Doing it Solo - DIS?

[Timeliner]

• What a solo diver is ?

A solo diver by any other name is not a solo diver.
Solo = alone by yourself underwater.


• Skill level/training needed ?
That just depends on the person but I figured I needed more of both after I did my first solo dive. Every dive is a training dive for me. I learn something each time. Just about every solo dive I have ever done has gone pretty smooth but they always seem to make you think about things you never thought about before. Once in awhile things get a bit spooky down there in the dark and something unexpected happens
I enjoy scouting new dive spots so I do the big No No. Actually I only dive solo in places I have not been to before. That seems to just add to the fun for me. You should be prepared to adapt and change your plans quickly and often if you need to and be able to call the dive on yourself.


• Redundant gas supply, if and when ?
Extra Gas is good ! You ought to have some along with you.
Ok now here is my answer to the tricky part of that question:
You should use it if you need to and when you need to ??
Is that correct ?


• Limits to solo diving ?
I have depth limits. It does seem to depend on the conditions. 75 feet deep so far but I'll probably push that down a bit. Depth isn't always the evil that people think it is. Low visibility over hangs and trees even in shallow water can put your mind to work too. I like all 3 of those things but I do look at them different when solo.
I think folks should go where they can find a thrill yet still come back up safe.

 

[grazie42]

What is a solo dive?
Solo = Alone underwater. If that´s because you expect do die alone if YOU cant solve your problems underwater or because there are no other divers around is a moot point, IMO...

Buddy/team diving involves far more than just bein uw together, believing anything else sets you up for dissapointment and injury...

Skill level
Whatever you´re comfortable with...it´s your funeral...unless you´re suicidal I´d expect about a 100 "real" dives, good gas mngmnt and self-rescue techniques as well as being a "waterperson"...

Redundant gas?
If you know how to manage your gas and your own limitations as well as what risks you accept then use the gas the dive requires, there is no "one" correct answer...

Limits to solo-diving
As in all diving, don´t dive outside your comfortzone...but if you want to...go ahead.
The only limits are the ones you impose on yourself, isn´t that the point?!

 

[MikeFerrara]

To me it is not just the skill level and training that matters. Of great importance IMHO is whether the individual's dive experience includes the following:

A good understanding of their physiological response to nitrogen loading and degree of impairment due to narcosis

A sufficient number of emergency situations so they know whether they respond to such emergencies calmly and rationally, or have a tendency to panic.

A diver with hundreds of dives who is not familiar with the first, or experienced in the second, may not be truly ready to solo dive.

You think a diver should experiment with narcosis and find ways to get in trouble before they qualify to solo dive?

 

[MikeFerrara]

I think divers need whatever training is commensurate with the complexity of the diving they plan to do. Most of my dives are in the 90 – 130 foot range and are deco dives. I’m DSAT (PADI) Tec Deep certified and that provided a great basis for solo from both a skills and configuration perspective. I’m also SDI solo certified. I took the SDI class primarily because the local quarry requires a solo cert.

After being "tech" trained, do you think the SDI solo course was worthwhile...aside from the access yu were purchasing?

The only SDI solo instructor I know are a couple of PADI instructors who crossed over to SDI so their 5 star PADI dive shop could offer the solo course and tap into the new market.

I have technical training too...trimix, cave, the whole nine yards. I've read the SDI standards and I've seen what it takes to qualify to teach the course and who's teaching it. I wouldn't take it. It's a joke and a racket.

 

[Johnoly]

...... It's a joke and a racket.

But you get another Patch to put with the other 40 on your sleeve!!

 

[ShallowDiverDave]

After being "tech" trained, do you think the SDI solo course was worthwhile...aside from the access yu were purchasing?

The only SDI solo instructor I know are a couple of PADI instructors who crossed over to SDI so their 5 star PADI dive shop could offer the solo course and tap into the new market.

I have technical training too...trimix, cave, the whole nine yards. I've read the SDI standards and I've seen what it takes to qualify to teach the course and who's teaching it. I wouldn't take it. It's a joke and a racket.

I am currently taking the SDI Solo course. I am not seeing any of what you speak of, however, I can only speak on my instructor's behalf. He is an extremely qualified and accomplished diver. He interviews a student prior to teaching them the solo course. If he deems that the student is not "fit" for the course, he denies them. So far we have met on two occasions for discussion, and each time, I have come away with valuable information that I had not previously thought of. It has already been worth it for me, and we havent gotten to the bulk of the course or the dives yet. I guess it depends a lot on who the instructor is, and the type of person they are. I am humbled by my instructor.

Here are some of his credentials:

2800+ Dives
600+ Cave Dives
150+ Dives Deeper than 200 feet

 

[Timeliner]

fndmylove You have some good points.
So do I but my hat covers them up

#1 It does make a difference who your instructor is. 'Glad you like the guy.
#2 It is good to be humble sometimes.

That said, when you get to be just a little bit cocky good things can happen.
"Good Things... Not God Things".... Unless you die then of course he might get involved in the process. 'Better practice sucking up while you're at it too :10:

Pesonally speaking...
You have to trust yourself and yet still be able to question your own judgement.
That my friend is a tall task.

Sir Isaac Newton once said to Sir Robert Hook, "Intellegent people should never medicate themselves".
Hook was a really smart guy and yet he took all sorts of things to help with his conditions. From what I can tell Hook would have been better off, if not completely healty, if he had not taken anything at all !

Solo diving does not have to mean we ignore others in fact the reason we come to this forum is to talk with other that do it. We make dives Solo alone.

I think that what we try to do here is snap a chalk line right down the middle of common sence

So... What side are you on ?

 

[TomP]

After being "tech" trained, do you think the SDI solo course was worthwhile...aside from the access yu were purchasing?

The only SDI solo instructor I know are a couple of PADI instructors who crossed over to SDI so their 5 star PADI dive shop could offer the solo course and tap into the new market.

I have technical training too...trimix, cave, the whole nine yards. I've read the SDI standards and I've seen what it takes to qualify to teach the course and who's teaching it. I wouldn't take it. It's a joke and a racket.

The access was a major factor in the decision and I probably would not have taken the class if that wasn't an issue. Did I learn anything new? No not really but it did realize that some skills that i rarely use like blue water nav were a bit rustier than i thought. Since i mostly dive wrecks the compass hadn't left the crate in years. It was also kind of fun to have someone messing with the gear to create real situations rather than playing what if. My instructor - same guy that did the tech class - was on a rebreather and was quite adept at sneaking in and wreaking havoc my valves and creating entanglements.

 

[smokey braden]

mikeferrara,
in post #34 i noticed you were somewhat negative concerning the sdi program for solo diving.
are you sir, in a position to write a program for solo diving that would be acceptable to everyone?
if the sdi program is lacking the proper training could you fill in the gaps so a diver could receive the best possible training?
could i as student, be your pupil and learn to master the skills needed to dive solo?
regards,

 

[all4scuba05]

oooooh...This is good. Time to duck.