Most Memorable solo dive

[Seaduced]

My last dive was solo and one of my most memorable dives so far. I was heading out from the beach at 25 fsw, swimming about 3' off of the bottom over some rocks. Just as I looked at my computer, I felt a tug on my fin.

Looking back I see a piece of monofilament fishnet caught on my fin buckle and the other end is caught on a rock. As I reach back to free it, a large scorpion fish begins to struggle in the net. Egad! I think, what now! Stretching out the net, I have lifted the fish off of the bottom and now he is really struggling. So far, he is only banging against my fin, but I was afraid the net would come loose from the rock and he would wrap it around my ankle.

For some reason that morning, I had strapped on my larger dive tool. These days, I usually carry a folding one in my BC pocket. Boy, was I glad to have something a little longer and easy to reach to cut the net from my buckle.

After I was free, I spent about five minutes trying to cut him free. I'd put a rock on the net, then wait for him to calm down and use the tool to cut a section away. When there was a few inches left, he just would not sit still. I was afraid I would hurt him, so I let him go. Hopefully, I got enough of the net off, so he won't get trapped again.

I'm approaching 200 dives, but this was the first time I thought I might be in trouble. On the plus side, my computer barely showed a change in my SAC rate.

Some photographer I am though, I never thought about taking a picture...

 

[Stoo]

After the dive, I got a new nick name "Hans Solo".

I had the same nick name years ago, but I think it was in reference to my love life... :depressed:

 

[jimthediver]

I've made hundreds of solo dives, it's my preferred way to dive especially on wrecks. A couple really stand out in my memory. The first is what has turned out to be my last Great Lakes wreck dive. The Newell A. Eddy is schooner that sunk in a November gale while being towed through the Straights of Mackinaw. The tow cable broke. The crew on the Eddy could not get her sails up because everything was frozen over with ice. They could see they were going to drift back over a shoal area so they dropped her anchors to try and save her. It was all for naught because she dragged the anchors and as she drifted over the shoal, her rudder caught ripping it and her transom off sending her and her crew to the bottom. There she lay until she was discoved sitting upright and almost completely intact in the summer of 1992.

A friend of a friend ran his boat out of the Straits and invited us to come up and dive the wreck with him the third weekend of November before he pulled his boat for the winter. It was snowing and the wind was blowing a gale, not unlike the weather that sent her to the bottom, all weekend. We were about to give up and go home when or friend told us the wind was shifting which would put the wreck in the lee of an island a short way from the wreck and it might knock down the waves enough so we could get on the wreck. It was late and getting dark when we got out there. It was snowing and it was pretty rough. Our friend and his wife told us they were not going to dive so my buddy and I suited up and went down. Just as we hit the wreck my buddy's primary started to free flow (here is when a manifold with a isolation valve would have come in handy). He switched to his pony waved goodbye and headed back up. I proceeded to tour the wreck on my own. I was completely dark but the water was very clear so with my big light I could really see well down the wreck. The masts and all of the standing rigging were intact. The sail hoops all still on the mast, sail rings littering the deck and some remanants of the running rigging still wrapped around the belaying pins. Her bow sprit disappeared out into the gloom and I ducked under it too see the figure head which had been partially broken away in a docking incident early the year she went down. Her broken name boards were still there, reading Newell A. on one side and A. Eddy on the other. Her anchor clains were running out in front back towards the shoal that ruined her. I went around the wreck a couple of times, it was amazing! Near the end of my dive I was back at the bow and I paused at the capstan with its beautiful brass cover with her name and builder on it. I was looking out through the rigging at her bowsprit disappearing into the dark . In the background I could hear the ghostly clanking of the mooring chain of a navigation bouy that now marks the shoal, it was spine tingling!

I reluctantly tore myself away and headed up the anchor line to start a very long deco that seemed to go by quicky for me (not so quickly for those on the boat!)as I savored the tremendous experience I had just had.

jimthediver

Live to dive, dive to live!

 

[grf88]

The solo dive that is most impressed into my memory was during my introduction to scuba. I was visiting Cozumel in 1979 and towards the end of my stay I decided to check out scuba diving. I met a dive operator at Chankanaab Lagoon who put me in scuba gear and showed me how to operate it. I then went with a divemaster for a 20 minute dive on the adjacent reef where he took me through a swimthrough that was totally dark. When we returned the divemaster and instructor asked me what I thought and I said that I really enjoyed it but found the walls of fish quite disconcerting, remember this was 1979. They then gave me a fresh tank and said come back when it was empty. As I entered the water they threw in a full loaf of bread to make sure I had plent of fish surrounding me. I now went for my fist solo dive and got thoroughly lost with no landmarks that I recognised but not knowing any better I continued the dive until the reg started to show some resistance pulled on the reserve and surfaced quite some way from the entry point. The next day I did two drift dives on the Palancar reef at about 70 feet. The equipment consisted of a horse collar BC and a reg, no pressure gauge or depth gauge.

When I returned to Canada I got certified and at that point discovered that my intro to scuba had been somewhat unconventional.

 

[drbill]

Hmmm... there have been several thousand of them starting with my very first time on SCUBA in 1961-62. Unfortunately, being an old geezer, I can't remember many of them.

Perhaps the first time I did a solo night dive. That put some of my fears to rest and I look forward to diving at night these days to take underwater video of "the night shift."

 

[Travis B]

Two for me,, my first was well my first solo dive,, just enjoying beeing alone doing my valve drills and some line drills while exploring the only local lake that is driveable for me after work,, as there isnt alot of diving in saskatchewan, which means there isnt alot of people to dive with either.it was a nice relaxing 106 mins dive with a max depth of 35' in 58f water.
my second was my longest dive with al80s at 126 mins in the same lake,, surfacing under the stars was amazing the dive was very similiar as i continued to practice skills and line drills, water was the same temp at depths, my bottom times had increased with the solo dives as i was alot more comfortable and relaxed. I continue to enjoy my solo dives as i have said that is one of the only ways i can get in the water because of where i live.

 

[koyote1111]

I did my first solo dives this past Spring in an effort to complete the mapping project requirement for my Divemaster Cert. I was assigned "Dead Mans Reef". The reef is in Laguna Beach...near Seal Rock. It involves a 200 yard surface swim and is at a depth of roughly 45 - 60 fsw. I ended up going solo perhaps six times to the reef (had a buddy on the other "trips").

Most memorable...my first solo safety stop (after 40-50 minutes cruising Deadmans). I felt a whoosh of water around me...didn't think much about it. Then felt something tugging on my fin.......ok, a bit nervous now. Yes...a seal or sea lion had decided to play with me during my safety stop on my first solo dive.

Loved it...and it made for a great story!

 

[bl6394]

Dove the SS Wisconsin Solo. The others on the boat were doing rec profiles - and I was doing a longer deco profile.

Very nice to have the boat to myself. Such a peaceful place to be. 39 degrees, 60 foot vis. - and little current on the bottom. Got a few nice pictures.

After 30 minutes bottom time, I ascended to do some light deco (about 12 minutes) and noticed the anchor line was moving quite a bit.

Clearing deco - I found strong current on the surface and 4-5 foot waves. The captain called the trip shortly thereafter - half the people on the boat were sea sick - but that one dive of the day was awesome.