Personal Limits to Solo Diving

[happy-diver]

I would consider diving with a buddy in strong current the most counterintuitive diving impossible

When drift diving, and the boat has to come back 1/4 mile for me through some strong current
I just tell them that the current grabbed and pressed me against a wreck and trapped me there

 

[Wibble]

As a solo diver, if you must have a 'buddy', the best 'buddy' is another solo diver -- or a dive leader who's showing you around the site, pointing out the interesting things.

Problem with the 'buddy' system is you're drawn in to looking after the other person rather than diving.

 

[roman50]

I think diving solo requires side mount (best trim) or a double with isolation valve or a pony which can get the diver safely from a target depth.

I think diving solo is perfectly fine when solo diver doesn't dive off a boat with other divers for whom the solo diver disappearance may spoil their diving vacation.

I think the most important thing by far is for a solo diver to know him/her selves well and being willing to abort the dive when things don't add up and/or are off. Like a slight hint of nausea or judgement impairment.

I all other cases if there was to be a solo diver fatality there would have been multiple casualties. Like from undertow currents, mad sharks or crocs or hippos etc.

So I think if there were widely published - and adopted - guidelines when it's ok to dive solo, like when the risks are same for one or multiple divers, it could help adoption of a solo diving.

I dive solo where I can because my picture and video capture timeline is a huge deterrent for prospective buddies. I dive side mount.

 

[markmud]

I think diving solo requires side mount (best trim) or a double with isolation valve or a pony which can get the diver safely from a target depth.

I think diving solo is perfectly fine when solo diver doesn't dive off a boat with other divers for whom the solo diver disappearance may spoil their diving vacation.

I think the most important thing by far is for a solo diver to know him/her selves well and being willing to abort the dive when things don't add up and/or are off. Like a slight hint of nausea or judgement impairment.

I all other cases if there was to be a solo diver fatality there would have been multiple casualties. Like from undertow currents, mad sharks or crocs or hippos etc.

So I think if there were widely published - and adopted - guidelines when it's ok to dive solo, like when the risks are same for one or multiple divers, it could help adoption of a solo diving.

I dive solo where I can because my picture and video capture timeline is a huge deterrent for prospective buddies. I dive side mount.

Hi roman50,

SSI, PADI, and SDI have a certification for solo diving. This course has prerequisites and teaches what you are discussing. SDI started the solo certification program going on 20 years ago.

I took a solo course. I thought it was very good. My instructor was excellent. He taught a lot more than required. My solo cert and my tech 40 cert were the best choices I have made for my diving avocation.

cheers,
m

 

[Wibble]

I think diving solo requires side mount (best trim) or a double with isolation valve or a pony which can get the diver safely from a target depth.

I think diving solo is perfectly fine when solo diver doesn't dive off a boat with other divers for whom the solo diver disappearance may spoil their diving vacation.

I think the most important thing by far is for a solo diver to know him/her selves well and being willing to abort the dive when things don't add up and/or are off. Like a slight hint of nausea or judgement impairment.

I all other cases if there was to be a solo diver fatality there would have been multiple casualties. Like from undertow currents, mad sharks or crocs or hippos etc.

So I think if there were widely published - and adopted - guidelines when it's ok to dive solo, like when the risks are same for one or multiple divers, it could help adoption of a solo diving.

I dive solo where I can because my picture and video capture timeline is a huge deterrent for prospective buddies. I dive side mount.

Most of the boats I dive off have no problems with solo, or as we call it, Independent diving. Basically if you need or want a buddy, then don’t forget to bring one.

Those boats that are solo hostile don’t get my business.

Regarding kit, obviously you use redundancy, be that backmount, sidemount or rebreather.

 

[roman50]

Those boats that are solo hostile don’t get my business.

'Saul Goodman' I'd like to quote but where I like to dive - the Red Sea Egypt - there are some rules and regs and so if diver gets missing it's like the end of the week for everyone.

I am fortunate that I dive on a boat where I know boat owner and they know me so when there is a coral garden they let me go alone and where there is a current and we dive off zodiac on zodiac they know that when I get lost I resurface near the rest of the group in about the same time but there are some locations where even that is not tolerated so I stick with the group.

What I wanted to say is that each situation is different and it would help to solo divers if there would be defined guidelines which could help adoption of solo divers not known to boat owners / trip leaders.

 

[shoredivr]

I don’t know about charters, but one of the quarries - White Star in OH, I think - specifically says that technical/cave certs do not qualify you to solo dive.

that is a ridiculous decision on their part IMO.

 

[RayfromTX]

that is a ridiculous decision on their part IMO.

Their decision is not well founded but it isn't ridiculous. They just look with fear at what their risk is compared to their reward. They have a system that works for them. Solo divers aren't part of their program and the possibility of losing some of the divers that want to dive solo isn't going to threaten their business. Some will go ahead and dive with the group or an instabuddy and some will pretend to. A few will get mad and go elsewhere. I suspect that will be a rare event in their big picture.

While it may not be fair or accommodating, it is far from ridiculous.

Lots of what I do is outside the cookie cutter nature of the mainstream dive industry. It would be great if people's rules didn't harsh my mellow but the reality is that it could be far far worse. There are no scuba cops and as long as we are safe and don't do stupid stuff, breaking the rules rarely has consequences like it can above the surface. Ours is a different game, where we mostly regulate ourselves and no-one is the wiser. I suspect that is why we get so upset when a boat or fill station won't let us do whatever we want. I probably should have kept these thoughts to myself like I usually do but what the heck.

 

[Jay Adams]

in the norheast diving with a buddy ultimately becomes diving solo, you have two choices here, spend the entire dive looking for your buddy, or enjoy the dive and surface when you're through,. we each take a flag so we know where the other is diving. but it is still a solo dive. When I actually dive solo I do not go alone at night, or in to current, i also limit my depth to about 40 feet. I am not certified solo, but I am a confident diver and know the areas I am diving in.

 

[Jay Adams]

I was recently on a charter and told my instabuddy before we even got in he was likely diving solo, as I was not used to seeing my buddy while diving, nevermind communicating with them...