Diving Alone

[Nozomi]

Hey! I actually joined this forum to ask a question about snorkeling, but then I spent a while browsing stuff and got myself worked up about learning scuba diving.

I noticed a lot of mentions of partners etc.,but also a few posts that suggest most women have their husband/boyfriend as their partner, and in general there's a lot more male divers than female. (Correct me if I'm wrong on any of these things, these were just impressions I got?)

So I'm wondering if it's allowed to go diving alone if you don't have a partner? I don't really know anyone else who would want to do it. If I could find another woman to dive with me I'd jump at the chance, but I'm like 5 foot nothing and tiny... I don't think I would be comfortable at all going to dive sites with some random guys.

It's just a question. At first I thought money was my achilles heel, but I did the numbers and figure I can afford it, and then I realize I have nobody to go with...

 

[Storker]

Is your question about solo diving or about diving without a SO?

If the latter, why should a woman going on a trip without a SO be different from a man going on a trip without a SO? AFAIK quite a few men go on trips without a spouse.

If the former, be aware that solo diving isn't for everyone (it's definitely not for me), and you need to be quite experienced to pull it off safely.

 

[CptTightPants21]

You can dive alone without a partner.

In terms of conducting a dive by yourself with no one else, that is solo diving, which requires more specialized training and gear.
If you question is in regards to going on vacation/trip, lots of vacation boats/locations will provide a DM for you or pair you up with another vacationing diver. Going on scuba vacations by yourself isn't an issue.

If the question is about knowing people locally and being able to dive where you live, scuba is a very social hobby. All you have to do is say you want to go dive and you will find buddies from the area or the local dive shop who will do a dive or two with you. Before you know it, you have a group of contacts that will allow you to dive whenever you want.


Question: Where do you live and what kind of diving where you interested in?

 

[2airishuman]

Hey! I actually joined this forum to ask a question about snorkeling, but then I spent a while browsing stuff and got myself worked up about learning scuba diving.

Welcome

I noticed a lot of mentions of partners etc.,but also a few posts that suggest most women have their husband/boyfriend as their partner, and in general there's a lot more male divers than female. (Correct me if I'm wrong on any of these things, these were just impressions I got?)

There are more men than women. Many, perhaps most, women usually dive with a family member or romantic partner. Not always. I have two daughters who are learning to dive.

So I'm wondering if it's allowed to go diving alone if you don't have a partner? I don't really know anyone else who would want to do it.

Allowed? There are no scuba police, although if you're on a commercial dive boat they will likely assign someone to dive with you. Whether it is a good idea or not is a separate, difficult question, subject to much debate.

Traditionally, the "buddy system" has been considered a requirement for safe diving in the USA. Over time there has been more acceptance of solo divers.

I believe that NAUI, and perhaps some other agencies, consider people who complete their entry-level classes to be capable of diving safely without a buddy. Most others do not. There are several independent/solo diver classes out there but they generally have a 100 dive experience prerequisite.

I prefer to dive solo and believe that the combination of my equipment, training, attitude, fitness, choice of dive sites, etc., makes this a safe choice for me. Your situation is probably different. The decision to undertake solo dives is an individual one that each diver has to make based on a careful assessment of their strengths, weaknesses, and goals.

If I could find another woman to dive with me I'd jump at the chance, but I'm like 5 foot nothing and tiny... I don't think I would be comfortable at all going to dive sites with some random guys.

It's just a question. At first I thought money was my achilles heel, but I did the numbers and figure I can afford it, and then I realize I have nobody to go with...

In some areas there are organized group outings. Some of the dive shops around here (Minneapolis) occasionally run women-only local dives.

 

[Nozomi]

I apologize for my confusion... the concern is about myself as a very small 19 year old with no friends who will be divers, choosing between meeting some random people online (who will probably be guys) and diving alone. I'm inquiring as to options and feasability of both.

 

[CptTightPants21]

I apologize for my confusion... the concern is about myself as a very small 19 year old with no friends who will be divers, choosing between meeting some random people online (who will probably be guys) and diving alone. I'm inquiring as to options and feasability of both.

As you progress through your training you will meet people who were also just getting certified or who actively go to the shop where you were certified. You will find that most instructors or people who were assisting with you classes are always up for a dive and will take you on a dive or two if you ask. Finding scuba buddies is a more natural friendship progression than something like eharmony...

I have met dive buddies in all sorts of different situations.

Worry about finding a good shop/place to get certified, finding dive buddies won't be an issue.....

 

[diversteve]

How close to Ontario are you? This is a pretty active group in that region: Ontario Underwater Council

Also organizations like www.singledivers.com run group trips regularly - a lot of their members are also married but the spouse doesn't dive. To save money they do same-sex shared rooms. So if you're compatible, there's often your dive buddy also.

Also check with the local shop you're certifying through, many offer group trips and you typically meet everyone beforehand.

Scubaboard also offers our yearly Invasions and Surges - a group of about 100 divers are currently diving in the Phillippines for two weeks and a smaller group at Cayman Brac Reef Resort next winter - we have the whole resort so know everyone who will be there. It's not the cheapest trip but includes everything except flights.

Divers are generally pretty open about diving with others also. I do liveaboard trips occasionally, on our last one a single female diver from Canada dove all week with the Dr. couple and their son who shared our table. She was a new diver so some of us loaned her needed gear - backup lights etc. and several times we dove in loose groups of 5-8 so she could join us.

Given your size, generally other divers are going to want to dive with you because your air consumption should be so much better than theirs that they'll love being able to dive their whole tank b4 surfacing. We dove with a smaller woman once and she could match us 2 for 1 - only changed her tank every second dive.

I used to dive with a small group locally. We did local trips, Caribbean and Mexico trips. Normally the group consisted of two single guys (I'm one), two married guys(no spouse interest), one married couple and 2-3 single women. Once we did a trip with 3 guys and 7-8 single women. So it's not always a lot of guys/couples.

 

[NYCNaiad]

I don't have a boyfriend that I dive with, but I've managed to find all sorts of great buddies out there. I do also travel alone & have never had a problem.

If you're looking for buddies, joining your local dive club can really help with that and also looking at various online dive clubs that travel together to go diving like www.singledivers.com as DiverSteve noted. There are even dive clubs specifically set up for women like Diving Divas: Home Women Scuba Divers Snorkeling Travel Trips Dining Adventures. Once you go through your certification, you'll also meet people in the class and at your local dive shop (LDS) which can help. Your LDS will also have group trips and will often help pair you up with a female buddy....that's how I really started meeting other women divers before I joined my local dive club. Another interesting way to find a buddy is to go on a liveaboard trip (i.e., a boat trip where you live onboard the boat & dive all sorts of fantastic spots that you can't as easily get to when staying at a hotel. Some are very cheap & some are very pricey). You'll be in a room with another woman who will then most likely become your buddy. This has always worked out very well for me except once where the buddy was a very bad buddy...but that was an unusual situation which was easily remedied when I partnered up another buddy group.

You can learn to dive alone, but, personally, I really like diving with the buddies I've found both locally and around the world.

Happy diving!

 

[Nozomi]

Thank you for the helpful replies! I'm starting to see this more as a possibility now

Can I ask one more thing? As someone very small (quite strong for someone of my size as I'm very athletic, but still, a very small person), would there be any concern if my dive partner was much larger and I needed to pull them to the surface in an emergency? Life if they passed out or something? I do know things are lighter in the water, but is this a common concern among people?

 

[uncfnp]

Edit: The response below was typed and posted before I saw the second question. This answer is to the original op.

Hey nozomi. That is a really good question. And as you can see it isn't one with a simple yes-no answer. Your options will vary with location and even between dive ops within the same region. I don't know Canada so no specific advice but in general...

Diving "solo" as in no buddy or group is an option but it isn't the right choice for everyone and you really need to be an experienced diver with extra gear before you decide to try it and not all dive ops allow solo diving from their boat or site. As a new diver solo diving in its purist form is not a good option. Once you are certified and get experience you can decide if and when its the right choice for you.

Then there is the so called "instabuddy" choice and it sounds like this is your concern and I can understand why. But even then you will still be part of a larger group. And honestly, as a new young female diver you will probably get lots of helpful attention and assistance. I personally have never felt unsafe or even uncomfortable on a dive boat. And if you did, one word to the Captain is all it should take to quickly end any issues. It would absolutely not be tolerated.

The third choice and maybe a good one for you is to hire your own personal DM for your first several dives. A little research will likely bring up plenty of female guides.

Another common option is a region/dive op that does group dives. Here buddy groups or groups of individuals will dive together with a guide. Many places will allow you to dive without a specific buddy if you stay with the guide. Basically the guide is your buddy. Make sure this is an option when you book your dives.

SB will be a fantastic resource to help you plan your dives and to find dives ops and locations where you can feel comfortable and safe diving.

Now as a female diver I will tell you that yes, there are usually more males to female but I think this is changing. More and more I see female divers on the boats. This last trip, several days it was almost a 50/50 mix. And as I said, I have never felt unsafe. I admit, I grew up playing neighborhood sports and riding bikes with the guys so I feel comfortable hanging with the boys but I often see single female divers and never even heard of any issues.

But first you have to get certified! You will make friends and meet other divers just by taking the class. And divers are generally a friendly group.