Going solo

[wildcat]

I have been a rescue diver for about 17 years now, 90% of my dives are solo so I havent been logging them...didnt see any point in it. In order to take a solo course you must have 100 logged dives, dont have that many logged. Do I start filling out my log book and take an educated guess on how many dives I have? Not too sure on what to do, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[RonFrank]

I doubt any instructor is going to turn down students in this economy.

You need to talk to the instructor of the class you are planning on doing as their opinion is the only one that matters.

 

[FishDiver]

I have been a rescue diver for about 17 years now, 90% of my dives are solo so I havent been logging them...didnt see any point in it. In order to take a solo course you must have 100 logged dives, dont have that many logged. Do I start filling out my log book and take an educated guess on how many dives I have? Not too sure on what to do, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Why do you want the solo cert after so many solo dives? FWIW, I log my solo dives the same way I log any dive. I just enter "solo" in the buddy section.

I agree that for the purpose of the class pre qualifications a quick chat with the instructor will solve any paperwork problems.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I doubt any instructor is going to turn down students in this economy.

Wow! What a broad assumption! Not all of us teach full time. And even if I did, I still have my own standards. I have turned people away for an improper attitude and always will.


To answer the OP, how many dives do you average each month? When it comes to the solo/self-sufficient course I teach, I'm more concerned with the frequency of dives than the number of total dives.

 

[carrielsal]

Do you use a dive computer? If so, at least you would have the time and dates if not the location.

Carrie

 

[dkktsunami]

I have been a rescue diver for about 17 years now, 90% of my dives are solo so I havent been logging them...didnt see any point in it. In order to take a solo course you must have 100 logged dives, dont have that many logged. Do I start filling out my log book and take an educated guess on how many dives I have? Not too sure on what to do, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Talk with the instructor - he/she will likely be more interested in what you know and your attitude and philosophy than what is written in a log book.

 

[Codiak]

Talk with the instructor - he/she will likely be more interested in what you know and your attitude and philosophy than what is written in a log book.

If you don't have the 100 dives, it's likely the instructor will spot that on one of the certification dives anyway and if in doubt will deal with it accordingly.

100 dives isn't some magic number for anyone... it simply suggests someone migh be ready.

I started the bookwork for SDI solo diver at 50 dives, did the checkout dives after 200... and yes I solo'd before I got the C-Card. Only advantage the C-Card itself provided was a couple dive operations do in fact accept them.

 

[RYCO]

those that solo dive before getting the cert..... how many dives did you do with a buddy before you took the plunge solo? my goal is to solo but i dont want to push it. i know the standard answer is dont go with out the training... but some of you did. so i thought i ask. i know i shouldnt till im comfortable but im curious how many you did before you were comfortable.... thanks

 

[DCBC]

those that solo dive before getting the cert..... how many dives did you do with a buddy before you took the plunge solo? my goal is to solo but i dont want to push it. i know the standard answer is dont go with out the training... but some of you did. so i thought i ask. i know i shouldnt till im comfortable but im curious how many you did before you were comfortable.... thanks

I had about 100 dives before I made my first solo dive. As this was as a commercial diver, although I was solo, I wasn't isolated. I had the benefits of communication, an umbilical, a tender and a standby diver at the surface. Solo with support I guess.

I started doing open circuit solo dives after my first 200' dive on air. There were 5 of us on the dive; two of which ran out of air (PADI Instructors) and totally narced. After this experience, I tried to do most of my deeper dives on air, without another diver being close to me. I was more comfortable knowing that I didn't have anyone around me that required saving.

The buddy concept is still something that I strongly support. Deep air is the exception. Although I still dive alone with back-up. There's something reassuring about hearing another person's voice, when you're saturated at 1000' and surrounded by blackness and high current.

 

[WD8CDH]

I think a lot of us are in the same shoes. Most of the solo divers that I have met are far more interested in safety than recording the dive.