able to refit the BCD with a proper left hip D ring and sturdier Chest D ring.

As for mounting the pony on the back vs slinging, there are many threads here on SB where each method is debated and I have buddies that mount theirs either way. Both will work but my preference is slung as I can access the valve and monitor the system for any potential gas loss. Plus, it is the way stage/deco bottles are worn so the tech skillset is the same. Although it may look cumbersome on land, a side slung pony has little effect on you once you are in the water and I routinely dive with my pony or a sideslung Al80 stage without altering my trim weights etc..."

Hope this helps,

Dale.

 

[carrielsal]

having a buddy can be thought of as having a spare everything that you do not have to carry or pay for.

For a new diver, this can be a very true statement, but as an experienced diver I could not disagree with you more. I do not have regular dive buddy, so I frequently dive with insta-buddies. I am a fairly new divecon, so this gives me practice diving with unexpected challenges. Most of my diving is in the local lake where vis can vary from 1-3' and a good day up to 10'. Once you hit 60', every dive is a night dive.
This summer alone, I have had 2 buddies very close to OOA, a buddy with a BC that started dumping air at depth, new divers that need someone to practice with, and the list goes on.
I probably get in 4-10 dives a week. I practice on my own mask removal, reg switching, etc at least once a week. I have yet to have an insta-buddy who even remembers the last time they practiced a skill.
I thought long and hard about this before I started solo diving. When I am solo dive, I can take the time to work on fine tuning skills and can pay 100% to my safety only.

I will take the solo dive course but not because I want to dive solo I do however want to survive all of my dives.

I do not understand this statement. Additional training is only as good as what you walk away with. The SDI solo course requires 2 solo dives. Why would you want to do this if do not want to solo dive? Wouldn't additional time with your LDS instructor in other training be more productive for you?

Just my 2cents.

Carrie

 

[SailNaked]

I am not against solo diving, I did lots of solo diving early in my career and unfortunately not with the proper gear. If done today having considered many of the possible failures avaiable I would dive with my doubles. The obvious principal of solo diving is to have redundant gear so that no one failure is an emergency.

I would take the solo course because there are things that I do not know that I do not know. and it helps to have the combined experience of people that have done it and lived to tell the story.

I was really responding to the OP's sentimaent that his buddies would leave him and I believe that is a choice of both divers, but you are only responsible for yourself so if you are alone then it is your own fault. In pea green water my wife and I hold hands I know this option is not available to all manly men so full awareness and comitment to being together is reguired. Insta buddies as it is called, well that is a choice you can follow him about if you really think it is important or you can blame him for leaving you, and be prepared to solo dive, I think this is dishonest, just solo dive and state that on the outset of the dive because your buddy may not be as prepared to do it as you are and he may need you. you can try to blame the dead guy later for being a jerk but you were the one prepared to solo dive and in the back of your mind you will know the truth about who let who solo dive.

 

[WorkHorse]

Hi All

On my first dive after my cert, (same day). I was separated from my buddy (too many people in the water). Unable to find him I was faced with navigating back to the boat alone. It felt a little strange, like I was breakin the rules, but I loved the feeling!

Over several dive trips I soon realized that if you are hunting, your solo! If you turn around and your buddy disappears, your solo! If your more than 30' apart your solo! And your backup better be yourself!!!

On my last trip to Catalina dive park (which I made alone) I made 2 dives.
1. I entered the water with a group, but spent most of the dive solo, 45min.
2. I entered with another diver, but separated after short while, 90min.

I confess, I REALLY ENJOYED diving alone! In those conditions, it was awesome!

hell Ya That is the way to dive. I feel the same way. push your limits and solo dive.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

The obvious principal of solo diving is to have redundant gear so that no one failure is an emergency.