You can sling on any BCD. Easiest for BPW’s but any BCD with a shoulder and hip d-ring will do. Heck, when I first started I was diving a lightweight travel BCD with no hip rings but it did have a loop. So I used a quick link and clipped to that.
How Did You Go Solo?
- Thread starter DBPacific
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
You can sling on any BCD. Easiest for BPW’s but any BCD with a shoulder and hip d-ring will do. Heck, when I first started I was diving a lightweight travel BCD with no hip rings but it did have a loop. So I used a quick link and clipped to that.
caruso
Banned
In the early 2000s, I was looking for reasons to get away from my now exwife so I started diving more and most of those trips were to Southeast Florida. I realized I didn't like diving with instabuddys and most Florida Keys Ops required a solo card plus it seemed like a good idea to take the course anyway.
On a subsequent trip I did the solo certification with instructor Troy from Wet Pleasures dive Op in Lantana. The course was rather brief and I recall it being not much more than being wrapped up in line that I had to disentangle myself from, I was observed shooting a bag from depth, and some discussion about the techniques and gear needed for solo diving.
Unless I'm diving with my girlfriend or my siblings I much prefer to dive alone, in fact given the choice I'd dive alone pretty much every time because it's a totally different dive when you don't have to be looking for a buddy every minute or so- you can do your own thing, focus on what you like to do best, in my case looking for good video to shoot that ends up in a photoframe on my desk at work.
On a subsequent trip I did the solo certification with instructor Troy from Wet Pleasures dive Op in Lantana. The course was rather brief and I recall it being not much more than being wrapped up in line that I had to disentangle myself from, I was observed shooting a bag from depth, and some discussion about the techniques and gear needed for solo diving.
Unless I'm diving with my girlfriend or my siblings I much prefer to dive alone, in fact given the choice I'd dive alone pretty much every time because it's a totally different dive when you don't have to be looking for a buddy every minute or so- you can do your own thing, focus on what you like to do best, in my case looking for good video to shoot that ends up in a photoframe on my desk at work.
AfterDark
Contributor
You can also back mount a pony. Both have upsides and downsides. Solo diving reduces some of the downside of BM. Biggest issue to me is not being able to reach the valve so the pony needs to be on for anyone that can't reach it. Slinging a pony I find gets in my way, even to put my fins on. During the dive it's bouncing off rocks. When diving in 3-4' vis you need to be close to the bottom. A lot of it is how you dive and where.
linc213
Registered
@DBPacific welcome to Maine and I hope you are finding it a great place. I know a couple of graduates of the U Maine Scientific Diver Program, and from what I have seen, Chris turns out some very skilled divers, any training or skills questions, I would not hesitate to ask him.
Like many here, I started to solo dive when there weren’t any buddies available.
Like many here, I started to solo dive when there weren’t any buddies available.
OP
DBPacific
Contributor
OP
DBPacific
Contributor
Ah, just my luck. The SDI course requires I be a year older than I am with 20 more dives. Rats
- Messages
- 20,717
- Reaction score
- 20,302
- Location
- Philadelphia and Boynton Beach
- # of dives
- 1000 - 2499
You'll be 21, with 100 dives before you know it. Best of luck in your career
But nothing is stopping you from developing the skills and mindset now. Or acquiring a pony. Diving solo does not always mean you are diving alone but that you are indeed self reliant.
My first wife and I were certified together. The buddy team concept was drilled deep into our heads. After a few hundred dives together, we were at Catalina Island in the underwater park. We were on our way to the exit point (there were no stairs back then) when I stopped to look at something. I looked around and couldn't find my wife, so I surfaced and looked for bubbles. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Fearing the worst, I kicked for the rocks, thinking I would have to ask other divers to help locate her body. When I climbed up the breakwall I saw my wife with getting out of her gear. I was relieved and furious at the same time. She told me I was experienced enough to exit on my own.
I hadn't really thought about it, but she was right. Soon after that, I began diving on my own about half the time. I found it to be much more relaxing, not having to worry about where my buddy was. At over 2400 dives, maybe half of them solo I enjoy diving even more than when I was a new diver.
Fearing the worst, I kicked for the rocks, thinking I would have to ask other divers to help locate her body. When I climbed up the breakwall I saw my wife with getting out of her gear. I was relieved and furious at the same time. She told me I was experienced enough to exit on my own.
I hadn't really thought about it, but she was right. Soon after that, I began diving on my own about half the time. I found it to be much more relaxing, not having to worry about where my buddy was. At over 2400 dives, maybe half of them solo I enjoy diving even more than when I was a new diver.
OP
DBPacific
Contributor
Very true and I have no intention of waiting for the course to try things out. The 'rats' part was I've been benched from the remainder of my work dives because of a rib injury, so by the time I heal this job will be over and I'll be back in the teethpulling process of waiting on buddies so I can dive through the sites and operators near me.
Similar threads
