How Many Scuba dive by them selfs

[MHK]

drbill once bubbled...
I've solo dived for more than 30 of my 41 years of diving. Based on a recent experience (see http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37780 ), I would not recommend it to you at this stage. You really need to have sufficient experience, and know how you react to problems, before you will really be ready to do so.

Prior to my recent experience, I would never dive without an octopus (in fact I had one plus an Air 2) and used a pony bottle at depths greater than 60 ft (most of the time). Now I use my pony bottle at depths greater than 40 ft, and shallower if it is already attached.

I was fortunate... my decades of experience helped me survive. However, even given that it could have gone the other way.

Be safe.

Dr. Bill

Dr. Bill,

I had previously read your report, and I as well am glad it all worked out. I didn't comment on the earlier thread, but I wanted to add for the benefit of other's that simply speaking to an alternative air source doesn't solve all the problems associated with solo diving. In fact, if you look to the recent fatality at Catalina you'll note the buddy left and it appears that the victim got entangled in kelp at 15' and wound up dead. You'll also see on the local California list wherein Captain Tim from the Great Escape posted about yet another solo diver last week that almost bought the farm. He had a BC problem, surfaced OOA and paniced. He never dropped his weightbelt and surfaced 100 yards away from the boat and by the time the DM arrived he was in full blown panic, beginning to sink and according to Captain Tim 30 seconds later and he was dead.

My point to all who are considering solo diving, is that air is but one problem that could go wrong so don't simply think that by the addition of an alternative air source that all problems are solved..

Regards

 

[Zagnut]

.. I would just say asfar as the octo is concerned: If your going solo I think that you would want as much redundancy as possible.

If your primary starts to freeflow or it's hose ruptures or whatever, at least with an octo, you would have one reg that still works... but really a pony bottle (a completely independant air source) would be the way to go..that is of course, after getting the proper experience and training.
..and yeah I wouldn't do it if there was any chance at all of entanglement at the site.

A while back where I live a 6' man drowned in 7'-8' of water because hydrilla had a hold of his leg. He died with his mouth literally inches from the surface.

 

[budgy]

I know a number divers who solo regulary with a single cylinder in a dry suit without a bc or an alternate air supply, they generally dive in the 30ft range.
Personally with regard to solo diving I don't see what all the fuss is all about. My first pool try dive was solo, so was my second dive in a dam. In my experience, buddy's are generally oblivious of you and most dive leaders cannot and should not over rule your own judgement. I find following or accompanying another diver is often a bigger liability than diving solo because you can end up compromising the margins of your own safety to stay with them. These days I carry a 3 litre pony, so I have redundancy and if I dive with a buddy, in an OOA situation I plan to donate the reg in my mouth and switch to my pony. With my configeration I don't see the need for an octopus.

 

[O-ring]

Solo diving is more risky than diving with a buddy. If you are in the type of buddy situations where the buddy exposes you to more risk than you would have without him/her, you are diving with the wrong people.

If you are comfortable with the increased risk, more power to you.

 

[drbill]

O-ring... Based on my experience (as presented elsewhere) I can't agree that solo diving is less safe. Of course when I'm diving with my regular buddies, we know one another's style and do well together.

MHK- agree that a pony bottle alone does not solve the problem of solo diving. In my case I took a "calculated" risk and almost lost due to a factor I hadn't even considered... until afterwards. There are still other risks associated with it, as well as with buddy diving. One must weigh the risk and decide what they are willing to accept. Am interested in your source of info on the recent death at Long Point. I've spoken with several official sources here and they are not releasing any details. Although the diver was apparently found tangled in kelp, this may have been post mortem rather than a contributing cause.

We all take risks whether while diving or driving the LA freeways. It is important to educate yourself on what might go wrong and decide what you are willing to accept... and "live with" (hopefully). Had I died, it would have been my fault for nott aking the pony even if there was negligence in servicing the regulator or the tank.

Dr. Bill

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

Here are some additional risks of solo diving compared with buddy diving:

1) Heart attack or stroke while diving, with no buddy nearby to rescue you and bring you to the surface and commence breathing and CPR

2) Bitten by a sea animal, with no buddy to tow you back to shore

3) Severe entanglement and you drop your knife/shears, with no buddy to help you out

4) Boating accident at the surface, with no buddy to tow you back to shore

5) Equipment failure resulting in OOA forcing rapid ascent without a safety stop leading to DCS, with no buddy to share air

6) Panic due to multiple failures, leading to rapid ascent and embolism, with no buddy to help get control of the situation.


Diving solo clearly entails more risk than buddy diving.

 

[pipedope]

Just having a buddy is not enough to be safer than solo. The buddy must be trained, skilled, attentive and able to respond to problems.

Diving with a bad buddy is more likely to cause trouble than to increase safety.

I prefer to dive with a buddy, or a tender if surface supplied.

 

[DennisS]

If you're determined to go solo a "y" or "H" valve with a second regulator might be the way to go for redundancy. Two first and two second stages. You're on your own when it comes to entanglement.

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

A Y or H valve is the lightest way to add redundancy, true. But it still will not save you from an OOA situation resulting from gear failure or your own failure to monitor your SPG.

Maier in his book flat out says that if solo diving, you should not dive deeper than that depth that you can ascend safely to the surface from. For a dive of 20 ft or shallower, no pony or Y/H would be needed as long as you stay neutrally buoyant at all times, like a good diver should be. This is like freediving.

For a dive deeper than 20 ft, some safety stop would be required, and therefore some pony bottle would be the only viable alternative to be able to do a 3 min safety stop in an OOA situation.

MHK why do you think no pony is needed? Are you assuming no OOA situation would ever occur? Are you assuming that your SPG needle will never get stuck then as well? Or that your SPG battery will never die?

In terms of minimizing risks, here is the heirarchy:

1) to dive perfectly safely, you should always have a well trained buddy

2) if diving solo, you should not dive deeper than 20 ft

3) if diving solo and deeper than 20 ft, you should always have a pony of sufficient size to return to the surface and stop at 20 ft for 3 to 5 mins

 

[James connell]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...
Here are some additional risks of solo diving compared with buddy diving:

1) Heart attack or stroke while diving, with no buddy nearby to rescue you and bring you to the surface and commence breathing and CPR

since inwater compression is impossible, your dead by the time he gets you to shore anyway

2) Bitten by a sea animal, with no buddy to tow you back to shore

bitten in half by a shark is fatal even if you get to shore.

3) Severe entanglement and you drop your knife/shears, with no buddy to help you out

that's where experiance comes in - you don't get yourself into the problem. you're really stretching with the drop your shears thing!

4) Boating accident at the surface, with no buddy to tow you back to shore

why surface under a boat?

5) Equipment failure resulting in OOA forcing rapid ascent without a safety stop leading to DCS, with no buddy to share air

the reason for redundant air supplies -

6) Panic due to multiple failures, leading to rapid ascent and embolism, with no buddy to help get control of the situation.

number one rule -divers prone to panic should not solo.

Diving solo clearly entails more risk than buddy diving.

if all these things happen to you - i don't want to be your buddy - you're jinx!!!!!!

the only REAL danger is a head injury causing unconsousness at depth.