I started solo diving after about 120 dives or so. Made a lot more sense. Never looked back. Still dive with others some dives but much prefer to be in the ocean on my own.
How many dives did you have?
- Thread starter jvevea
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Skeeter1097
Guest
about 30 in the enter coastal under the bridge. I think about 50 or 60 in the OW.
TimK
Contributor
Dive 14 was an unintentional solo dive while scalloping in the Piscataqua River between NH and Maine. Everbody got "dispersed" and I basically figured that I paid my money for the boat charter, I wasn't going to quit because nobody was around. I did put a good distance between myself and anything that even remotely looked like I could get entangled with. Depth was no deeper than 50 feet. Dive number 15 was the same except this time I knew everyone would "get dispersed" (same scallop dive, tank #2). I also played the thirds rule and headed topside at 1000 psi. The last dive I did this past Saturday would count as a half solo dive since for about half the dive the three amigos were seperated due to visibility to the extent that no help would be forthcoming if you weren't right next to each other. We spent most of the dive practicing missing buddy routines and trying to find each other. Depth no more than 40feet and we quit after 35 minutes of fun. Even though I don't have a lot of dives, I do have experience as a pilot, a parachutist (both military and civilian) and 6 years (out of 22 years in the military) in the US Army Special Forces. One of my favorite quotes from a jumpmaster giving a pre-jump briefing was "and if you have a malfunction with your main parachute, you will have the rest of your life to correctly deploy your reserve parachute". While I don't plan to immediately set out to go diving by myself anytime soon (although the temptation is truly there) I recognize that I need a bit more experience and equipment. But I also have confidence in my abilities and calmness under pressure so that once I do decide to solo, it'll be the right decision for me at the right time. By the way, the scallops were delicious 
Dark Wolf
Contributor
Aside from training, all of my dives have been solo. I work a swing shift, and live in an area where there are not a lot of divers.
My choice was not entirely out of necessity, I enjoy being alone. Seemed like an obvious choice. Of course, there was a lot of study and preparation to begin this way.
Dark Wolf
My choice was not entirely out of necessity, I enjoy being alone. Seemed like an obvious choice. Of course, there was a lot of study and preparation to begin this way.
Dark Wolf
around 50 when I did my first solo dive, but it was a quick recovery. I had around 200 when I started solo diving for fun, and I always dive double 80's for solo with an isolation manifold.
It was some time ago,,, but maybe 15 dips before my first solo in a local pond I had dove before.
OP
As the title says, I never imagined that my simple question would start the longest thread in this forum. Since my original post, I've soloed off a commercial dive boat a couple of times, simply because my buddy was cold after the first dive. I've found the experience to be extremely different from buddy diving. Not having to worry about where your buddy is or how he/she is doing allows one to take a very different attitude toward the dive. It's peaceful, and I like it. Accordingly, I've acquired an aluminum 30 and an extra reg, and I think I'll be doing a lot more solo diving in the future.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, and for all the helpful advice.
-JLV
Thanks for sharing your experiences, and for all the helpful advice.
-JLV
Timeliner
Contributor
jvevea
Silly questions are easy to answer but no fun :mooner:
Difficult questions require difficult answers and are no fun :shakehead
People understand and love simple questions
Silly questions are easy to answer but no fun :mooner:
Difficult questions require difficult answers and are no fun :shakehead
People understand and love simple questions
My first solo was just a few months ago, around dive #35. Kind of "semi-solo" on drift dives off Jupiter FL, where I enter without a buddy but with the general group including the flag-bearing divemaster (who knows my general plan).
I dive Jupiter a lot, and the dive op knows me, so we all know what to expect. I get busy photographing interesting things on the reef while the rest of the group continues on. I'm basically solo, but I know there's a flag nearby and a boat waiting to pick me up when I surface, and that we're all basically drifting in the same current. Of course I have my own SMB.
Now I'm taking it more seriously, experimenting with where to carry a pony rig, etc., because I know even if I start a dive with buddies all around me, I'm not likely to end the dive that way.
>*< Fritz
I dive Jupiter a lot, and the dive op knows me, so we all know what to expect. I get busy photographing interesting things on the reef while the rest of the group continues on. I'm basically solo, but I know there's a flag nearby and a boat waiting to pick me up when I surface, and that we're all basically drifting in the same current. Of course I have my own SMB.
Now I'm taking it more seriously, experimenting with where to carry a pony rig, etc., because I know even if I start a dive with buddies all around me, I'm not likely to end the dive that way.
>*< Fritz
Scubadoo72
Contributor
Dives 6-9 after cert. were solo for me...intentionally. I dove doubles on my first OW dive, and changed them to independent doubles on my third (and all following) dive..the rest of my gear followed suit quickly.
I was plenty comfortable with my initial solo dives, even though it was a new area (fresh water lake). Vis was great, water was comfortable (31-38degrees..lol), potential for entanglement was very minimal (which makes my stomach knot thinking about..lol..but have dealt with now). I felt very at ease, practiced (and still do) switching regs, buoyancy, different kicks..etc..As well, it is an amazing feeling of being alone in a brand new world. I do stay in the NDL, but sometimes drop down to the 70' mark or so for a few minutes....depending where I am..
Some of the places I have solo'd now, I can probably say that no other human has been to, or seen ever...pretty neat experience! I love my freshwater solos.
I have yet to solo in the ocean as I have a great group of buddies when I go there...in time though, I am sure I will.
I was plenty comfortable with my initial solo dives, even though it was a new area (fresh water lake). Vis was great, water was comfortable (31-38degrees..lol), potential for entanglement was very minimal (which makes my stomach knot thinking about..lol..but have dealt with now). I felt very at ease, practiced (and still do) switching regs, buoyancy, different kicks..etc..As well, it is an amazing feeling of being alone in a brand new world. I do stay in the NDL, but sometimes drop down to the 70' mark or so for a few minutes....depending where I am..
Some of the places I have solo'd now, I can probably say that no other human has been to, or seen ever...pretty neat experience! I love my freshwater solos.
I have yet to solo in the ocean as I have a great group of buddies when I go there...in time though, I am sure I will.
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