Dive holiday solo freaks me out...

[Schwob]

You are doing the right thing by wrapping your head around it well before you submerge. You are getting good advice. Make sure you are at the point where the freaking out part is completed before you dive. Being concerned in an informed way and plans to actively address those concerns as need be firmly in place is the place to be (head space wise). You get there you will have it covered. All else (i.e. clueless w/o concern and hoping for the best or still freaking out) is sort of a bad idea uw.

 

[CJS]

I don't know if you got to do this trip or will get to do it, but I have dived in Bali multiple times on my own. Most places I used will just give you your own guide or maybe with one other diver. If they could not guarantee that I'd pay a little bit extra to get my own guide. Insta-buddies can be great or painful and it is worth the extra $20 to avoid the painful.

 

[Subcooled]

One important aspect of diving (solo or in a team) is ones mental state and preparedness. Many incidents are harmless unless you become stressed and panic and start making bad decisions. It helps to discuss risks and fears in advance so that you have coping methods for these situations.

 

[GrafCanuck]

My wife doesn't dive so every time we go on our vacation I'm trying to find a dive buddy. They are everywhere. If you go on a dive boat you will meet other divers who will let you tag along with them. Also on the dive boat there will be a DM who will go out with you at no additional charge. Back on land, check out the dive shop. Many will have boards with dive buddies wanted posted on them. Also head to the bar. I guarantee you will find lots of divers there and likely a buddy or two. Lastly buy a white t shirt then write DIVE BUDDY WANTED and where it to the bar. This strategy may not find you a dive buddy, but I guarantee you that a diver or two will chat with you. BTW - divers are a real friendly bunch, have fun.

 

[queennyac]

So me and my girlfriend have a trip booked to Bali (Amed) and Komodo (Lob). With all the Corona-panic in Europe it looks like there's a good possibility that she's not going to be able to enter Singapore (transit airport) or Indonesia. I am already staying in Singapore so it's not going to be a problem for me.

IF she can't come I still want to go diving (and we've already paid part of the fee) but the thought of diving "alone" without her freaks me out as I've never (on our 30-ish dives) done it before.

How do you guys & girls who travel solo do it? Are you comfortable with the random dive buddies you get assigned? (No offense to the random dive buddy )
What if you get one who doesn't take safety seriously? What if your buddy goes one way under water and the DM the other way?
Am I being to scared?

If you are going on a live-aboard, which I assume you are, not to worry....more than likely there is one DM to each small group of 4-5 divers, so you are not really diving alone....just stick with the DM...we were on the Gaia Love last year in 2019 and the experience was awesome....very safe - sometimes the currents are pretty strong, so bring a "Lifeline" or something similar....just in case...

 

[TMHeimer]

My wife doesn't dive so every time we go on our vacation I'm trying to find a dive buddy. They are everywhere. If you go on a dive boat you will meet other divers who will let you tag along with them. Also on the dive boat there will be a DM who will go out with you at no additional charge. Back on land, check out the dive shop. Many will have boards with dive buddies wanted posted on them. Also head to the bar. I guarantee you will find lots of divers there and likely a buddy or two. Lastly buy a white t shirt then write DIVE BUDDY WANTED and where it to the bar. This strategy may not find you a dive buddy, but I guarantee you that a diver or two will chat with you. BTW - divers are a real friendly bunch, have fun.

The duties of a boat DM vary considerably (as I've seen and read about here). Some lead "group dives" (tropics mostly I think), some never leave the boat. Some will pair up with a solo or inexperienced diver free of charge, others will do that for a fee.

 

[CJS]

As others have said, in Bali, of you tell them you want a guide just for you, you'll get your own guide or at worst have to pay a small extra amount to guarantee it.

 

[Jafo19D]

So me and my girlfriend have a trip booked to Bali (Amed) and Komodo (Lob). With all the Corona-panic in Europe it looks like there's a good possibility that she's not going to be able to enter Singapore (transit airport) or Indonesia. I am already staying in Singapore so it's not going to be a problem for me.

IF she can't come I still want to go diving (and we've already paid part of the fee) but the thought of diving "alone" without her freaks me out as I've never (on our 30-ish dives) done it before.

How do you guys & girls who travel solo do it? Are you comfortable with the random dive buddies you get assigned? (No offense to the random dive buddy )
What if you get one who doesn't take safety seriously? What if your buddy goes one way under water and the DM the other way?
Am I being to scared?

I always dive alone (unless my son is with me) and most of the time the dove buddy is decent. I did have an incident where my dive buddy constantly lagged behind or went deeper than what the DM wanted so eventually I left him behind on the second dive.

Like you I’m a new diver with only 43 or 44 dives but recently I’ve become more aware and stay a lot closer to my buddy and make sure I have a way to signal (I can bang the knife against the tank). I also try to make it a point to stay in the same position so that my dive buddy can easily spot me.

One caveat to all this is that diving just recently opened so on many recent dives the DM was my dive buddy so very good experiences.

 

[Dan]

So me and my girlfriend have a trip booked to Bali (Amed) and Komodo (Lob). With all the Corona-panic in Europe it looks like there's a good possibility that she's not going to be able to enter Singapore (transit airport) or Indonesia. I am already staying in Singapore so it's not going to be a problem for me.

IF she can't come I still want to go diving (and we've already paid part of the fee) but the thought of diving "alone" without her freaks me out as I've never (on our 30-ish dives) done it before.

How do you guys & girls who travel solo do it? Are you comfortable with the random dive buddies you get assigned? (No offense to the random dive buddy )
What if you get one who doesn't take safety seriously? What if your buddy goes one way under water and the DM the other way?
Am I being to scared?

Update us on the trip. Did your girlfriend make it to be your dive buddy or you end up with an instabuddy?

 

[Mike1967]

Update us on the trip. Did your girlfriend make it to be your dive buddy or you end up with an instabuddy?

He hasn't been back since he started this thread.