Diving solo?

[UrbanJungle1966]

I am one of the newbies who is heading towards the SDI Solo Cert. My reasons are fairly simple. I have been abandoned a few times. Once by a dive master who was more interested in showing a photographer the cool fish and the second by an instabuddy. Both times I was relieved they had gone.

Am I confident to dive by myself? Yes. I have snorkeled for 30 years by myself. At 20 metres I know I can get to the surface. Was I comfortable? Not really because the worry of not having reserve air kept playing on my mind. So pony bottle time for my piece of mind. Also I am still having to think about certain actions so I have put a limitation on myself before I purposely dive by myself.

Why Solo for me? 100% self reliant plus I learn something new with every dive or course I do so hopefully I will pick up useful skills. Instabuddies can really suck, I also like just mucking around in a small area just swimming upside down, doing somersaults just playing around really which can be hard to find people of like mind. I hate swimming. To me a dive is just cruising around looking at stuff not this race around the circuit as fast as possible.

To the OP maybe at the end of the dive when doing your safety stop have a play around.

 

[scubadada]

I am one of the newbies who is heading towards the SDI Solo Cert. My reasons are fairly simple. I have been abandoned a few times. Once by a dive master who was more interested in showing a photographer the cool fish and the second by an instabuddy. Both times I was relieved they had gone.

Am I confident to dive by myself? Yes. I have snorkeled for 30 years by myself. At 20 metres I know I can get to the surface. Was I comfortable? Not really because the worry of not having reserve air kept playing on my mind. So pony bottle time for my piece of mind. Also I am still having to think about certain actions so I have put a limitation on myself before I purposely dive by myself.

Why Solo for me? 100% self reliant plus I learn something new with every dive or course I do so hopefully I will pick up useful skills. Instabuddies can really suck, I also like just mucking around in a small area just swimming upside down, doing somersaults just playing around really which can be hard to find people of like mind. I hate swimming. To me a dive is just cruising around looking at stuff not this race around the circuit as fast as possible.

To the OP maybe at the end of the dive when doing your safety stop have a play around.

That's great, in another 50 or so dives you'll meet the minimum criteria for the SDI Solo Diver certification.


Good diving, Craig

 

[drrich2]

Sounds good, but practicalities can be an issue. Do you mainly shore dive, or boat dive? If the latter, is the boat op. apt to tolerate solo diving? Or do you know one that is?

Also, solo diving isn't just about knowledge and a skill set. It's also about gear additions. A pair of cutting tools isn't hard to make standard, but not everyone takes along a pony bottle & separate regulator on all their dives, when solo isn't planned. Depending on how you normally equip yourself, spontaneous soloing may or may not be all that practical.

I enjoyed the SDI Solo course and recommend it.

If I get a buddy who doesn't stick close on a charter op. trip, it normally doesn't bother me. I stick close to the guide regardless, on guided warm water tourist dives, since the guide knows where we're going, and will make it back to the boat. If I'm with him, so will I.

Richard.

 

[spoolin01]

Of the Cali boats I dove with, none of them knew me from the man in the moon... nor did they "assess" me in any way.

I didn't mean interrogative assessment, just the possibility the crew knows something about the diver and makes a point of doing so, whether the diver is aware of that or not. I haven't done many open charters, just club-type charters where the organizer knows something of the divers' experience levels, many are repeat participants, and participation usually attracts experienced divers, or even requires such. Next time I'm on an open charter in Monterey, I'll pay attention to what the crew does with newbs.

I'm surprised to hear it's common in Cali for the crew to take no interest in divers who go solo, not from dislike of it being so (I'm highly grateful for not having DMs imposed on us), but because it's so at odds with the rest of the collective self-policing ethic in American scuba. The most casual place I've done charter boat diving yet is the lower FL Keys, and even there they required a buddy, whether cattle boat or six-pack.

 

[RJP]

I didn't mean interrogative assessment, just the possibility the crew knows something about the diver and makes a point of doing so, whether the diver is aware of that or not. I haven't done many open charters, just club-type charters where the organizer knows something of the divers' experience levels, many are repeat participants, and participation usually attracts experienced divers, or even requires such. Next time I'm on an open charter in Monterey, I'll pay attention to what the crew does with newbs.

I'm surprised to hear it's common in Cali for the crew to take no interest in divers who go solo, not from dislike of it being so (I'm highly grateful for not having DMs imposed on us), but because it's so at odds with the rest of the collective self-policing ethic in American scuba. The most casual place I've done charter boat diving yet is the lower FL Keys, and even there they required a buddy, whether cattle boat or six-pack.

My experience is that once you tell an op that you're from NJ they're usually happy to have you leave the rest of the passengers alone.

:d

 

[TMHeimer]

RJP- Are you excited about the Super Bowl being in New York?--says the native Yonkersite.

 

[Diver4comm]

Wealth of good advice here - surprised no one has mentioned your training has lacked the critical element of interacting with a buddy on a peer level. It sounds like you've been one-on-one with instructors or hanging back in a large group - neither teaches the core diving skill of situational awareness to check on, communicate & potentially help/save your buddy. Pair up or hire a DM on your vacation as your buddy - to observe your finning skills and practice dive planning, communication, alternative air sharing, etc. it'll make you a safer diver and a better buddy - as a single person, be the guy people want to be paired with. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RJP]

RJP- Are you excited about the Super Bowl being in New York?--says the native Yonkersite.

The only SuperBowl I know of this year is in New Jersey...

 

[TMHeimer]

The only SuperBowl I know of this year is in New Jersey...

Yeah, just razzing you. I do have my passport ready I case I go--assuming the GWB is open... (to enter NJ, not USA). We should get together for a shore dive--Allenhurst? I'm in Westchester every July. Sorry for the hijacking.

 

[jonnierowe]

Another Nova Scotian'er.... Cool!

Solo diving is something you have to be comfortable with. In some situations I am perfectly comfortably comfortable solo diving. If I know the area, the conditions are good, and I have all the appropriate gear I am quite confident. Put me in a place I have never gone diving at before or where I know there are strong currents, bad weather, or things that could screw up my day and no chance I am going by myself...

At the end of the day you are an adult who is making your own decisions and will ultimately be responsible for the decisions you make.