How many of you think solo is OK to do and why?

[rivers]

Here's the thing, there isn't anything, except for a charter's own rules, stopping someone from diving solo on any given dive. I don't know how things work in the states, because i've never been diving there. But, in the UK (at least with the charters/shuttles I have used), as long as you have some sort of redundant gas source (twinset or pony), it doesn't matter if you have a buddy. In the early days of the sea diving season last year, my buddy had a catastrophic drysuit failure and called the dive at about 4m on the shot. When I got back on the boat after my mate, the skipper asked why I didn't continue the dive as I had my twinset. Truth is, if conditions on the site had been better, I would have done. It was a site I know well (normally dive it a few times a year off of the same boat), shallow (13-15m depending on tide), and a generally easy dive. But, it was pitch black at 4m and vis was pants, so decided to board the boat with my mate.
The thing is, if you have to ask if it's okay to dive solo, it's not something you're ready for.

 

[Akimbo]

… But, it was pitch black at 4m and vis was pants...

Google translation was no help at all. Care to explain that for a yank? I got the bad visibility and 4 Meters part.

 

[tbone1004]

coming in way too late to this to read the whole thread line, but here's my take.

I have been cursed, any time I am in the water with divers that are less skilled than I am, I revert to teaching/babysitter mode. This makes it all but impossible to enjoy the dive because my brain reverts to making sure no one else eats it. We teach divers how to be fully independent from open water, and if you feel that you have been able to cross off enough of the things that can go wrong from your list, then by all means, go solo dive. Make sure someone knows where you are, when ish you're supposed to be out, super easy with texting these days, and make your dive. The VAST majority of divers can barely buddy dive heaven forbid safely solo dive, read >99.999% of certified divers, no that is not an exaggerated figure, I truly believe less than 1 in 100,000 divers should solo dive *PADI issued almost 1million certs last year, with represents about half of the market share, it's total certifications given, but with over 23m certs issued total, it's a terrifying number*, but the point is if you are able to check all of the boxes then I have no issue with it from shallow reef dives to technical cave dives. Many times solo diving causes the diver to be less complacent than they normally would be, and you also tend to enjoy it more. My personal preference is same ocean diving with equivalent buddies, I have a select few that I love to dive with for the social aspect, and we just happen to have the same dive plan, but are operating very independently of one another

 

[shoredivr]

I'm going to guess it was as dark as inside a pair of pants. Rivers, how did I do?

 

[rivers]

Google translation was no help at all. Care to explain that for a yank? I got the bad visibility and 4 Meters part.

That's pretty much it. vis was maybe 12-18 inches....

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

That's pretty much it. vis was maybe 12-18 inches....

Wish I had 12-18 in my pants...

 

[Akimbo]

Wish I had 12-18 in my pants...

You must have a really small inseam! How do you climb the ladder?

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

You must have a really small inseam! How do you climb the ladder?

I use a lift.. Lol

 

[Remy B.]

I do it because I genuinely enjoy the solitude ... just me, my camera, and the elements. It's one of the few ways in my life that I know how to relax.


... Bob (Grateful Diver)

this basically resumes why we like solo diving or are going in that direction

 

[DaleC]

Bob said it well for me.
Solo is not something I need to do, it's something I want to do. It's just the way I am wired. When I solo dive I feel filled up, not that I'm lacking something. The enjoyment I get alone is seeking out and recording stuff underwater. The enjoyment I get with others is sharing the finished product with them.

That being said, I don't have an opinion for others because I recognize we are not all wired the same. My wife, for example, is the polar opposite and would rather not do something if she had to do it alone. She thrives on companionship and sharing the experience seems to be more important than the experience itself.