If you dive alone, you die alone ...

[aquacat8]

I think about the early days when all this was being invented, imagine what people said to those guys who cobbled together stuff and just went for it. Hell ya it was risky. Today kids are interested in all these extreme adventure sports and they think diving is less radical, something anyone can do, even if they can't swim! Maybe diving needs to admit it is badass again... Maybe the whole PADI "no worries" thing has backfired for the industry. Admit it guys... Those that can remember--Weren't you kinda maybe sorta ATTRACTED by the risk in the old days when diving was right up there with landing on the moon for crazy adventure?

 

[BDSC]

I think about the early days when all this was being invented, imagine what people said to those guys who cobbled together stuff and just went for it.

If the scuba police had been around way back when, Jacques Cousteau would have probably ended up as a pastry chef.

 

[AfterDark]

I think about the early days when all this was being invented, imagine what people said to those guys who cobbled together stuff and just went for it. Hell ya it was risky. Today kids are interested in all these extreme adventure sports and they think diving is less radical, something anyone can do, even if they can't swim! Maybe diving needs to admit it is badass again... Maybe the whole PADI "no worries" thing has backfired for the industry. Admit it guys... Those that can remember--Weren't you kinda maybe sorta ATTRACTED by the risk in the old days when diving was right up there with landing on the moon for crazy adventure?

Thinking back it was the uniqueness of the sport, only one other kid my age was into it, my friend and I where the only “kids” in a class of 12, the rest where adults in their 20’s and 30’s. The self-reliance diving required and the freedom that resulted were all attractions for me. Although I was aware danger was part of the equation, I don’t recall it being an attraction, just an aspect that needed to be considered and dealt with mentally. To say that there were times I was scared $hitless is an understatement but I was always able to control and overcome the fear and save myself or in a few cases my buddies.

Sure I had a buddy at the start but here in NE with our limited visibility that buddy wasn’t always “there” and may not be “there” when trouble came around, which necessitated self-reliance and confidence in one’s abilities. This I believe was how my “solo” attitude originated, in some ways I’ve been solo diving from the very 1st dive and still treat every dive as if I’m alone. Whether diving or on land if you rely on others sooner or later you’ll be disappointed, in the case of diving maybe worse.

The number one reason for me was and still is the ocean. As a young kid my father took me fishing on the ocean most weekends starting in the spring and ending in the fall after the cod stopped running. There was nothing I enjoyed more. Then I watched my 1st SeaHunt episode and discovered I could go UNDER the ocean and see what’s there, that just grabbed me by the mind and heart and never let go. I’ve been diving around here for 46 years and almost always see something I haven’t seen before. Diving feeds the explorer and the love of the ocean in me and I’m blessed and grateful to have been able to do it as long as I have and now treat every dive like my last because I know I’m just one doctor appointment away from the end of my diving adventures.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

DevonDiver. Hit it right on the head.I think every diver should take a solo course
Self -Rescue / Redundancy / Self-Discipline

Solo courses serve a useful purpose, but to say "every diver" is a bit overstating it. By the time I got to the point I wanted to dive solo, I had already learned everything they teach in a solo course and more. When SDI first came out with the solo course, I read the book ... and realized there was nothing in the course except the piece of plastic I didn't already have. And while the plastic might grant me access with some dive ops, all it's good for really is liability. Once in the water, what serves you is knowledge, chops, and judgment. For me, those were gained through a sequence of tech, wreck, and cave courses that provided me a toolbox far in excess of what a solo class would provide.

So why should I ... or any diver who already possesses what one could learn by taking a solo class ... need to take it?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I think about the early days when all this was being invented, imagine what people said to those guys who cobbled together stuff and just went for it. Hell ya it was risky. Today kids are interested in all these extreme adventure sports and they think diving is less radical, something anyone can do, even if they can't swim! Maybe diving needs to admit it is badass again... Maybe the whole PADI "no worries" thing has backfired for the industry. Admit it guys... Those that can remember--Weren't you kinda maybe sorta ATTRACTED by the risk in the old days when diving was right up there with landing on the moon for crazy adventure?

No ... in fact, I think if you're attracted to risk then solo diving is not something you should engage in. Solo diving, if anything, requires a mindset that's more than usually ready to mitigate risks ... and call a dive if something doesn't "feel" right. Of the people I've known who pursued solo out of an attraction to risk, two are dead, one is permanently disabled, and several quit diving after incidents that made them realize they're not as ready yet to die as they once thought they might be.

If you're an adrenalin junkie looking for a thrill, I'd recommend base jumping or some other thrill sport ... solo diving really isn't that thing. It requires almost the opposite mindset.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Thinking back it was the uniqueness of the sport, only one other kid my age was into it, my friend and I where the only “kids” in a class of 12, the rest where adults in their 20’s and 30’s. The self-reliance diving required and the freedom that resulted were all attractions for me. Although I was aware danger was part of the equation, I don’t recall it being an attraction, just an aspect that needed to be considered and dealt with mentally. To say that there were times I was scared $hitless is an understatement but I was always able to control and overcome the fear and save myself or in a few cases my buddies.

Sure I had a buddy at the start but here in NE with our limited visibility that buddy wasn’t always “there” and may not be “there” when trouble came around, which necessitated self-reliance and confidence in one’s abilities. This I believe was how my “solo” attitude originated, in some ways I’ve been solo diving from the very 1st dive and still treat every dive as if I’m alone. Whether diving or on land if you rely on others sooner or later you’ll be disappointed, in the case of diving maybe worse.

The number one reason for me was and still is the ocean. As a young kid my father took me fishing on the ocean most weekends starting in the spring and ending in the fall after the cod stopped running. There was nothing I enjoyed more. Then I watched my 1st SeaHunt episode and discovered I could go UNDER the ocean and see what’s there, that just grabbed me by the mind and heart and never let go. I’ve been diving around here for 46 years and almost always see something I haven’t seen before. Diving feeds the explorer and the love of the ocean in me and I’m blessed and grateful to have been able to do it as long as I have and now treat every dive like my last because I know I’m just one doctor appointment away from the end of my diving adventures.

The only time in over 3800 dives that I ever had the thought that I might die here ... that I had to mentally work to overcome fear ... was during my cave training when I was several hundred feet back inside a cave and accidentally inhaled some water, causing a larynxospasm. I really needed to breathe ... and I couldn't. At the time I had a dive buddy and an instructor within reaching distance ... and neither one of them could help me. As far as resolving that problem goes, I might as well have been alone.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Wookie]

So why should I ... or any diver who already possesses what one could learn by taking a solo class ... need to take it?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

For the same reason we make people get driver's licenses, open water certificates, and captain's licenses. Any fool can drive, dive, and run a boat. I learned driving at 10 in my dad's lap, and drove a farm truck as soon as I could reach the pedals. Most of us did. I am not special. I got a driver's license to prove to any authority that I had taken a course of instruction, was successful at that course, and had proven to an independent evaluator that I wasn't likely to kill myself, my passengers, or random drivers on the road.

If you go on a liveaboard or other boat, the operator answers to a higher authority, namely their insurance company or maybe their certification agency. In my case, my insurance company was happy to allow me to welcome solo divers if I evaluated their skills or they presented a solo card. As a solo instructor I was considered qualified to evaluate your skills to dive solo. But I didn't want to take the time to evaluate everyone who wanted to dive solo's skills, so I just required a solo card. Due to Dunning Kruger, most who think they are awesome solo divers aren't.

OTOH, if you want to shore dive in Seattle or Rhode Island, there will be no scuba police to stop you from diving solo with any or no certification. Knock your socks off. No one will notice or care if you should or shouldn't be diving solo.

 

[ScubaGypsy]

So why should I ... or any diver who already possesses what one could learn by taking a solo class ... need to take it?

If you go on a liveaboard or other boat, the operator answers to a higher authority, .....snip........... so I just required a solo card.

I actually went ahead and got the solo card last month specifically because of live aboards and scuba park/quarries policies.

I travel often for work and much too often was not able to solo dive without possessing this card regardless of being DM, cave, deco, trimix, etc certified. After too many insta-buddies ruining dives, I finally broke down and went and got the card.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

For the same reason we make people get driver's licenses, open water certificates, and captain's licenses. Any fool can drive, dive, and run a boat. I learned driving at 10 in my dad's lap, and drove a farm truck as soon as I could reach the pedals. Most of us did. I am not special. I got a driver's license to prove to any authority that I had taken a course of instruction, was successful at that course, and had proven to an independent evaluator that I wasn't likely to kill myself, my passengers, or random drivers on the road.

If you go on a liveaboard or other boat, the operator answers to a higher authority, namely their insurance company or maybe their certification agency. In my case, my insurance company was happy to allow me to welcome solo divers if I evaluated their skills or they presented a solo card. As a solo instructor I was considered qualified to evaluate your skills to dive solo. But I didn't want to take the time to evaluate everyone who wanted to dive solo's skills, so I just required a solo card. Due to Dunning Kruger, most who think they are awesome solo divers aren't.

OTOH, if you want to shore dive in Seattle or Rhode Island, there will be no scuba police to stop you from diving solo with any or no certification. Knock your socks off. No one will notice or care if you should or shouldn't be diving solo.

It's NOT the same. People are required to get a driver's license because they're operating a multi-ton piece of machinery on a public roadway where they stand a chance of injuring or killing others if they don't know what they're doing. The regulation has to do with public safety.

The same can be said for a boat captain's license. Note that in most states, there is NO regulation needed whatsoever to own a private boat ... only for those who wish to operate commercially. So there is no apt comparison.

As for the open water certification ... while it is something I highly recommend, there is NO requirement whatsoever for someone to obtain one in order to dive.

I for one do not wish to see scuba diving become as highly regulated as driving or operating commercial vehicles. We do this for fun ... so while the training is highly recommended (I would never suggest otherwise), it's not something I believe is in our best interest as a recreational activity to make mandatory. This particularly applies to courses that would offer you no benefit other than a nice, shiny piece of plastic to show around.

I routinely solo dive off of charter boats pretty much up and down the west coast. Liveaboards in places like Indonesia and the Red Sea don't have the same liability concerns that you do in Florida ... apparently not even within the United States is that the case, since very few that I'm aware of on the west coast follow the same strict protocols you do.

And I really don't give much of a sh!t what you think of my diving skills ... you've never met me, much less dived with me, so you don't have a clue what they might be. Your skills as an evaluator probably aren't as awesome as you think they are either ... since you admit that it's not a matter of ability so much as your unwillingness to put any effort into evaluating.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[AfterDark]

OTOH, if you want to shore dive in Seattle or Rhode Island, there will be no scuba police to stop you from diving solo with any or no certification. Knock your socks off. No one will notice or care if you should or shouldn't be diving solo.

Believe it or not I've been approached by self appointed scuba police here in RI admonishing me on the way in the water for being alone! I just give'em a chuckle and wish'em a nice day.

I did go to NC back in 2011 and was surprised after my insta-buddy got spooked and left the water before we hooked up at 15' to descend, to be allowed to continue my dive solo after a few words with the Capt. Of course I was already in the water, had surfaced looking for my buddy, went down to the bottom (100FSW) to look for him there and surfaced to report him missing. It was my 1st time in NC and the 1st dive of the trip so I had no history good or bad with the operation for the Capt. to consider. Maybe he thought he already lost control and just let me go? After that I dived solo one other time there without a word.