Not Knowing what I don't know...

[dave4868]

4. My comment wasn't so much about the gas usage, but that is one big tank to be lugging around and balance out - combine that with a pony and you will go negative really easily if you have any bladder or inflater issues - it would seem something like LP or a HP 100 might be a better option, but that is up to you.

Your other tips were all useful and important considerations for a solo diver, but I'd agree with the OP on the value of more air versus less, since buoyancy devices rarely fail and there are contingencies for that.

I bring an HP120 and al30 on all my dives, which are mostly shore dives less than 40' deep. That much gas gives me lots of options by providing time to deal with issues. Extending my dive time simply for pleasure is another....

Dave C

 

[PvtStash]

5. Also I did not add this the first time, but learning to deploy a lift bag or sausage from depth is also another skill you need to master. This is your back-up in case of a bladder failure, and can mark your or aid in doing a safety stop.

All IMHO.

I hadnt thought I'd need to get a dsmb until I'd left the quarry, but I can see the utility... I'll add it to the list thx.

 

[Ardy]

If you are planning to dive without redundant air to start off with I would suggest you need to be able to do a CESA and have practiced this skill. You should still be able to do this regardless in my opinion.

A jamb open of your fill valve to your BCD and how you bring it back under control is another thing you need to understand, I occasionally grab at the overfill valve to make sure it is instinctive. I have had this happen.

Size of the redundant air is a big question in 2 parts. 1. is it big enough for me to get my ass out of there if there is another problem to solve ie entanglement and is it comfortable and easy to carry. 2. If you do buddy diving with your redundant air is it big enough for a panicked buddy to breath on back to the surface.

Never had these things happen but I have considered:

What to do if weight belt fell off. I have considered taking the BCD off the tank and reg on ascent to reduce lift. I used to dive without a BCD.

What if the computer malfunctions. Have you an alternate contents gauge?

Getting caught in a down current and how to handle this. Still working on this one.


Regarding awareness during Solo dives I always get my antenna at full alert if one small thing goes wrong ie a strap broken or a leak. A second event can be a critical situation and could kill you a third situation has a high chance of being fatal.

These days the slightest issue going wrong and I am out of there regardless of the photo ops I am leaving behind.

 

[Sas]

I appreciate your input... , do You know of any "what if" scenarios that one should consider/be able to deal with/have a plan for before going Solo ?

For the kind of Specific diving/location I'm asking about I dont see Any difficulties with an answer of "Surface" when faced with a problem.

It sounds pretty straightforward, but to that kind of response I usually hear the "well you dont know what you dont know"...

Ok fine so Tell me... ?

This is the type of stuff I practice, not just for diving solo but I just like to have this stuff down pat for all types of diving:

-mask removal and replacement, sometimes with my main mask and sometimes I swap to my spare mask (which I was comfortable with well before dive 50 in cold water it is easy to get comfortable quickly with this if you practice kidsdream)
-reg retrieval as well as switching to my occy
-getting my knife and shears out of their various locations
-launching an SMB midwater, often in a strong current
-ditch n don of BC, also making sure I can dump air quickly if need be - like can grab the dump valves straight away without fumbling around

I don't carry redundant air on the type of solo dives I am doing now, but if I did I would also practice switching to a pony (which I have done a bit of before actually). Same if I had doubles, depending on what type I would be practicing dealing with problems that can occur with those. I would want to be quite comfortable with these before I was to start solo diving with new equipment.

Also, with these, it is important that you are staying in the same place. I know when I was a new diver I couldn't remove and replace my mask without starting to float either up or down. Same with launching an SMB, I could change depths of +/- 1-2m, which is not ideal.

There are also other things that can go wrong, how have you handled things that have gone badly? That was another thing I considered before starting to solo dive, thought back over problems and evaluated whether I handled them well enough in buddy diving to be comfortable on my own. That is the biggest imho, "not knowing what I don't know" issue, is that a lot of people overestimate their ability to deal with bad situations. You have to be very honest with yourself too, which might be hard if you haven't done particularly well at handling problems.

Situational awareness is good to have too. I.e. if there are entanglement hazards around, then you should be spotting them before you get tangled, thereby avoiding having to untangle yourself at all. This relates to another issue that a few people have mentioned which is that it is rarely one thing that goes wrong to cause an u/w problem, but usually a bunch of things that have cumulated into a big problem. As a newer diver I know I would not recognise the early stages but these days I do and often address small problems before they become big ones, that is something that came to me with experience.

And you also have to be quite willing to call a dive even for small problems cos if your head is not in the game it is not worth keeping diving. I planned a 90min solo dive the other day and finished it 30mins early just because I didn't feel 100% happy with the dive. I hate finishing dives early and there were heaps of awesome things to see, but the poor viz was worsening and there was increasing surge so I figured it was prudent to get out.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Going back to the title of the thread: There are basically three problem situations.
>Known-Known: In this situation you know there problem could arise and you can take proper measures to solve the problem. Broken or lost mask is an example. You know the problem can exist and you know how to surmount it. Known-Known
>Known-Unknown: Here you know the problem can exist but you don't specifically know how to overcome it. But, you can think about some strategy to minimize the risk and/or eliminate it. DCS is a scuba example. We know the possibility exists. No one knows exactly what causes DCS, or exactly avoid it. But, we do know using certain dive profiles appears to minimize the risk.
>Then there are the Unknown-Unknowns. Not only do you not know how to solve the problem you don't even know the problem exists. Something like the adage: He doesn't have a clue. He not only doesn't know the anwers, he doesn't know the questions to ask. The Unk-Unks are what bites even the most thoughtful.

Of course, as long as you have breathing gas you have time to solve the problem. Hope is not lost as long as you can breathe and have enough will power to regognize it.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

A good test:



If you have to ask other divers if you're ready to dive solo then you're not ready.



It has less to do with what equipment you decide to carry on a solo dive, and everything to do with reaching a level of confidence in your diving that you know you can plan for and handle any unforeseen problems by yourself. This confidence should come from past experiences.


Remember as well it's not individual problems that normally kills divers: it's often when a series of problems occur and overload a diver past his comfort level. An example: bad swell leading to a lost mask leading to overexertion leading to overbreathing leading to confusion, distraction, a serious mistake then panic. Insert whatever combination of other equipment failures and water conditions you want. You should be confident that your watercraft can stem this chain before it becomes unpleasant.

Trying to solve these issues by carrying additional equipment is all good and well, but the location and deployment of this extra gear should already be second nature: as you may be under duress when you need it.

cheers,
Rohan.

 

[Ardy]

Another thing I carried in the early days was a reel. I would use it in low vis or strong current when I wanted to be sure of getting back to the anchor I came from.

These days I dont dive in strong current I have to swim against and seriously low vis isnt an issue if you dont travel far in it ie less than 15m which is what I do and watch for each object and count them back to where I came from. In fact I don't dislike very low vis these days as it forces me to concentrate on a small area.

The other thing that I ditched when I started SOLO diving was overhead diving. Don't do it now even in buddy situations.

 

[vshearer]

I don't consider myself a solo diver by choice, more by circumstances. What I have found is you have to be calm under all circumstances. Put Duct tape over your mask and dive your site. If you can do this you are good to go.

 

[gene1340]

Hi,
I have been diving solo for just over two years. While the style of north atlantic wreck diving is different from others, the mindset for solo diving shouldn't be. You sound like you are where I was two years ago.
I personally wouldn't dive solo without a backup mask, two knives and a line cutter, backup air(whether that be doubles or pony), I carry two wreck reels, a strobe for my anchor line, an smb, as well as a lift bag. I also carry a small "executive slate" that can be attached to an smb or liftbag with a message on it it something is needed below(100% 02, 50% 02 etc to decompress). Although I personally have never had to use this, I have had to send things down for others diving off of my boat before.
As others have said, you should be able to do complete mask replacement. I, on ocassion, competely remove my mask and replace it while swimming to keep it as fluid as I can. You should know your gear intimately. Meaning, with your eyes closed you should be able to reach for everything on your configuration, both on the boat or bench and while swimming in the water, stuck in monofilament, out of air, and so on and so forth.
When I was diving doubles I had two complete set-ups for my two sets that were identical. Guys used to tease me because I kept them exactly the same. I mean the exact same distance from the buckle to the backplate to knife and line cutter placement. I have switched to a rebreather since, but I have always kept the same gear configuration so that I always have my comfort zone as to where everything is.
My two cents and good luck,
Gene

 

[PvtStash]

A good test:



If you have to ask other divers if you're ready to dive solo then you're not ready.

which is why I specifically Didnt ask that...

what I Did ask was what other things might I consider in the Specific solo situation I described.

your "if you have to ask other divers" comment is much akin to the "your gonna die" crowd... its cutesy and flippant , but ultimately self-serving. imho.