Recreational "Industry", Commercial "Dive Industry" - do you care to qualify that statement? Are you saying that among divers it's "taboo"? Where do you get that information from, the industry journal?
WOW!... I so very rarely get asked to be more specific and details. thanks for the opportunity to be more clear.
I was referring to the "Recreational {SCUBA} Industry" - Which I thought was consistent with OP's subject and the spirit of the Basic Diving forum.
I wouldn't presume to speak to the Commercial Dive industry - I have no experience in that area, very little knowledge of it, have not studied it or read up on.
Just to clarify all my response and references are around and about recreational diving.
My information comes from Dan Alert Magazine, dive Training magazine, Actual training, the SSI Solo Diver text book, actual experience - how many Dive operations or organized dives Public allow Solo divers, That not every recreational training agency has a Solo diver program, That they pound the buddy system into from the beginning. And personal observation.
I think maybe you might have put too much in to me saying it was Taboo. The point was that while not widely accepted the {recreational} scuba industry, it is starting to become more mainstreaming and accepting “officially”.
Is that a function of being a solo diver, or an inexperienced diver? Panic can kill a guy with or without a buddy.
Ahhhh..... not sure I understand your question and think my comments might have been taken out of context. The point was simply taking a single statistic like, there is really low failure rate of equipment in the {recreational} scuba industry, and making a case to not use the safety systems that have been developed, such as the buddy system or redundant system, is simply not enough information to make a decision when you are in a hustle environment.
Doesn't this make you a buddy diver then?
Sort of yes, but also No – It is about more detailed plans, having redundant equipment and being prepared to be a solo diver at any point during the dive. We dive in what can be zero viz at times. If we lose contact with each other we continue with the dive as planned. We usually re-connect during the dive. So it is a buddy system without the lost buddy procedure which is not the buddy system. To be clear I am not promoting that to inexperienced divers, which have not had additional training and redundant equipment.
It was actually kind of cool this weekend – on the away down there was a range were the viz went to crap. Instead of having buddy-lines or hanging on to hoses, we continued. Then the viz suddenly cleared a boom there was my team right where they were supposed to me. Two of us have computers that can be a really conservative compared to the others – it is never consistent which one of us will push the NDL. That same dive it was me. So, I ascended to another line 2/3 through the dive. Completed the Dive and met up with the guys at the safety stop. So they got to continue their dive at the deeper depth while I go to get a longer dive in at the shallower depth.
Personally, I think most recreational dive certifications are "fufu cards" - but to each his/her own. IMHO, This falls under the category of experience vs wanting to do too much too soon. Most of the stuff that people learn in these courses, you could/would pick up in due time with experience, and honestly, forums like ScubaBoard, where we can learn from other's experiences, without necessarily having to pay someone for a certification card.
As for me, while I didn't say before. I dive with a buddy or without. Generally, if I'm recreational diving, I prefer a buddy, since I already dive for work (which is more often than not - solo). Diving for pleasure is more about spending time with the buddy DIVING. However, from time to time, I will just enjoy a nice recreational dive, by myself (In Florida, in the Ocean, on familiar reefs). Depending on the circumstance, I may not take any additional "safety equipment", just a single tank with one regulator, no pony, and that's that. Let me qualify that statement with; in that situation with no additional gear, I only go as deep as I feel comfortable making an emergency ascent.
Not sure this will be worth much to you but I do not completely disagree with you. From when I first got certified to now there has been a lot taken out. Freakily I do not think there are enough dives to make completely competent divers. We all need to continue to dive and learn to gain experience.
