Is It Ever Ok....

[Cathouse]

Wow. I'm surprised by the the response to this discussion. I am, in fact, a relatively new diver. Being a newer diver, I think all the time about things associated with it. This topic popped into my head and I thought I'd ask since it is ingrained throughout dive training to always dive with a buddy. I have not done it and will not do it for quite sometime. I'm very conservative when it comes to diving. Very Conservative! However, it is sometimes tough to find dive buddies on a regular and consistent basis who can go at a moments notice. Our weather and conditions require us to be on constant ready because of where we live. Our closest decent diving is at least 10 miles out. So the conditions have to be right.

I'm really glad I asked this question. It opens up some very attractive possibilities for the future. Thanks for your responses.

 

[soamelt]

I don't think the OP mentioned he was gonna wear split fins...

I've actually done I while wearing split fins AND using multiple clips from the Home Depot. No joke.

Oddly enough, two of my three Home Depot clips broke on my last two dives. Fortunately I was not solo on either if those dives in the event I was unable to carry my back up light or lobster snare in by myself.

 

[TSandM]

Cathouse, solo diving, as you have no doubt figured out, is a contentious topic.

The bottom line is that diving is never a no-risk activity, because we can't breathe water. Each of us has to make a risk assessment about his diving activities, and people will come up with different acceptable levels of risk, based on their temperaments, their responsibilities, their experience, and their diving environments. As long as those decisions are INFORMED decisions -- in other words, the person making them has enough information to evaluate the risks as well as it is possible to do -- then whatever the diver decides is okay FOR HIM. Where I personally have problems with it is when people make uninformed decisions, or when they don't take into consideration enough of the various factors involved. (For example, the diver above who mentioned family responsibilities.)

Bob's article is a good one about solo diving. If you make sure you have considered all the relevant factors and that you are making rational evaluations of things like your local conditions and your experience level, then you may decide solo diving is for you.

I have never done a solo dive (except for 15 minutes under the boat in the BVI) but some days I think I should, just to see what it's like.

 

[Ana]

But why? It is fun to dive with others and share the experience, right?

why dive with others? It is fun to dive by yourself
no one asking every 12 seconds if you're ok. No one braking into your "zone" to point out the huge eel that you already saw 5 minutes ago and chose to ignore. No one behaving like a remora on speed talking way too much, getting way too close and just plain annoying... only to get worse during the surface interval..... arrgggggg not peaceful at all.

Just you, your soul and the ocean.

 

[drdaddy]

I think one of the most common fallacies among underwater photographers is that since they don't have the skills to dive with a buddy or a team when shooting, then diving solo with a camera becomes somehow more OK. Diving with a big DSLR rig and shooting macro is not hard at all in a team, it just requires that you've got your other dive skills together and not some insta-buddy who doesn't have any interest in the activity.

I've actually seen people saying "the moment I grab the camera I lose track of everything else" - this kind of attention span problems sound like the guy shouldn't be diving with a camera in the first place, but some people feel they're better off diving solo to not bother other divers.

Rephrased: The original question was if solo diving was ever OK, you answered that many photographers do it all the time. Unfortunately, in most cases it's just what happens, but it's not OK from safety viewpoint.

Some discussions about solo diving tend to follow this flawed logic, which is related to the camera argument:
1. Solo diving requires solid skills, lots of experience and proper equipment
2. I've solo dived and am still alive
3. Therefore I must have solid skills and lots of experience

For the original question: yes, solo diving can be done, with the right diver, gear and easy enough dive it can even be almost as safe as team diving. On some very special occasions it may even be safer than team diving, but then we're talking about dives that are very risky anyway (sumps etc). On the vast majority of dives, it will not be as safe as with a buddy - so a person considering solo diving would have to rationalize the extra risk somehow. I haven't found a compelling reason to dive solo yet, but then again I have lots of extremely competent buddies available who are ready to dive pretty much anytime. I can understand why some choose to dive solo, I have no problem with that, what I don't get is them claiming it's somehow safer.

//LN

You haven't filled out the area you dive in. Where I dive, it is difficult to find a dive buddy. I am still "training" the guy I buddy with. Since I watch after him, I'm more conservative. But I always dive with a 19 cf pony - with many buddies I'm always "solo" (responsible for myself - and him/her as well). Periodically, I do solo without a buddy.

 

[BDSC]

I was looking back at my log books a couple of months ago to see when I did my first solo dive and it was dive #30 on Grand Cayman Island. I think the name of the place I stayed was called Coconut Harbor and they had shore diving. Couldn't find anyone to go with me one afternoon so I just went myself and kept my depth no deeper than about 40 to 50 ft max. Had no problems at all and have been diving solo now and then ever since without any special training. I think I may have 25 to 30 solo dives now. (Mostly Bonaire and the local quarry)

I think if a person is very comfortable with their skills and keeps their depth to reasonable levels (whatever that may be for him/her), I see no problem with solo diving. But if a person is going to be doing deeper dives, then it's probably a good idea to get the solo diver training.

 

[captain]

Solo is a state of mind, it is not about special solo training, if you were trained properly to begin with, it's not about equipment, you bring the equipment you determine necessary depending on the dive and your comfort level.

 

[BDSC]

Solo is a state of mind, it is not about special solo training, if you were trained properly to begin with, it's not about equipment, you bring the equipment you determine necessary depending on the dive and your comfort level.

You know Captain, your posts are usually full of good old common sense! I think that makes you "old school".

 

[azchipka]

Someone made a good point to me yesterday regarding solo diving.

Every single time a Instructor teaches a Discover Scuba Diver course or Open Water course when it is just them and the students they are solo diving since diving with a person who is unable to help you in the event of a problem is essentially a solo dive.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Someone made a good point to me yesterday regarding solo diving.

Every single time a Instructor teaches a Discover Scuba Diver course or Open Water course when it is just them and the students they are solo diving since diving with a person who is unable to help you in the event of a problem is essentially a solo dive.

I think that is more akin to diving with someone who is actively trying to kill you ... :shocked2:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)