I've been set free!!! Solo

[gr8jab]

OK. I'm wearing my asbestos wet suit... and this is supposed to be a no-troll zone. But...

I've been set free!! I LOVE solo diving. LOVE IT!

Mind you, I'm keeping things in perspective, and doing this in a careful, introspective, and well considered manner.

I just spent a week at Coco View resort in Roatan. This is, arguably, one of the easiest places to solo dive. Navigation is shockingly simple. Entry/exit is very easy. Staff and DMs are supportive. It is awesome.

First, let me say I LOVE having a pony bottle. I'm not trying to get a big argument started. I've never run out of air, and I pay close attention to my gas management. However, the pony bottle just feels... safer. I dive as if I don't have it, and try not to change my behavior in any way.

Here is how I solo'd:

1. Guided boat dives, no insta-buddy. Yes, I stayed with the group. Yes, I wasn't really solo. But, I didn't have to worry about keeping track of a buddy. I didn't have to guess about their skill level or strange behaviors. I didn't fret about lingering over a photo too long. In fact, I was often the odd-man-out anyway. I just kept the group in sight and enjoyed the dives.

2. Drop-off dives (no guide), no buddy needed. At Coco View, there are two walls and a wreck. They drop divers for the second tank, and navigating back to the beach is super simple. I go in and take my time, sometimes going along with the group, but able explore at the depths and speeds I want.

3. Shore dives. I am no longer running around searching for someone to go diving with me. As with the drop-off dives, navigation is simple, depths are shallow, and there is a lot to see close to the resort.

In the future, I will use the pony bottle when I can. I may dive solo again, if the conditions and situation warrant it.

 

[Akimbo]

I think the days of mass hysteria over solo diving are behind us. Considering that the majority of my diving has been solo for over 50 years I think it is fair to say that it is not a reliable method of self-destruction. Have you taken a solo course? Having the card is helpful when captains and DMs want it to let them off the liability hook.

 

[drrich2]

Welcome to the wonderful world of solo! Wonderful for reasons you're already obviously aware of. Happy diving!

Richard.

 

[Themerrydiver]

Congratulations! Enjoy!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I decided to solo dive years ago after realizing that there were more buddies ruining my day of diving than me ruining theirs.
I got tired of buddies being hung over, having equipment problems that should have been checked the night before, ripped drysuit seals/leaks/zipper problems, scared and clingy, forgotten gear because they didn’t double check, etc.
It’s a long drive up to where we dive so foolishness affects the other party as well.
Besides that I like to hunt, so having two divers in close proximity in lower vis with one or both swimming around with loaded spearguns probably isn’t the greatest idea either.
I don’t use a pony bottle, they just get in the way. I just make sure my gear is in top working order and keep my depth and NDL reasonable so I can bail to the surface if I ever needed to. I don’t take unnecessary risks, I am very aware of my surroundings, and I make sure my situational awareness is in top working order.
I think too many people who think about going solo trip themselves out about it because of the stigma and the historic mental beatings about it.
I’m in the camp of knowing that I’m better off and having less bad happen than having some incompetent idiot as a dive buddy.
I know I am 100% responsible for my own safety and my life and I treat the entire activity as such.
I also make no apologies about it, and I also don’t feel like I need to ask for permission or validation from anybody, especially on the internet.

 

[tkaelin]

Not a big fan of a lot of certifications or certifications for certification sake but I found it worthwhile to do the solo cert and would at least suggest it as something to consider.

Redundant air a central part of solo diving but as it should be it is an individual's choice on whether to, when to and in what amount/configuration.

Enjoy the freedom and dive safely.

 

[aquacat8]

People act like you’re weird if you want to do other things alone too: go to the movies, have dinner, go on a trip. Most folks are herd oriented. A guy at my LDS gave me a rant when I mentioned solo diving being fun, saying what if I saw a great big ray, with no one to point it out to or brag about it with afterwards on the boat. Then he said: unless you just really hate people. No concept of what it might be like to be alone with the ray. I’m a dog walker, and I spend a lot of time alone with animals, and they like me, and I like them. Wild animals also know I’m a non threatening female. They know a lot of things.

 

[Ghetto Diver]

People that don't understand why someone would dive solo are, well, needy people.
Congratz OP
Come to WPB/Jupiter...solo dive as you see fit (there are a couple of charters that will limit you, but they are the minority).

 

[Marie13]

I’m looking forward to doIng solo next year. I just want to be able to mooch around at the quarry at my own pace.

 

[Compressor]

I like all of you also like solo diving. But I do feel resistance by the establishment. Just recently I got an email from a resort in Bonaire stating no solo diving is allowed. This happened to me again in the Caymans where 2 businesses would not give tanks out as on that day, my buddy had gone shopping with his wife and I was stranded on land looking at the beautiful water.