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

[Steve Stokes]

Yep, It is Tabu with NAUI and PADI. Probably lawyer , and insurance driven. Many of the instructors say they have done it, but officially say don"t do it. Frankly, I think SOLO diving is safer than diving with someone you haven't spent a lot of time with ...training. I have been around a lot of divers I would not buddy with...if you know what I mean..
Steve

 

[bletso]

It really has never been a big issue. I never broadcast it, I just do it. Besides, when you get to be my age, people just don't mess with you as much.

I do have a friend who was basically run out of a quarry in Illinois, but he had to try to make an issue of it and the system just wouldn't bend.


Dale

 

[blue steal]

I never broadcast it, I just do it. Besides, when you get to be my age, people just don't mess with you as much.

I just got tired of explaining to everyone why I solo.

 

[SCUBA482]

New to the sport in a sense and some good posts here...I'd say I'm inclined to go SOLO for several reasons, but don't mind a good buddy too....I can tell that most other divers I have spoken with may SOLO themselves and don't admit it or at least are quiet about it. For me, it's about schedules and just a preference to go despite somebody else not being able to

 

[Texas Torpedo]

I've only had one comment directed at me thus far, but I found it fairly comical.. Of course, there have been plenty of evil eyes (especially if there is OW diver training taking place in the area - I'm sure I am the bad diver example) but few have voiced what they were thinking directly to me.

I was solo diving at a local quarry that I have been countless times before and was first certified. It's not far from me nor is it deep (20-28 feet) so I go there to practice skills or to try out new gear. I'm happy to have a friend / buddy but I don't hesitate to go solo if nobody is available, or if I want to focus on something or just fly by myself.

A couple visits back I met a man and his wife who were one dive area over and we started talking during a surface interval. I ended up walking over to their tables and we had some good, interesting convo. While I was there, the topic of me diving alone never came up.

When we all decided it was time to blow bubbles again I walked back to my table to gear up as they started doing the same. When I was prep'ing my gear the husband blurted over a comment: "By the way.. Where is your dive buddy?" We had been laughing earlier; however, he sounded quite serious - like it had been bothering him. In response I simply picked up my pony bottle with regs and showed it to him. I then attached it to my primary tank.. Since he was still watching, I then pulled out my backup mask and asked him if he had one with a smile. He then pointed to his wife who had just started coughing uncontrollably after pulling long and hard on her cigarette while fighting to get into her bcd. Of course, this was the same cigarette she had lit off the previous cigerete, and preceded by another one.

When he had originally asked me "Where is your dive buddy", I had really wanted to respond: "Where is yours!??", but why be mean or nasty. It wasn't that really that she chain smoked, but he had been struggling to help her much of the time I had watched them earlier..

To each their own.. I appreciate and enjoy good dive buddies.. I've had a number of them..
But, definitely in this case, I had the better "buddy"..

 

[AfterDark]

When a diver dives solo the diver has the most reliable, trustworthy buddy one can have. One that has your own safety as the most important interest. How can anyone find a negative in that? Besides who gives a darn what others think?

 

[drbill]

It is often non-divers who say "Is that safe?" when they see me submerge on my own. Most divers I encounter know I have solo dived since 1961. My personal statistics indicate I'm 20 times more likely to have an incident while buddy diving... with the buddy (always a pickup buddy rather than my regulars).

I don't suggest to others that they try solo diving... it's not my call. I don't know their diving skills or response to emergencies (unless I've dived with them for a while, and those tend to be solo divers as well).

 

[akscubaduck1]

A few years ago I had a instructor while he was teaching proceed to tell me how wrong I was to be solo diving. How I was a bad example to everyone on the dive site.
And with a few choice words how I shouldn't be diving at all.
I just clipped on my AL 63 waved at him and the 6 or 7 students
and went on my way. Upon surfacing he again stated in front of his students how solo diving was dangerous, against standards and he should he should report me to PADI. LOL
My reply was to tell him, (and his students) that yes you should never solo dive unless properly trained, with the right equipment. My buddy was all was by my side ready to assist.
Now when I dive with a buddy I know very little about I almost want a resume. Experience, cert level, last time they were diving etc etc.........
No wonder I solo a lot, some are put off by that. Works for me!

Currently I have one instructor that I can't work with, He doesn't think solo diving is safe.
I ended up taking my divemaster class from someone else.

 

[Ana]

A couple of months ago I was getting my gear ready for the following morning dive. A friend of my son showed up and saw me, she knew my husband wasn't around for the weekend and asked who would be my buddy. I figured she was concerned because my son and her had plans so I told her not to worry I'm going by myself.
The reaction was hilarious, she almost scream at me: "You are not allow to do that"
Since I was a midget, I don't take well to that particular statement so I asked her: "who's going to stop me"
After a couple of "but ... but..." the conversation ended.
My son told me later he had to assure her that everything was going to be ok, and they didn't have to cancel their plans.

Some people just hear that diving is done with buddies and don't think anymore beyond that, especially if they are not divers themselves.

 

[Stoo]

And I've missed you twisted *******!

I was at a little dive lodge in Lake Ontario a few weeks ago with my Missus (warm water diver/boat tender) and our girlfriend (once a year diver, but quite competent).

On Friday evening, I completed a nice little solo dusk dive to 170 while the girls circled around up top in my boat. (The lodge operators asked that we not anchor so there was no risk of damaging this pristine wreck, so we located it on sonar, then tossed a shot line out...)

On Saturday evening, we shared a few wobbly-pops with members of a dive club that had come down from Toronto, and at one point during the evening, someone came up and started a conversation by saying something like: "So, you're that guy that solo dives all over the place..." (I have a distinctive boat...) It was more of an accusation than a question. He was one of the clubs Instructors, and then proceeded to lecture me on how irresponsible I was, how I set a bad example etc., etc. He pointed out his extensive diving background... diving 5 years, 3 years as a PADI Instuctor, more than 150 dives... (!!!)

I have learned over the years that there is little point in trying to win a debate with a narrow-minded type, so my only response was something like, "Ya, I guess that's me..." Our g/f on the other hand (who I taught how to dive about 20 years ago) just ripped into this guy for his "judgmental" position.... I just sat back and listened to her be my advocate, citing my 1000's of dives, tons of redundant equipment bla, bla, bla. She was joined by my wife, who reluctantly allows me to dive alone. I must confess, that listening to them, I sounded like a solo-diving God!

Well within a few minutes, most of the club was listening in and I suspect that she converted a few of them , or at least opened their minds just a little...

I have always preferred to let my resume speak for itself.

Having said all of this, perhaps the strongest negative reaction I have ever experienced, was right here on Scuba Board... Check this out... It gets interesting on the 14th post.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/co...s-analyzers/146670-dive-rite-duo-failure.html