Have you experienced a negative reaction to your pursuit of solo diving?

[Doc Harry]

From your own personal experience, have you experienced a negative reaction when the subject of solo diving comes up?

Only here on SCUBABOARD! No where else!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I went on a charter boat out of New Jersey once in 1975 when I was 15 to dive some wrecks in 80 or 90 feet. The shop tried to set me up with a buddy, but when we returned to the shop, the guy ratted me out and said I ditched him and had dived alone. I thought it was a big joke because I always dove solo on wrecks like that from the private boat I usually went on; the dive shop thought otherwise.

A few weeks later, I tried to book another trip, but they pretty much refused because I had dove alone and had directly defied their rules. So I got my buddy to come along and promise to dive with me (he was 15 too). They reluctantly booked us a dive.

We headed out on the boat, but the shop had told the crew to keep an eye on the two renegade kids and they were obviously concerned about us. Conditions were terrible: 4 ft visibility, top to bottom and I remember having to use a light to ascend.

At the very end of the 2nd dive, I found this 50 -60 lb very old style anchor. A treasure! so I hooked it up to the open bottom lift bag that I had very little experience (and no training) with. It had no dump valve and was filled to capacity and barely moved the anchor, so I swam it up.

I ascended with it and my buddy came up alone a minute or so before me. He made it to the ladder and the deck hand crew was very concerned about where I was. I then ascended very close to the stern (maybe 40 feet) and was struggling to swim the lift bag and anchor to the back of the boat on the surface. The open bottom lift bag lost a lot of air during the short swim and I just barely made the ladder.

The bag had dumped all the air now with the waves, the thin parchute cord I used to connect the bag to the anchor was now somehow wrapped very tightly around my ankle and I was clinging to the platform/ladder screaming for my buddy to cut it off of me because it hurt so bad. He began the slow process of dumping air from the Mae West life vests we used to dive with, which had a ridiculously thin inflate/dflate hose. The deck crew member was unsure what I was yelling about and then I decided that I could not stand the pain long enough to have my buddy dump the air from his vest so I deliberately let go of the ladder for a moment in order to try to pop the string off my ankle.

I immediately disappeared. I tried to get it off for a few moments, but was rocketing downward with a 50 lb plus anchor tied to my foot and could not get any slack to pop it off (no sheeeeet?). I immediatley had tremendous pain in my ears and decided I better clear my ears, which I did twice and arrived on the bottom in probably about 8 seconds. I knew I had very little air, and didn't even want to check it.

The crew member was now very upset, watching me scream and yell to "cut it off" and then watching me drop off the ladder and disappear instantly. He asked my buddy "what is going on?"

He said " he has a big anchor tied around his foot and is gone". The guy asked how much air I had and my buddy just said "not much" and indicated he only had like 300 lbs (and he had not used his tank to fill the bag). My buddy said the guy just stood there shaking his head and looking very unhappy as he stared down into the black water and watched some bubbles coming up.

I was pretty much totally freaked out by the incredibly fast descent and the pain in my ankle and ears and I landed on the sand in near total darkness. I no longer cared at all about the anchor or the lift bag and immediately cut the line off with my knife and grabbed the piece of crap bag and headed up.

I still can't believe we did this stuff with zero redundancy.

I never had the guts to ask to book another trip from that shop again.

 

[Dsix36]

The only thing that has ever been said to me about solo diving was this:

"Be Careful"

There has never been any negative responses from others. Not that I would give a ****** anyway!

 

[shoredivr]

-having a long hose primary + bungeed backup (my rescue instructor - he said he thought it an "inappropriate" setup that made ditching gear during a rescue difficult)

Having just completed a rescue course in a long hose and bungied backup, I can tell your rescue instructor it is no big deal at all.

 

[DaleC]

Well you already know my experiences DaleC from the other thread but I'll post in more detail here.

I have not had any negative comments about solo diving. On many dives I see people diving by themselves, particularly photographers. Most people I know say they solo dive occassionally and this includes people from various cultural backgrounds, not just Australians. I do not know any Northern American people locally though, perhaps it is more taboo there?

I know two people who will not solo dive and their main reasons are that they are not comfortable with it. I think this is a valid reason - some people are just not cut out to dive by themselves. I have had one argument with a buddy about solo diving, it is a long story but it involved him being left on the surface whilst two of us solo dived (was a zero viz dive to recover something). He felt responsible for us if something happened and we didn't surface. I think that is silly but I respect that he felt responsible for us and I did not want to put that on him. He is not against solo diving in concept.

The charters locally do not allow solo diving because of insurance reasons. If you get to know them they have a "don't ask, don't tell" kind of policy with solo diving. There are other things that are required by insurance that have a similar kind of policy such as when drift diving it has to be on a line and that everyone must carry a computer and a snorkel. I do not think insurance bans result from "taboos" though as drift diving off a line or diving without a dive computer or snorkel are hardly taboo (though people do debate them constantly on forums, but people argue about a lot of things in diving, solo diving is just another), and I put solo diving in the same category.

I mean, there is a Solo specialty. It can't be that taboo And even if it was, I really do not care what others think of my diving, other than the people I am diving with as if I buddy diving, I take watching out for my buddy seriously. DaleC, I hope this does not come out too harshly but you seem to have an obsession with the idea of solo diving being taboo - it strikes me as odd as you seem to value having an independent attitude but then you seem to care a lot about what people think of solo diving. Why would you care if people at your LDS or club complain about your solo diving? The two do not add up. Perhaps you can explain it further for me

Sas, the bigger question is why do you care so much about what I think?

I personally do not think solo diving is taboo. I discuss it often (privately). However, I have experienced it as a taboo subject in (public) discussions. My definition of taboo btw is "something that some/many people do but cannot discuss openly". The only way it "bothers" me is that I feel it is an aspect of my diving that I cannot share openly (publicly). That is my experience. I suppose, if one has a social diving group that solo dives and discusses it openly that one may not perceive things the same way.

But... You disagreed with me on a point and piqued my curiosity. I created a thread in a more appropriate forum to gauge others experience. So far the count seems to support your stance so let's just see how it all plays out. I for one am curious to see if there is a greater regional determinate to all this and I don't hold so fast to my opinions that I am not willing to change them if they turn out to be less than accurate.

That's all, I don't want to hijack my own thread.

 

[Nemrod]

Solo is taboo in most circles. I don't advertise that I dive solo, but I don't hide it either. From time to time, people will tell me I shouldn't be solo diving. I listen politely and continue diving solo. In most cases, those folks are people who really have no idea what the risks of diving solo might be and I'm not concerned about their comments at all. Once, I was diving with a group of friends who were all buddied up. No one ask me to join their team and I thought I'd enjoy a little quiet time exploring the wreck alone, so I didn't ask to tag along with any of the groups. Everyone was happy until toward the end of the dive, some of them saw me coming out of the wreck. On shore, most of them acted like I'd betrayed them personally. They felt like I should be sticking with a buddy. I felt like it was none of their business. For the rest of the trip, they made a point to ask me to be a part of one buddy team or another, except when I was diving and no one else was around. I only got in 5Ž½ solo dives on that trip after they got bent out of shape.

On occasion I have told people to mind their own business, if need be aggravating them to the point they wanted me to drown, in which case I was able to solo dive as much as I wanted. N

 

[Walter]

Yeah, but they really are good friends.

 

[Sas]

Sas, the bigger question is why do you care so much about what I think?

I don't. But I do like to debate topics with people when I disagree with them It's nothing personal with you, just my personality.

I still don't get why you would keep it quiet in public. Who cares what others think?

Having just completed a rescue course in a long hose and bungied backup, I can tell your rescue instructor it is no big deal at all.

Yes I agree!

 

[DaleC]

I still don't get why you would keep it quiet in public. Who cares what others think?

I think the difference is that you seem to be in a diving culture where soloing is acceptable (I am honestly surprised by this and some other reactions here as it isn't what I experience IRL). To be open in such surroundings doesn't cost too much I suppose (not meant as a negative comment) but to be open in more hostile surroundings means one becomes the banner bearer for the cause (so to speak) and draws all the heat that goes along with it. I don't know, at this point, if that is the role I want to play. I am more of a doer than a spokesman.

In my case, whenever the subject comes up I must endure endless (and I do mean endless) comments ranging from concerns for my safety, questions about my judgement, do I know the dangers, what if something goes wrong, blah blah blah. It is very rare indeed that someone publicly reacts positively to the subject. In private however I have often had good discussions. Mostly I nod politely and reassure folks that I am not stupid, suicidal, dangerous etc... but it gets a bit tiring to have to constantly justify my behavior and there are many times when I would rather just say F-ck off.
I don't know how I come across on the board, but IRL I try to be a pleasant sort of chap so I refrain. I also don't like to argue for arguement sake as I find it kind of pointless. My feeling of accomplishment comes from what I do and not from bending others to my viewpoint. If the discussion won't help me attain my goal I quickly tire of it. In this regard I know I won't change their minds so my choices become:

Put up with the mind numbing comments
Tell many otherwise good people to f-ck off
keep it to myself

I have an LDS (and club) that I like to frequent and enjoy the staff and conversations there (in most regards) but if I were completely up front about the fact that I intentionally and frequently solo I am pretty sure the owner would refuse to fill my tanks. I am also sure I would garner the reputation as an unsafe diver and potential buddies would be quitely warned to steer clear. I could talk about soloing true but I know I would have to be prepared to burn that bridge when I do so. Some might say switch LDS's but I actually like it there and I'm pretty sure I would run into the same problem elsewhere.

I think it is wonderful that you have the cultural acceptance that you do as it is probably very fertile soil to grow and develop in as a solo diver. In my part of the world it is not so. Being a solo diver is, quite literally, a solitary pursuit. For sanities sake "Don't ask - don't tell" is the prevailing SOP.

So... I suppose it would be more accurate for me to say that it is my personal experience that solo diving is a taboo subject but that I recognise that it may not be so elsewhere in the world. Point taken in that regard. However, if you want me to validate your reality quid pro quo would suggest that you should also validate mine.

 

[Tigerman]

Only here on SCUBABOARD! No where else!

Same here.
Ive had a few "I wouldnt do that" and "I dont think thats safe" but nothing I would consider "negative" as such. If people want to tell me why I shouldnt dive solo theire welcome to and if theid like to hear my reasons why I chose to do it, Ill be fine discussing it with them. I dont keep my solo diving "secret" to anyone, but I dont advertise it either.