Personal Limits to Solo Diving

[OTF]

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...

Sounds bad. I Hope you told them with plenty of time to find a new buddy, because most divers (even here in New England) are not trained, equipped, or interested in solo.

Question to the hive mind: What are your thoughts on solo diving from a boat without surface support - as in heading out alone and leaving the boat anchored unattended while diving? Seems that some people do it without a second thought while others treat it as incredibly dangerous.

 

[SlugLife]

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.

The main reason I solo-dive is because my first experiences outside of a class was my dive-buddy disappearing before I even got below the surface. Since then, I've basically been solo-diving, and do take care to stay within the limits of what I think I could handle in a catostrophic emergency solo. Most recently upgraded to having redundant air, and wish I had just done that long ago.

If you do the math on how much health-insurance costs, and look at redundant as insurance, is extremely inexpensive insurance. My advice (if you haven't done it already) is to get some cheap regulators and a 19cu (or larger) pony-bottle to act as a redundant air-source.

Sounds bad. I Hope you told them with plenty of time to find a new buddy, because most divers (even here in New England) are not trained, equipped, or interested in solo.

Question to the hive mind: What are your thoughts on solo diving from a boat without surface support - as in heading out alone and leaving the boat anchored unattended while diving? Seems that some people do it without a second thought while others treat it as incredibly dangerous.

I often dive from a boat, solo-dive, without "surface-support" other than someone watching the boat. It's my dive-buddy's boat, and we both solo-dive, with his wife or a friend watching the boat.

With nobody watching the boat, I'd be worried about the anchor coming free and the boat crashing into the shore. Theft might be another risk, depending on location. If it's a small or cheap enough boat, like an ultra-basic fishing boat, then maybe it's not a huge deal. I might suggest using two anchors.

Alternatively, you might consider going to a local popular dive-site, making a dive-buddy friend who also solo-dives, and then if they're cool enough offer to let them alternate dives from your boat. As someone who doesn't own a boat, I'd gladly take that deal, and split the gas, because the better sites in my area usually don't have easy shore-access.

 

[Dark Wolf]

Like many of the others, it depends. Mostly on how I am feeling. There are dives I will do solo, that I will not do with a buddy. If I plan a deep solo dive I can, and have, turned the dive. If narcosis is hitting me a little harder than normal, I will turn the dive. Vis gets too low, I may call the dive.

DW

 

[Wibble]

All dives are solo dives. With the exception of raw novices, you should never** rely on your buddy's resources to get you to the surface. You must be self reliant and take responsibility for your own safety.


** Exceptions for extreme dives with experienced divers with practiced team skills, e.g. v.deep with team bailout

 

[Jcp2]

All dives are solo dives. With the exception of raw novices, you should never** rely on your buddy's resources to get you to the surface. You must be self reliant and take responsibility for your own safety.


** Exceptions for extreme dives with experienced divers with practiced team skills, e.g. v.deep with team bailout

Nice to say but if that were really what should be agreed to then there wouldn’t be much of a scubaboard membership.

 

[Wibble]

Nice to say but if that were really what should be agreed to then there wouldn’t be much of a scubaboard membership.

You’d rather entrust your life to another rather than yourself?

"I" have skin in the game for "my" life. Nobody else does.

 

[markmud]

I probably should have kept these thoughts to myself like I usually do but what the heck.

Oh, so that's why I get responses full of hatred and vitriolic rhetoric when I make an "opinionated" post such as yours!

Ah screw it, keep up the good work, @RayfromTX.

Hello All,

I agree with Ray's post. We live in a society where following rules is a positive defense in the court room. Especially if you document your protocols, train your protocols, and then keep a paper trail from all of your participants. Let's just call it business 101.

I have a Tech 40 cert. Dive Ops allow me to dive to 130 feet, and in some circumstances, I can do up to 10 minutes of deco. I can sling a stage bottle with 50% O² deco gas. When the dive op makes a copy of my cert, they have proof that I have been trained to perform the type of diving the "we" have negotiated. They have a positive legal defense.

Does my Tech 40 card say that I can solo down to 130 feet? No. So, the dive op has no positive defense if they allow me to solo dive on my Tech 40. My Self-Reliant card is a different story. Will a dive op allow me to dive in overhead conditions? No. I am not trained for that.

Overall the system is better than having a government agency regulating every aspect of diving. Have you dealt with the USCG on regulatory issues?

Am I critical of some aspects of the system? You betch'a!

cheers,
m

 

[Wibble]

Aside from training and aside from diving in Spain (where there is a dive police) on "follow the DM sheepdog", I’ve never been asked to show a certification card. In fact there was once where a new gas monkey wouldn’t do a nitrox Phil without a card and he’d changed that after a day’s abuse.

In the 'States, is it common to need to show cards?

 

[markmud]

Aside from training and aside from diving in Spain (where there is a dive police) on "follow the DM sheepdog", I’ve never been asked to show a certification card. In fact there was once where a new gas monkey wouldn’t do a nitrox Phil without a card and he’d changed that after a day’s abuse.

In the 'States, is it common to need to show cards?

In the States it is common to show a cert card if you are diving with a dive op (established business).

There seems to be an industry wide standard in our greater area for the dive op to ask:

• for a cert card,
• when your last dive was,
• and sometimes they ask how many dives you have performed.

For shore diving or diving that is independent of a dive op, you are free to dive at will with no "papers". Getting a gas fill is usually allowed with a judgement-call from the dive op. They can figure out if you are getting a fill for diving or for paint ball. I have not been asked for a Nitrox card in years.

cheers,
m

 

[Cdncoldwater]

The main reason I solo-dive is because my first experiences outside of a class was my dive-buddy disappearing before I even got below the surface. Since then, I've basically been solo-diving, and do take care to stay within the limits of what I think I could handle in a catostrophic emergency solo. Most recently upgraded to having redundant air, and wish I had just done that long ago.

If you do the math on how much health-insurance costs, and look at redundant as insurance, is extremely inexpensive insurance. My advice (if you haven't done it already) is to get some cheap regulators and a 19cu (or larger) pony-bottle to act as a redundant air-source.



I often dive from a boat, solo-dive, without "surface-support" other than someone watching the boat. It's my dive-buddy's boat, and we both solo-dive, with his wife or a friend watching the boat.

With nobody watching the boat, I'd be worried about the anchor coming free and the boat crashing into the shore. Theft might be another risk, depending on location. If it's a small or cheap enough boat, like an ultra-basic fishing boat, then maybe it's not a huge deal. I might suggest using two anchors.

Alternatively, you might consider going to a local popular dive-site, making a dive-buddy friend who also solo-dives, and then if they're cool enough offer to let them alternate dives from your boat. As someone who doesn't own a boat, I'd gladly take that deal, and split the gas, because the better sites in my area usually don't have easy shore-access.

Sounds like you are trying the right things but I would suggest the Solo or Self Reliant course when you are able to as it opens your eyes to potential risks, helps with planning and can introduce new skills.I frequently got separated and dive in very poor viz but didn't "solo" until certified. I did learn a lot on the journey prior to solo such as nav, kicks to reduce/eliminate stirring up silt etc while diving with a few people I like.