If you have to ask, you're not ready to solo......?

[vkalia]

For once, I agree with Walter.

Solo diving is -solo- - you need to be ready to solve anything that goes wrong. A large part of being ready to do this means knowing what can go wrong and how to handle it. It also means assuming a greater level of risk.

If you have to ask, it means that you are not fully aware of what the potential risks are, or lack confidence in your knowledge/awareness. To me, that means that you are not ready to assume this increased level of risk, and also - albeit to a lesser extent - you may not be ready to handle anything that goes wrong.

If you have enough experience, you will not need to ask. Period.

This guideline may end up excluding some people who *are* ready to solo dive, but that is better than the converse - a guideline that doesnt exclude people who are not ready to dive.

Pretty analogies mean nothing.

Vandit

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

I am not sure I understand this. Is the premise that if one has to ask one is not competent to dive solo? When you say those activities do not require that level of competence are you saying that for those activities one need not ask? That means by implication are you saying one should ask for activities that require that level of competence????!!!!!!!!!!

I am sure flying requires AT LEAST that amount of competence.
Who determines if the trainee/student pilot has the competence to fly solo? The instructor I presume. So can your instructor determine if you are competent to dive solo?

Apples and oranges for your question:

In flying, the instructor is with you on EVERY flight UNTIL it is determined you are ready to fly solo
====

Here is the analogy for flying

1. The instructor is with you on every flight until the two of you agree you are ready for solo
2. The instructor MAKES you recover from REAL life threatening situations in a controlled environment, until you are both confident and competent
3. The instructor does this on EVERY flight until you are ready
4. The average time a flight student is in the air with an instructor before solo is 25-35 hours
5. That's 25-30 hours with an instructor DOING controlled emergencies
6. The decision to fly solo is based on BOTH the instructor and the student. If either is not confident that the student is competent, solo is NOT allowed
7. Once you solo, the requirements are a minimum of 10 hours solo BEFORE you can ATTEMPT to test for your license
8. In order to receive your private pilot's license you are required to take and pass a ground school test, receive and practice solo status and pass a skills test with your instructor, take a written test from an FAA check rider, take a Skills test from an FAA check rider.
9. If you fail ANY question or skill, you fail the ENTIRE test, and do not receive your license (c-card)

Here is the analogy for diving

1. The instructor takes you through a series basic issues that can arise when diving WITH A BUDDY in a controlled environment.
2. These issues CAN be life threatening
3. The instructor MAKES you attempt recovery from POTENTIALLY life threatening situations in a controlled environment, until he feels you are competent (no real worry that you are confident)
4. The average time a student is underwater with an instructor in the instruction phase of learning: 1.5 to 2 hours
5. That's 1.5 to 2 hours with an instructor learning how to recover from potential emergencies
6. Once you pass the WRITTEN test, you have learned how NOT TO KILL yourself when diving
7. That includes the instructor's instructions that a recreational diver ALWAYS dives with a BUDDY

If the instruction level for diving paralleled that of flying, YES! a diver would be ready to dive solo right out of class.
====

Hmmm, what would it be to get a diver there.... perhaps additional training after basic OW (you could call it, I don't know.... ADVANCED UNDERWATER TRAINING)

 

[HowardE]

Solo diving is something you should not attempt if you have even the slightest doubt in your abilities. Solo diving should only be attempted by divers to whom diving is second nature, those who are as comfortable underwater as above. Someone with that level of comfort/confidence is not going to ask anyone if they should be diving solo.

I agree... Someone with 5 dives is certainly NOT ready to solo dive. 55 dives... maybe. 5 - no way.

 

[AquaHump]

Not in my opinion. In all likelyhood, your instructor isn't competent to dive solo either.

LMAO!!!!!

 

[grazie42]

I´d tend to agree with Walter...

If you can´t make the decision to dive solo, on your own, then you likely shouldn´t dive alone either...

 

[Cacia]

I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask. And the answer should be something like "when you have several hundred dives" at least. I had a thousand. People know when they are ready, but often they ask before they are ready or just to see if they are "missing something". Are there exceptions to this answer? Yes, and that should be pointed out. If someone asks "at what point can I solo in a plane after lessons? A resident would ask, "at what point can I do a appendectomy?" and there is a reasonable answer...number of cases, experience etc.
They don't start lecturing him about the possibilities of death, because that is inherently understood.

Although basically what happens when you solo, is that everyone advises you not to, and you do it anyway.

The other day, on the boat, a friend of mine asked if you could hang out under the boat in the 40 ft and practice some skills (sausage). She has 500 dives. The DM looked stressed, not because he was worried about her diving but because the question was asked of HIM in front of other people. I teased her that the number one unspoken rule of SOLO, was to never ask. If you are going to solo, others feel better if you just INFORM them. (this takes the responsibility off them somewhat because they are thinking "hmm, not much we can do about HER...)


Nice post, cool tech, I missed that before I posted.

 

[mdb]

I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask. And the answer should be something like "when you have several hundred dives" at least. I had a thousand. People know when they are ready, but often they ask before they are ready or just to see if they are "missing something". Are there exceptions to this answer? Yes, and that should be pointed out. If someone asks "at what point can I solo in a plane after lessons? A resident would ask, "at what point can I do a appendectomy?" and there is a reasonable answer...number of cases, experience etc.
They don't start lecturing him about the possibilities of death, because that is inherently understood.

Although basically what happens when you solo, is that everyone advises you not to, and you do it anyway.

The other day, on the boat, a friend of mine asked if you could hang out under the boat in the 40 ft and practice some skills (sausage). She has 500 dives. The DM looked stressed, not because he was worried about her diving but because the question was asked of HIM in front of other people. I teased her that the number one unspoken rule of SOLO, was to never ask. If you are going to solo, others feel better if you just INFORM them. (this takes the responsibility off them somewhat because they are thinking "hmm, not much we can do about HER...)

Catherine: Good post. Once on a Seaquest dive trip I woke up early and made a nice solo dive. The AQUA-LUNG president at the time was a French fellow who was not much of a diver but was very set on "the rules". When I came back aboard I was informed that no solo diving was allowed. A crew member overheard the conversation. She told me that she would be my buddy for the rest of the trip. We signed off and went into the water together. We then each went our seperate ways and enjoyed the kelp forests. Don't ask, don't tell.

PS: On this Memorial Day weekend a number of Marines are on my mind. Your JB is one of them. All the best from here.

 

[gcbryan]

I agree with the original statement, you're not ready if you have to ask. It's simply because no one can answer that question for you and asking the question strongly suggests that you are not ready. Even if you have the skills by asking the question it would seem that you don't have the absolute confidence in those skills that is required.

In flying there are certain things that you have the skill to do but you may be asked not to do those things except in the presence of your instructor. In my mind a good pilot will do those things anyway because it's essential that you know that you can handle them when an instructor is not around.

You can't ask for permission to do this or ask if you are ready and if you are not ready and you do it you can get yourself killed. This focuses your mind absolutely. So should the decision to solo dive.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

... You can't ask for permission to do this or ask if you are ready and if you are not ready and you do it you can get yourself killed. This focuses your mind absolutely. So should the decision to solo dive.

Correct!
And, you bring a good point to my mind. All the minor tasks of a flight need to be second nature BEFORE you solo. Then, your entire focus is on the tasks and skills you are working during solo.

If you need to put concious effort into the minor tasks during your dives, and they are not second nature, you have no reason to be solo diving.

The question itself lends the idea that you have not mastered the minor tasks, they are not second nature, and therefore will put you at greater risk in a solo dive situation

 

[SeaYoda]

If you ask someone else if you are ready, then you are not ready. I seriously asked myself before my first solo dive if I was ready. I still ask myself that question - it helps me to keep the right limitations on my solo diving risks. I don't think anyone can answer for anyone else if they are ready, even to the point of saying how many dives someone should have before their first solo dive. I would advise those who are so confident that they don't ask themselves if they are ready before every dive to get a buddy to dive with, your risk level is a crap-shoot. I would advise anyone needing approval from someone else for soloing to go learn more, you are not ready.