First solo dives!

[Ghetto Diver]

@Marie13
So, what happened before there was a cert level available for solo?
Divers be diving solo anyway...against what they were taught. Ymmv, but I was taught that in '82. Dive 1 post training was solo for me, much like the OP's scenario, but colder and pea-soupy.
Not saying not to seek training, but am saying it takes a certain self discipline and character to do it on your own successfully.
Agree with moving the topic to solo subforum.

 

[uncfnp]

1) Is solo diving, with or without training, a greater risk than correctly done buddy diving?

2) Is solo diving without a solid diving foundation a greater risk than solo with experience?

3) Is solo diving without redundancy a greater risk than diving with redundancy?

A yes to any one increase your risk diving. More then one obviously elevates it further.


Its all a question of risk tolerence. Recreational diving is very safe. The odds of a life threating event are low. It is for each diver to decide their risk. The kicker is having enough knowledge, skills and experience to understand the risk.

 

[Solotor]

going solo is no excuse for disregarding accepted security practice.

 

[CT-Rich]

I think it might be a bit early for solo diving. In 26fsw, the reserve air is at the surface. Too many thing that a new diver doesn't think of with only twenty something dives, especially in blue water. You probably have no experience with a sudden loss of visibility or rip currents, navigation skills etc.

 

[Marie13]

It doesn’t matter however many of you started diving solo early in your diving career. We don’t need to encourage the practice. People are going to do what they want. However, do you want to be the one to cheer newbies on to solo diving, and later hear about an accident?

 

[johndiver999]

Solo diving in the ocean with currents and waves and nobody specifically looking out for you is not safe ,but I ride a bicycle on a street that has cars on it!

Safe is a relative term not an absolute.

Wearing a pony bottle in 25 feet seems unnecessary- unless you want to practice with it. Dropping a mask is a newby mistake and might be viewed as a sign that the diving protocols are still not well established.

 

[Bob DBF]

So there are reservations about discussing solo in "New Divers and Those Considering Diving"?

I have mine, basicly it is that encouraging and discussing solo techniques should be kept in the solo forum rather than letting any new diver, not already involved in solo, believe that this is just another benign specialty like fish identification.

However, if the mods believe this is a proper forum to encourage solo diving by not moving the post, I can change the amount of restraint I use on this topic in other forums.


Bob

 

[Scuba-74]

Question to those who advocate for taking a formal solo training:

I don't quite get what a formal solo training can teach that experience and advanced (or even open water?) class can't? Equipment failures are bad. Running out of air is bad. Don't we all know that? If something goes wrong we must address/replace that underwater - put a different 2nd stage in your mouth, replace/clear mask, etc. - didn't we practice that in the OWD class? When you dive solo, you have to be able to address those situations with resources that you yourself carry (including a pony) - isn't that obvious? If you are diving without some of those things (a pony, a spare mask, etc., etc.) you are taking a calculated risk, which is quite comparable to the risk of diving with a stranger for a "buddy".

What am I missing? Why would I invest time and money in more books and class time rather than go to a local pool and practice with my gear?

[PS. I'm sure these half-rhetorical questions have been asked countless times before, but same is true for many arguments made in this thread against "untrained" divers diving solo ]

 

[Diver0001]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

moved to the solo forum

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[oldschoolto]

MOST PEOPLE should not solo dive.. You are giving up any chance to have someone save you.. You need to have ice water nerves and total trust in yourself and gear... If you can't except these facts..

DON'T DIVE SOLO....

Jim..