Diving Alone

[Ayisha]

Nozomi, welcome. You have great questions and already show a concern for safety. Well done! Hope most of your questions have been explored already.

I'm as petite as you, but nowhere near as young, athletic or strong as you. Diving with different sizes of buddies is no issue at all. When I did my Rescue course, I was taught to use leverage rather than strength to get my buddy out of the water - and guess what, my buddy was a 305 pound male told to be a dead weight for me. I managed with flying colours several times in a couple of different ways, and I (and many others around me) never would have thought it would be possible. So size really isn't an issue.

My husband doesn't dive and I dive with female friends as well as males. Most of the females around here that I know also dive with friends, not SO's. When you take your course, you will start to meet your future buddies. Your dive shop may have organized dives, you may have a local dive club with organized dives. A shop or club may have fun exotic trips you can join, and they can often find you a same sex roommate to share costs. All are great ways to network and meet buddies. Singles are very common in diving, and it's very easy to meet people. Personally, I too would feel much safer meeting someone in the above ways rather than on-line for the first time, like in any other area of life.

I saw references to Ontario above. Are you in Ontario? If so, what part? The shops in Toronto and the surrounding area have always got fun dives happening. Scarborough Underwater Club at SUCI - Scarborough Underwater Club Inc. - Home is a very active, fun club that does training, has local and exotic dive trips, and social events.

Good luck!

 

[sheeper]

there are also lots of groups for girl divers. a number of my female dive friends are part of ScubaChix (Scuba Chix) great group of ladies to dive with!

 

[Wingy]

My partner can't dive due to medical reasons, and it would be cruel to bring him with me on dive trips where he has nothing to do because the only thing to do at the destination is dive.

I do have a number of friends who dive, but most are not in the financial position to come with me when I go overseas on diving holidays.

Ergo, I end up diving alone.

I've had a few attitude problems from guys who think they're all big and tough, but aside from running their mouth off from time to time, they're not generally an issue. Going on dive trips alone is honestly a great way to meet new people, and I've very rarely been the only person travelling solo, so I've made some lifelong friends through the whole insta-buddy game on dive trips. Don't worry about it so much

As for diving solo, without a buddy...I do. But it's not something I would ever recommend to someone without many years of experience under their belt.

What she said. I travel around a fair bit diving, see Liveaboards now sometimes with more women onboard than men, and I've found some awesome women through diving who I hold very dear as friends. I did a LOB a few years ago and made great female friends who were either single like me or who's husbands didn't dive, and a couple who were there with their husbands. I liked the company so much, did another LOB with some of the same ladies, one with her husband and son - same woman I asked to join me for a LOB trip in Thailand without hubby and son (both great guys sorry lol, a girls outting shall we say). My idea of a nice trip to Thailand morphed into an epic month long adventure through Madagascar and the Mascarenes. To her credit she took it all in good humour and we had a blast. I'm doing another LOB later this year with her and her husband, and I can't wait to see my buddy again.

Diving has given me that. You are never alone when you are a diver. We share that same common interest and you will meet women of all ages and backgrounds along your dive journey - as WP said, don't sweat it, we're cool.

There's a few women who post here regularly who I've wanted to and hope to dive with somewhere some day. Just be you and enjoy. Shout out to my buddies from 5 continents who've made this journey so great, even if we only shared the same ocean for a few hours. Welcome to the club.

 

[urbaneve71]

there are many clubs you can join if you are looking for partners. but if solo is what you are looking for then that is okay if you are experienced enough.

i see no one has mentioned a solo class for you. is this something you would consider? i am a solo diver, but i like it that way and choose to do so. there aren't that many people that dive in my area so solo diving is my choice unless i travel.

 

[Nemrod]

there are many clubs you can join if you are looking for partners. but if solo is what you are looking for then that is okay if you are experienced enough.

i see no one has mentioned a solo class for you. is this something you would consider? i am a solo diver, but i like it that way and choose to do so. there aren't that many people that dive in my area so solo diving is my choice unless i travel.

Taking a solo class, there is only one solo certification and it is the SDI Solo Diver. You must be a very experienced diver and unlike most SCUBA courses I have taken, considerable skill had to be demonstrated, to get the certification. I believe the minimum is an Advanced certification plus 100 dives and I would consider that going light for most. Solo diving is not something you do because you cannot find a buddy or you are afraid to dive with a "bunch of random guys." Solo is not for everybody and solo divers dive solo because they enjoy it, like it, not because they are anti-social.

As a new diver entering the sport, it will be a number of years before the OP would justifiably be ready to undertake solo diving. And then at that, cert or not, many operations still do not allow it because they are such safety ninnies though the safety record of solo is comparable to buddy diving (for the properly prepared and equipped intentionally solo diver, loosing a buddy and then getting in trouble as a result of UNINTENTIONAL solo is not a solo diving accident, it is a buddy diver team failure/accident).

N

 

[Bubblesong]

My 17 year old daughter and I have met a number of other teen divers, and I hope you can meet a great group in your area. We did the rescue course, (which I recomend aiming for), and each of us (5'2") hauled our fearless instructor up the beach on our lower back. My daughter would love to dive with a teen group instead of her Mom and Dad, probably starting next summer. Next you have to find a Divemaster that will dive with a boatload of teens.

 

[Noemi]

Nozomi, I understand your concerns. I am new to diving, my husband cannot dive because of the health issue, and I was initially really worried about finding buddies to dive (and whether I will get in trouble being a single female diver). Now I know that it is enough to ask around, or in a dive shop, and you will find a number of people who are nice and regularly go diving in your area.

My concern is not about the gender of my buddies/team, it's about their experience and attitude. You have to have the same diving goals. You have to be able to communicate efficiently. If your buddy did much more dives than you, make sure they have a patience to wait for you and help you deal with your struggles due to your inexperience.

One of the best buddies I have is a male OW diver that has tons of patience to explain stuff and answer questions. My most incompatible buddy was a female divemaster [off duty] that dragged me through a more technical location just wanting to do an advanced dive. Go with people of your training level or with those willing to slow down for you. Do lots of practice drills to be sure that your skills are up-to-date and you can take care of yourself and your buddy. Rescue class is a good idea, I am planning to do it myself as soon as I meet the requirements.

As for the dive boats, to my [limited] experience, people are mostly friendly there. Everybody is preoccupied with their own adventure and to bother you would be at the very bottom of their list. Plus there are other people around, and a divemaster / instructor you are actually paying to keep you safe and sound. In the water you are responsible for your own safetly, but the operator can help you solve a problem both on surface and under if you ask. Read the reviews and choose wisely.

 

[RainPilot]

As a male, I cant and won't comment on the motivation for asking the original question. What I can say is that in my experience, diving tends to attract a certain type of person. When talking about the kind of diving that most recreational divers are doing, i.e. to look at the critters and generally be amazed by the world below, the kind of person who spends a lot of money and time in order to go and spend time under the sea is generally not the asshat variety (thanks for the term @NYCNaiad its now a favorite).

Of course everyone is different but I have found an overwhelming number of really nice people in this hobby. Remember, these are not RANDOM people you are meeting in a bar / party etc. These are people who have been attracted to the same things you have and are spending their spare cash / time doing the same thing you are. You are more likely to find that you have other things in common, forming the basis for non-diving friendships, than you are in most any other social situation.

Think of them as being a curated group of potential friends and you really won't go wrong.

Enjoy the diving!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

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.

I don't know what your physical stature or age have to do with anything. If you are worried about some guys getting the wrong impression thinking it's some kind of hook up then skip the internet and book trips as a solo in need of a buddy once there. Meeting a dive buddy (whoever they are) in person is much different than on the internet because you can't see body language etc on the internet and read further intentions. It would also help to be clear about what you want and don't want. Maybe I'm reading into to this way too much, but that's the vibe I got when I read your initial post.

 

[urbaneve71]

Taking a solo class, there is only one solo certification and it is the SDI Solo Diver. You must be a very experienced diver and unlike most SCUBA courses I have taken, considerable skill had to be demonstrated, to get the certification. I believe the minimum is an Advanced certification plus 100 dives and I would consider that going light for most. Solo diving is not something you do because you cannot find a buddy or you are afraid to dive with a "bunch of random guys." Solo is not for everybody and solo divers dive solo because they enjoy it, like it, not because they are anti-social.

As a new diver entering the sport, it will be a number of years before the OP would justifiably be ready to undertake solo diving. And then at that, cert or not, many operations still do not allow it because they are such safety ninnies though the safety record of solo is comparable to buddy diving (for the properly prepared and equipped intentionally solo diver, loosing a buddy and then getting in trouble as a result of UNINTENTIONAL solo is not a solo diving accident, it is a buddy diver team failure/accident).

N

I see your point..I prefer to solo dive and have for years. And I know who and what agency certifies who...that was not the point I was making. I was not meaning "class" perse.... but maybe I should have been clearer in what I meant. I meant that no one under any circumstance should dive solo without proper training.

But I also won't dive with just anyone either. I want to know that mt dive buddy knows what they are doing so it doesn't put eit by error of our lives in danger. I started out soli diving because my buddy was a no show and I drove 8 hrs to dive. I certainly was not about to waste my trip. That being said, I did over the years go and get the proper training to dive solo