PADI Self Reliant vs SDI Solo

[MXGratefulDiver]

I was speaking with the dive operations manager of a popular resort in Bonaire about solo certs last December when I was down there. He claimed that they have someone with a cert ask about solo diving once or twice a year... if that.

Solo diving might be a big discussion point here on SB... but it's a tempest in a teapot in the larger real-world of scuba diving.

In Bonaire, why would anybody need to ask? I mean, most of Bonaire is shore diving ... all you need to do is suit up and walk into the water. Who's going to stop you from diving solo if you want to? FWIW - I've solo dived in Bonaire many times, and never asked permission from anyone.

My guess is that there are a lot more solo divers in Bonaire than that dive operations manager is aware of ... he only gets the ones who want to solo off his dive ops' boat, and that represents a tiny minority of Bonaire divers.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

---------- Post added May 27th, 2015 at 01:06 PM ----------

Just go take a NAUI Open Water course. According to NAUI, it should provide you sufficient skills for solo diving.

NAUI's STAND ON SOLO DIVING AND SOLO CERTIFICATION

Excerpt:


Of course, that doesn't bring in extra "specialty card" revenue for the instructor...

Hmmm ... from the article ...

Where does NAUI stand on solo diving and solo diving certification?
Nowhere is diving with a partner mandated in our Standards and Policies.

That is not correct. I don't have the Standards & Policies manual handy at the moment, but I do remember reading in it an official position that NAUI is committed to promoting diving with a buddy. I'll look it up this evening and post the exact wording ... as it's been a few years since I last read it. My NAUI Standards & Policies manual was purchased when I became a divemaster in 2003 ... which was 2 years after that article was written ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[drrich2]

In Bonaire, why would anybody need to ask? I mean, most of Bonaire is shore diving ... all you need to do is suit up and walk into the water. Who's going to stop you from diving solo if you want to? FWIW - I've solo dived in Bonaire many times, and never asked permission from anyone.

I don't know. 2 Scenarios come to mind:

1.) Some people seem to feel the need to proceed almost compulsively 'by the book.' If the disclaimer they sign at the dive shop to use tanks & services says something to the effect buddy diving only then while using that op.'s tanks, weights, etc..., they feel bound unless they obtain official permission otherwise.

Which harkens back to some of those strong debates some of us have had about not disclosing medical conditions on liability release forms to avoid being denied services.

2.) People who want to rent a pony bottle & reg. set to use on their solo dives, as is taught in the SDI Solo Diver course for example, as an independent redundant gas supply.

When a diver walks up to the dive shop and asks to rent this, there are 2 ways I see it could go:

1.) Wal-mart style. We sell it, you buy it, no questions, cash or charge?

or

2.) Busy body staffer asks why you want it. Then you admit intention to solo or lie about it.

When I dove with Buddy Dive in May 2014, I put forth the SDI Solo Diver cert. card up front, rather than risk running into any potential hassles. Especially since I did several dives at the house reef.

Richard.

 

[BFRedrocks]

From what I've heard, there is no solo diving "allowed" on Grand Cayman. Obviously with as much shore diving as there is there, I am fairly certain there is a lot of solo diving happening anyway, but it seems that at least for dive op's and those that ask, they do not "allow" it.

 

[redacted]

When I dove with Buddy Dive in May 2014, I put forth the SDI Solo Diver cert. card up front, rather than risk running into any potential hassles. Especially since I did several dives at the house reef.

Richard.

Did they accept it?

 

[uncfnp]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but 200 yds swimming in full scuba gear, which includes fins, a snorkel if wanted, and a BC to keep you afloat, should be extremely easy. Personally I would think it should be much more demanding than that. How 'self reliant' can you be in the water if you can't swim a reasonable distance with the advantages of mask/fins/snorkel? I'm sure that won't be a very popular opinion!

I guess 'reasonable distance' is the tricky part, but to me it seems 4 lengths of a pool total is very minimal. I agree that the pace doesn't matter, and the extra drag and mass of scuba gear would make fast swimming quite a bit more strenuous.

Remember, this is a surface swim. A snorkel and mask are useless. And now that I think about it, I probably didn't use my fins very effectively at the surface. I kept thinking that if I could just drop a foot or two this would be much easier.

Then too, this is open water. Tides and surface currents may be a factor, as it was in mine.

I'm still not clear why the swim test should be harder then the current standard for solo. It's not like I think a buddy would carry me to safety if I was buddy diving.

 

[RJP]

In Bonaire, why would anybody need to ask? I mean, most of Bonaire is shore diving ... all you need to do is suit up and walk into the water. Who's going to stop you from diving solo if you want to? FWIW - I've solo dived in Bonaire many times, and never asked permission from anyone.

My guess is that there are a lot more solo divers in Bonaire than that dive operations manager is aware of ... he only gets the ones who want to solo off his dive ops' boat, and that represents a tiny minority of Bonaire divers.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[sigh]

I wasn't making a "Bonaire" point but rather a "dive industry" point. Which, given that the resort in question has 4-5 boats and probably has 100 divers/day shore diving on site, is probably reasonably reflective of the overall demand/popularity of solo-diving overall... Bonaire peculiarities notwithstanding.

---------- Post added May 27th, 2015 at 08:56 PM ----------

Hmmm ... from the article ...

Where does NAUI stand on solo diving and solo diving certification?
Nowhere is diving with a partner mandated in our Standards and Policies.

That is not correct. I don't have the Standards & Policies manual handy at the moment, but I do remember reading in it an official position that NAUI is committed to promoting diving with a buddy.

I have no idea what NAUI's solo diving stance actually is... but it's very possible for an organization to be "committed to promoting" something without actually "mandating" it.

---------- Post added May 27th, 2015 at 09:05 PM ----------

Way to twist his words. Anecdotal is not a plural of anecdote. Anecdotal is an adjective.

Twist 'em all you want. To the point of missing the point, if you like. The concept of "anecdotal data" is an oxymoron of the highest order.

PS - if you want to be on the grammar/usage squad you'll need to come around to the fact that the word "data" is plural. So the phrase "anecdotal data" is, by definition, a "plural" construction. (Oxymoronic as it may be.)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

You may be right ... the only thing I can find on short notice is from the NAUI Credo (Standards & Procedures, page 1.10) - We believe in the traditional concept of the buddy system for diving.

I'm reasonably certain I've seen a stronger worded position than that somewhere, but I don't have time to look for it at the moment ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Wookie]

You may be right ... the only thing I can find on short notice is from the NAUI Credo (Standards & Procedures, page 1.10) - We believe in the traditional concept of the buddy system for diving.

I'm reasonably certain I've seen a stronger worded position than that somewhere, but I don't have time to look for it at the moment ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I suspect you are both right, depending on whether you read about NAUI solo before 2001 or after.

How young is too young?

 

[drrich2]

Did they accept it?

Yes, no problem.

Richard.

 

[tursiops]

I suspect you are both right, depending on whether you read about NAUI solo before 2001 or after.

How young is too young?

The last two sentences of your link (Mike Ball Expeditions has a special protocol to qualify guests as solo divers. I suspect that if presented with a Solo card by a new guest, they would say, "Very pretty. Now let's see if you can qualify to solo dive with us.") is exactly what happened to me, on exactly that boat.