OK, 'fess up.... the Dark Side of Solo...

[Reku]

One time I hovered in one place for 2 hours without moving - that would not have been feasible with a buddy.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I dive solo because if I had not, I would not be able to dive the majority of times. I probably would have given up diving, as there was no one available to dive with when I wanted to dive. That was 30-40 years ago. Now, I dive in spots in the Clackamas River that few have the skills to dive, including diving under rapids, against 3-5 knot currents, etc. It makes for a good workout, but it also allows me to see some things no one else has ever seen, such as the effects of warm river water on the salmon run in the river.
Please watch my video, Salmon in Trouble, to see what I mean.

SeaRat

 

[savsuds]

I never got to become an astronaut like I always wanted to. Diving to the bottom, clipping my fins to a lanyard and picking up 10lbs of rocks helps me practice my moon walking skills without being judged by anyone except the Japanese tourist divers being lead by their DM.

 

[northernone]

...true skin diving, with just mask, fins, tank and reg...

No Japanese tourists around thankfully.

 

[jodylynn007]

Thanks for bringing this thread back to life, I was not around these parts when it began, nor was I a solo diver at that time either.

I can't add much more than what has already been said other than because of the freedom of choice, to choose to dive solo or not, I now have the freedom to PICK my buddies or NOT pick one and dive solo and that has me enjoying my dives 100% of the time for all the reasons stated above. I enjoy the best of both worlds, diving with perfect buddies and diving perfectly solo, I'm never stuck with someone less than ideal anymore, thank heavens.

 

[lowviz]

My go-to *heart* LDS closed for real. *sigh*

I've since been denying reality and existing off transfills and duct tape. OK, get a grip.

Worser yet, some $%*#@!!*& mouse decided to use my drysuit for a nest. I clean and dry everything then put it all into a plastic bin. Shoved too many bins on the shelf, lid folded open. Mouse sees an opportunity.

Evie to the rescue. (first woman on the Andrea Doria and all that...) Now, those of you who know her will love this. "Dudas Diving Duds" was all her. She made suits for the gals when there was no other source. That name also drove the jocks insane. I mean, like, Dude! I'm a diving DUD? It says so on my tank!

Anyway, I come crying and she smiles. Works me like a rented mule for a day. Finally the suit. "Look in that bin for some cut neo with fabric on one side." No! Not that, keep looking. How about this? Yeah.

Listening to insane stories about the past while she patches my suit.

What do I owe you? She smiles, "You're good".

Solo.

It is all about people. But not while you are diving...

 

[Frontpointer1000]

Lowviz. Poetic.

Solo.

It is all about people. But not while you are diving...

View attachment 383028 View attachment 383029

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Last Monday I dove, suit, BC (my own design), Mar-Vel Backpack with weights in it, and had a great dive. Here's what I wrote in the Vintage Scuba Supply site:

I went diving at High Rocks again today. It was a full wet suit day with gloves, as the water temp is in the low 50s F. Water level was higher by about half a foot because of recent rains, nut clear. Fall is here, leaves are dropping, and the freshwater sponge is breaking up and forming what looks like egg masses. I saw few fish, and no salmon or steelhead, and no smolts either. I did see one rainbow trout, a bass and a few suckers.

I wanted to get wet at least one more time, but used my Marvel weighted back pack with my AIR-1 regulator (which has developed a slight HP leak. I also had my revitalized Suunto Cobra dive computer, as I can find out the actual water temperature.

As I was approaching the exit, a Hispanic family was watching, and as I switched to my snorkel, the mother reached down to grab something, then I saw a crawdad flapping away. So I put my second stage back into my mouth, went in pursuit and grabbed the crawdad. Surfacing, I reached up over the Rock and handed it to her. The crawdad grabbed my glove with its claw as she took it from my hand. She was speaking in Spanish, so we really could not communicate, but one of the children was there, and I could talk to him. I struggled a but to get out of my fins, then told him that the exit was the hardest part of the dive as I worked to find good footing on the slick rocks. I told him I had been diving a long time, and he asked "How long?" I replied, "since I was your age (he looked about 13). I had found a really nice piece of knotted wood on the bottom, and was trying to figure out how to carry it, along with my fins, mask and dive flag. As I was doing all that, the family had to move on, so I couldn't talk with the kid anymore (I think it was a teacher in-service day, so the kids weren't in school).

Well, tomorrow I will be at the hearing on the Clackamas River water removal, and if asked when was the last time I was in the river, I can truly say, "Yesterday."

John
http://vintagescuba.proboards.com/thread/3764/river-dive-salmon?page=2&scrollTo=34254

It was a good dive, and I got to talk with a kid who may become a diver as a result (you never can tell).

SeaRat

 

[TMHeimer]

I solo dive for almost all of the reasons listed (of course, I haven't read it all). Started because my early on regular buddy moved and hooking up with someone when the vast majority of divers are at least 50 miles away was just too much of a bother. Regular (basically weekly) diving is my routine, and being retired, there is nothing much to stop me if I'm solo.

 

[Killerflyingbugs]

I solo dive because it doesn't scare the fish, most people I have dove with can't or won't dive were I like to (lots of current or the man in the gray suit), and I can be as selfish as I want on the dive