Diving without a buddy?

[String]

I love solo diving but be aware that if you do it its against the recommendations of most major training agencies. Its also stupid to do at all if you dont have the right equipment and skills (ie redundant gas sources and so on). On your own underwater is definitely the wrong place to practice and refine any of the basic skills.

 

[msg]

I would just echo what the others have said. Having someone there in case of an emergency is priceless. Sure being by yourself will allow you the opportunity to work on those things that you feel will bore others, but a good dive partner won't be bored. By helping you gain confidence, then you both could enjoy other dives. Diving by can be fun, properly trained, but I still prefer to have a buddy in the water, just in case.

 

[teddyg04]

Ligersandtions hit the nail on the head. Go through SB or a local dive club, and ask experienced divers if any of them would be willing to go out with you so you can work on skills. I'll bet you'll find plenty of takers where you are (ENVY), and will probably make some new dive buddies. Ask for honest appraisal of your skills, and for suggestions to improve, and soon you'll have the confidence to just look for a dive buddy.

 

[rstofer]

I posted this with the solo diving poll as well. It is from the Aug 5 edition of the Sacramento Bee. Perhaps it will help folks decide:

LAKE SHASTA, Calif. -- A 20-year-old San Francisco Bay Area man has died while scuba diving in Lake Shasta.

Shasta County authorities say a dive team recovered the body of Jeremiah Murray of Dublin around 8:20 p.m. Tuesday.

Sheriff's Sgt. Mark Jenkins says deputies began a search around noon for Jenkins after friends on a nearby houseboat reported he had failed to return to the surface. Murray was diving alone in the lake.

Murray was part of a church group visiting Lake Shasta from Dublin, a community east of San Francisco.

Richard

 

[I Dive]

Although I was trained to always dive with a buddy, I was wondering if it was a horrible idea to dive without a buddy, just for some local 30' max spring dives.

I want to work on my diving skills in some locations that I feel most experienced divers would be bored with. I just want to collect a lot of confidence before doing any "serious" dives.

How many of you dive without a buddy?

I've seen this question often and I think I have a pretty simple answer. If you have to ask, you should not be diving solo. If you don't have to ask, there is still a good chance you should not dive solo, althought it is not a guarantee...

 

[Trace Malinowski]

On my last dive, I dove with a buddy and it just felt like we were two jackasses in the water. Neither one of us had dove the site before. Neither one of us had a dive watch to mark and monitor our time.

It just didn't feel right.

If your goal is to get in the water and improve your diving abilities, the above situation is the first thing that you should fix. In fact, no matter how much time you put into developing your own personal skills, at your level of diving, your ability to be part of a team will suffer.

I don't think many instructors reinforce that open water certification is really a license to go learn and part of the learning process should be learning the art of buddy diving. Solo diving is easy - it is just controversial. Buddy diving is hard and is the true litmus test of a diver. The first thing you should find is a good buddy, a diver who is more experienced and willing to take you under his or her wing. Finding such a buddy is easy in the entry level technical diving community because many new technical divers are experienced recreational divers who are ready to go to the next level. Because the foundation of technical diving is exacting standards of trim, buoyancy and propulsion many of these divers are happy to hang out in shallow water and practice their art while you begin to enjoy the sport. You both can give one another feedback and learn a lot. Such a buddy can also recommend other buddies to you that they've met who they believe would be good teammates for you. Because they've been introduced to a more serious side of the sport and have some training to recognize the qualities of a good buddy, they'll be able to match you with divers who may fit your personality and interests. They've been around longer and can introduce you to new experiences and new friends. You can find such buddies in these forums or by asking at local dive centers. Those who are just on the path to technical diving are usually very enthusiastic about sharing what they've learned and mentoring new divers.

If you venture into the water alone at this point, you're really cheating yourself. In the above situation, you already failed dive planning, the equipment check, an attitude toward safety and the intelligence to call the dive when you knew things weren't as right as they should be.

There are 2 rules you should follow at this stage of the game:
1) Plan your dive and dive your plan. (This includes doing all safety and equipment checks.)
2) Anyone can call (thumb/end) a dive at any time for any reason.

I've called dives on the tailgate of my truck or just as we got in the water after painstakingly gearing up. Not always the popular thing to do, but always respected in the right company. If they don't respect you for it, then find those who will.