How Wicked Was I?

[DA Aquamaster]

I would agree with those above who indicate you should not let fear dictate your life and that the ride to the dive site was far more dangerous than buring off a few hundred psi of air in shallow water after your wife got out - as long as you did not leave her in a back zip dry suit in 90 degree air temps. (And don't forget the homicide that could result from the angry and overheated spouse finding those love letters to the babysitter in the glovebox.)

There will always involve some risk and yes, there is always a risk of getting tangled in something while solo. But if you dive in limited visibility you need to be prepared to deal with that solo anyway as in 10 ft visibility, a few seconds and a couple of fin strokes by the buddy is all it takes for them to lose you after you become entangled.

Diving is an adjustable risk sport so you need to decide for yourself what constitutes and acceptable level of risk.

 

[H2Andy]

sometime ago, i sat down to list risks of solo diving. this is not "definitive"
but i thought i'd share it:

1. equipment problems: unlikely. quality, well-maintanined scuba equipment is as good as it gets these days. buy quality stuff, keep it maintained, don't put
off dealing with small problems (before they become big ones)

2. diver problems: due to bad judgment, inexperience, poor planning. very likely,
and the weakest link in the chain. train, plan, dive often. also, medical problems
can hit you in the middle of a dive: get checked up, stay fit, eat healthy.

3. environment problems: bad vis, high surf, currents, entanglement. possible,
but can all be avoided by "calling the dive" if conditions are not good, except
for entanglement. this is my biggest worry. learn how to deal with entanglements.
carry redundant cutting tools.

safety is an acceptable level of risk. you can never get risk to zero.

yes, diving with a good (key word) buddy is safer. but that doesn't mean that
solo diving done well is an unnaceptable level of risk.

 

[MikeFerrara]

What are you really asking? It sounds like a low risk dive. Even if we argued that there was a little more risk alone it can still be low risk.

Since your certified you should know what kind of trouble you could have run into and should have considered how you would deal with it if it happened and been satisfied. Apparantly you found the additional risk acceptable.

Why did you have to suck air down in preperation for a cross country trip. I usually fill my tanks before a trip. I empty them on the trip. LOL

 

[artw]

LOL MikeFerrara
if I want to blow down tanks I crack the valve and blow them down on the surface

 

[android]

Thanks All. I mostly asking to see if there were any conditions that I might not have considered. Based on the responses, there was not really anything that I overlooked in my decision making process except the love letters and panties in my glovebox. (Next time we'll take the wife's car to cover all the bases.)

Mike, We're travelling from Austin to Florida and I am apprehensive about have a pair of 3500PSI bombs in the back of car. I think the statistical odds of some idjit ramming our car is significantly higher than the odds of something fatal happening on my 12ft dive. I suspect full scuba tanks could make emergency personnel uncomfortable in such a situation.

Artw, Sure I could crack the valve, but that noise hurts my ears and I paid good money for that air!

Oh, and although entanglement is a very low risk in the dive park, I still have a knife on the right and shears on the left for every dive.

 

[Snowbear]

Oh, and although entanglement is a very low risk in the dive park, I still have a knife on the right and shears on the left for every dive.

The guy in the story I linked in the previous post did as well..... in fact, he had 2 shears and a knife. All that in the small lake that was a very low risk for entanglement..... except for the net and some invisible monofilament fishing line.

AS a PJ (Air Nat'l Guard pararescueman) he had been through the Navy Seal dive school, which apparently has a lot of underwater survival training and harassment type stuff.....

Point of my posts..... poo happens. As long as you (and of course your wife) are aware of the possible poo and are both willing to accept the consequences of slipping in it... well... have fun and enjoy the ride

 

[MikeFerrara]

Mike, We're travelling from Austin to Florida and I am apprehensive about have a pair of 3500PSI bombs in the back of car. I think the statistical odds of some idjit ramming our car is significantly higher than the odds of something fatal happening on my 12ft dive. I suspect full scuba tanks could make emergency personnel uncomfortable in such a situation.

I've made many trips from Indiana to north Florida with a van stacked halfway to the roof with full tanks. LOL if you see me comming down the road just don't hit me.