How soon after your cert did you go on your own dive without any DM?

[farsidefan1]

I went on a trip to Belize with lds and got in 20 dives. Next trip to Roatan with some Zen divers and after a couple of days I was solo shore diving. I'd guess I had 25 dives.

 

[Damselfish]

1st independent dive was about an hour after I was certified. Instructor pretty much told us to go diving. He also wouldn't do our AOW until we had done10-20 independent dives. (This was in 1990.)

 

[spectrum]

Immediately for my wife and I and we never looked back

 

[sport10010]

Immediately after I got the certification. Lived in MA at the time. First weekend was a beach dive, second weekend was a wreck dive. Dived for 2 weekends in a wet suit and then went out and bought a dry suit. The rest is history.

 

[ssidiv3r]

The very next dive after my certification dives were completed

 

[bmrwizard99]

About 30 dives (feel like such a failure now!...grin).

Mostly because I'd head to a resort and join a boat dive with some buddy I just met and then not dive for about a year again.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

About 30 dives (feel like such a failure now!...grin).

Mostly because I'd head to a resort and join a boat dive with some buddy I just met and then not dive for about a year again.

Failure? No... Not everyone lives in a place where they could dive every day. There are a great number of divers who match your profile.:cool2:

 

[Seaduced]

Not counting just buddying with friends that are DMs, only my first night dive, later cert dives and the boat dives in Bonaire, have been with a DM.

My first dive after my OW cert, was 11 months later. I was solo on the dive boat, but ran into a former coworker, who was buddied in a threesome. We buddied up and made two great dives. With that much time between cert and the next dive, it helped me relax because I knew my buddy well, it was the same boat I had certed on and we were diving an area I had snorkeled in for a couple of years.

 

[john1bl]

Even if you memory is a little flawed, I can add an analogy.

Private Pilot Aeronautical Experience (Yes, you must pass the written tests too)

Sec. 61.109 Aeronautical experience
"(a) ... a person who applies for a private pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 40 hours of flight time that includes at least 20 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor and 10 hours of solo flight training..."

There are specific parts of training that need to be included just like scuba training, but the fact is: If you can pass the tests, the government will give you a license to fly that plane with or without a "buddy"... AND, you are required to fly solo BEFORE you can get your certificate.




Is this example off the beaten path? Not so much...

I was solo in the 9th hour of flying One factor that has been left out of the thread is How comfortable you are in the water?? I had no problems with the 5th dive not with a DM. I know that I had basic skills and had a lot of learning to do. Just like flying I knew that I could fly the airplane ,but I was not Chuck Yeager ether. There are things that you learn by doing.

 

[stormysea]

I did my first buddy only dive on Tuesday. It was dive numbers 14 and 15. I am ok with needing a DM still. I would still go for guided dives when its at a new dive site. I would now be happy to dive the few places that I have dived a few times with just buddies but anything new I would not dive without either a very experienced buddy, a DM or instrutor.