Just sitting around at 30 to 40'

[undrwater]

I love the avatar, btw...there's something...visceral about it.

 

[Sly New Girl]

I love the avatar, btw...there's something...visceral about it.

I liked it too. It reminds me that no matter how much I feel at home on the water I'll never really belong in the water like the killer whales. I would choose a killer whale ... but unfortunately I resemble the duck

Well, I've decided to try for 8-10' my first time out. I don't see what could possibly go wrong at that depth. I wouldn't even need a bc. I could just get up and walk back ashore when I was done. haha!
I'll con someone into setting up on the ramp or sitting in the truck and keeping an eye open for me until I'm sure of what I'm doing. I'm more concerned about the two legged critters that might be hanging out in the sticks and its probably a good idea to have someone keeping an eye out on shore anyways.

Cheez Wiz! The fish around here adore cheese... I've used a brick for crawdad bait. The Cheez Wiz is a fantastic idea! It probably doesn't turn to slime.

 

[KD8NPB]

On one of my more boring dives a week or so ago, I gave up and just laid on the bottom.

I found a heavy rock to weight my surface float reel down. Then I just laid there on my belly and closed my eyes for about 15 minutes @ 25 ft. The best I can compare it to is meditation. It's quite pleasant.

 

[DevonDiver]

Be wary of assumptions...

To my way of thinking this should be easy as pie and very low risk.

One.

Especially as I could literally dump my gear and ascend without any difficulty at all.

Two.

I have access to the AL100's that ... won't run out before my time is up.

Three.


Solo diving is normally recommended for experienced divers. One of the main reasons for that is because experienced divers won't be making assumptions when they get in the water - they'll know.

So, if you aren't going to make assumptions - then, before you attempt the dive, you'll need to learn;

1) The risks and issues involved - a practical understanding, not theoretical from the internet.
2) The techniques and protocols to mitigate those risks - ingrained and reliable.
3) Equipment familiarity and use - including your comfort and muscle memory in the kit.
4) Your competencies and skill-level (under stress).
5) Your physical and psychological thresholds.

More info: Are You Ready For Solo Diving?

 

[ktomlinson]

If you have never dove with the doubles are you sure that you can get out of them quickly or swim them up if you have a problem? When taking cavern our instructor told us about an experienced diver who fell in the water with doubles on while his buddy was at the truck getting something..his tanks were off and he was found laying on his back in relatively shallow water. I don't have details about if he tried to get out of them and don't know if anyone even knows that, the purpose of the story is to illustrate that even with experience mistakes can kill you. Are you brining your dog?

 

[Paladin]

At 8 to 10 feet, an AL80 will give you plenty of bottom time and would be easier and more comfortable to use than a heavy set of doubles.

As for the Cheez Whiz, I went over to Twin Quarries (Circleville, OH) last month with my two sons and a friend. I took some video and near the end is some footage of feeding the fish with a generic brand of Cheez Whiz.

Circleville Twin Quarries - YouTube

 

[Sly New Girl]

" Be wary of assumptions... " ... I know, I'm guilty. Which is the main reason I'm always asking, even when the answer seems obvious to me. Concentric thinking gets me in more trouble than most anyone else I know. I'm not going to just go jump in. I'm working on gathering the knowledge and then I'll have a better grasp of the skill set and where I am deficient or just plain wrong. Your experience is actually vastly interesting and valuable to me. I never assume I have the right of it unless I've been there and done that to the point where I know my judgment is sound.

" Are you bringing your dog?

" ... I would if he was ready. My dog has a job to do and I expect he will adapt soon enough. Perhaps not as much so in the water as on the water or on land. I depend on him more than any other equipment I might bring. In a worst case event while hiking Watc is my most valuable survival asset. He's not really a pet though he spends a lot of time living the good life like a pet

" If you have never dove with the doubles are you sure that you can get out of them quickly or swim them up if you have a problem? " I wasn't going to wear them. I'm not strapping anything to my body that I can't even pick up! They weigh as much as I do or maybe just slightly less. Those were a bad plan and I was kind of planning on sitting on them down there. haha. I have an AL80 of my very own now. It's been drilled into my head that I should never attach anything to my person that creates a negative buoyancy and cannot be ditched to achieve neutral buoyancy in 5 sec. or less.

Circleville Twin Quarries - YouTube - I like that very much. Thank you! Fish are so funny. I can fish all day and catch nothing but suckers and garbage fish. I break out the backup sandwich at the end of the day and toss a few crusts overboard and along comes a nice fat trout to scarf it up! I expect I'll get an eye full of devious fish when I show up with a free meal. It looks like so much fun!

 

[ktomlinson]

As long as they don't sink in to the ground, sitting on them doesn't sound so bad to me.

 

[Stoo]

It's been drilled into my head that I should never attach anything to my person that creates a negative buoyancy and cannot be ditched to achieve neutral buoyancy in 5 sec. or less.

When I read the first post in this thread, my initial reaction was "Go for it!". The one thing I might like more than solo diving, is solo diving at night. As I read on, I am now joining others here, in suggesting that you need some more experience, and I am thinking some more instruction The quote above suggests some pretty unorthodox thinking. Most of my gear is negatively buoyant... tanks, lead, regs etc. Why would you ever want to ditch this stuff (with the exception of lead!)??? Tanks belong in a proper harness on your body. The thought of you wallowing around in "8'-10'" of water has all of the makings of a fatality. The tanks get away from you,or stuck in the mud. The reg gets yanked out of your mouth and you rocket for the surface. Sorry, Sly, that could end very badly.

Go rack up a few hundred dives and get used to the gear and then take this on. The "concept" of your dive is sweet I will admit.

When I first finished University, I landed a job managing a dive operation in Tobermory. It was practically a 24/7 job during the summer. It was during these two summers that I did the least amount of diving I have ever done! On more than one occasion, after I closed the shop after the banks were charged for the next day, I would slip into the water alone and just go lie on the bottom in about 40' of water. This was generally around 1 or 2 in the morning, so it was pretty quiet. The bottom of the bay was weed beds that were filled with snoozing bass and perch and it was a nice way to blow an hour. We even had a little schooner wreck a short swim away, that lies in about 20'. I think I actually fell asleep lying on the deck of that old girl one night.

So you're concept of a "Zen Dive" is delicious. With great respect though, you aren't ready for the dozen or so little things that COULD go wrong.

Cheers!

 

[Sly New Girl]

" The quote above suggests some pretty unorthodox thinking. Most of my gear is negatively buoyant... tanks, lead, regs etc. Why would you ever want to ditch this stuff (with the exception of lead!)??? "

Because I can or maybe just because I'm the type that has to know what happens when I do. Personally I don't like the feeling of being dragged down or shoved about when I'm underwater.
I need to know what happens when or if I ditch any part of my equipment. No, I don't see myself playing "el toro" with an enraged octopus and my shortie at 90', but it gives me a feeling of security to know exactly what I can remove and let go of while knowing truly what happens next.
Who knows, some day I might not be doing it just to prove I can. And I'll know what I need to keep and everything I can possibly cut loose. I don't like nasty surprises. Though, I couldn't agree with you more that I need more experience (I'm working on it ) I don't have the blithe confidence in scuba equipment that would allow me to strap on weighting and happily sink away without knowing exactly what role each and every piece of the puzzle plays.

No disrespect intended. I tend to express my opinions when I'd be better off just keeping my mouth shut I don't just want to know what happens if I remove my bcd at 40', I do know. I know what happens if I drop my weight belt too. I'm on a tether line so there is no risk. My buddy knows what hes doing. I'm just curious and I don't like not knowing or trusting in something just because thats the obvious rule. If I wasn't just playing around I don't think I'd be any use to myself or anyone else if confronted with a situation where I read something that says do this; don't do that. Knowing how to counter doffing my weight belt - exiting my bc - or even surfacing with just a handful of soft weights is not only fun to work on it goes a long ways towards making me less reluctant to pile on the gear to begin with. And a million times more likely to actually try to help someone else if they get into trouble. I used to dive with one hand on the anchor and a 12" screwdriver for prying things lose in the other. I'm still trying to open my mind around the concept of scuba and yeah, I want to know where my boundaries and limits are and how close I can get in a safe practice drill with someone I trust. Finding out I've gone too far or not knowing what to expect in the one in a million chance I might ever need to do something different isn't my favorite option.