I wrote this and got carried away with a long post! Not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs, but this is what I do and why I do it....
Most of my dives are solo even if I'm diving with others. I don't like taking responsibility for other divers and refuse to play the instabuddy game - the DiveMASTERs are paid for that, I'm paying for my own diving. It's an attitude; think ahead and be responsible for yourself; have redundancy -- if it's important take two or three (knives, computers, torches, SMBs, lining off spools, double-enders, etc.). Calculate your gas needs to assume things go wrong and at the worst time, so with deco, how will you cope if one of your deco gasses fails? Practice bailouts and shutdowns on every dive (if on a twinset it's just to do a valve check). Don't dive narked, use mix when required. Don't skimp on equipment and servicing...
The night before get your kit together. Double check that you've got everything - including the drysuit! Build your kit up. If using a rebreather go though all the checklists for building, testing and calibrating your kit. If your checklist says analyse your gas, then analyse it, don't rely on what's on the bottles; assume your mate Murphy's playing with you.
Arrive in plenty of time for ropes-off. Unload some of your kit on the quayside if possible. Get into a routine of carrying your bags and kit to the boat so you don't forget anything. Tie your box / twinset to the boat. If you get there early you've got the choice of the best place to sit. Keep your kit tidy.
On the boat, get your act together. Be methodical. Do your prebreathe checks well in advance. Allow plenty of time to get kitted up. Checking each item as it goes into your drysuit pockets (two backup SMBs, spare knife, spools, mask, wetnotes...). Connect your pee valve and suit heater before zipping up. Put your dryglove 'strings' under your cuffs. Prepare your bailout / stage cylinders. Make sure everything's laid out and to hand before you climb into your harness (gloves, hood, fins, mask and untie your unit before you buckle up!). If someone or something disturbs you during this process tell them to go away and start again. Check the gas at least 3 times along with all regulators, the drysuit hose and wing (have been on a boat where someone died because they didn't turn their gas on).
Before jumping in run through your preflight mental and equipment checklists once more. Gas on? Ensure your suit's properly sealed. Mask? Fins? Drygloves? Are you breathing? Check your gauges. Puff some gas into your drysuit and wing.
When jumping in, check that all's well and down the shot line, then move off and chill. Do a bailout (if CCR); check your gas; check the deco stages are all sorted and hoses stowed; bungee the bailouts back (I rig them sidemount style); check pressures; check computers (both of them) have the right gas selected, setpoints, etc. Check the primary SMB's properly clipped on and nothing's out of place. Calculate and memorise your minimum gas / max TTS / max bottom time. Check one last time for anything loose. If the visibility's poor and "must return to shot", line off.
Then chill and enjoy your time with nature. Make sure that you're thinking ahead and monitoring everything especially your PPO2 (if on CCR). When penetrating the wreck check that nothing's dangling and your gas is fine, line in if necessary, always backreference. In short monitor everything and be aware of what's around you especially if the vis is poor. Be careful as you progress.
For the ascent, think ahead -- you've memorised your TTS/gas/BT so will be well aware of when the bottom phase is coming to and end. Be competent with putting up the SMB and decide early if you're going to use a backup SMB (e.g. the primary's tangled/got caught/whatever). Always check above you before launching it. Don't drop the spool! If it snags whilst ascending, let it go; you've got backups and the boat will pick it up. If practised and dived up, put some friction of the unwinding spool/reel to give you a starter lift but don't overcook it. As ascending dump the wing, suit, counterlungs, monitor your PPO2 and inject O2 as necessary. But don't overdo it and if you do, simply pause and get your act together (the challenge here is when there's a current running and the SMB went off sideways; if you're holding on to the SMB, you may well swing under it and descend, which is a particular pain for your PPO2). A big reel's massively easier to handle than a little one - less winding. Nobody's keeping a score; just make it a safe ascent. Slow down as you get to your stop.
And relaxxxxx. Adjust the reel; check and set minimum loop volume; clean up your buoyancy (I tend to wind in the suit dump a bit for more drysuit buoyancy and less wing buoyancy). If OC prepare your first deco stage if you're near your stop. This will be to check that it is pressurised (then turned off), there's enough gas and that you're ready for the correct stage checking the MOD you wrote on the neck label the night before; preparation never hurt anyone. When your computerS tell you, ascend slowly to the next stop. (Interesting, although obvious, the wrist mounted computer (Petrel controller) will require slightly longer deco times than the face mounted Nerd - as my hands will tend to be lower than my face). If changing deco gas at the next stop when you get there, stop. Check the depth. Check the MOD on the label. Pull out the reg. Trace it back. Turn on. Purge. Validate your depth is above the MOD. Only then remove the old reg and wrap it around your neck and breathe (with a purge). Change gas on your computerS. Clip off or tidy the stage. Chill. Rinse and repeat up to the surface.
The reason for this 'attitude' is that where I dive the visibility is generally not that good and I like slowly moving around a wreck looking at the flora & fauna and details of the wreck. This can be very difficult with a buddy where you have to be watching/monitoring them all the time and especially if they're not an experienced team diver (e.g. torch protocols). I also enjoy doing deco alone; it's the zen-like solace of not being able to go to the surface for some time, setting one's buoyancy and letting the SMB spool/reel bounce up and down below or in front as you zone out, almost meditating. It's amazing how fast an hour passes at deco. Far easier than coming up with a "magnetic" diver.
I fail to see how much more of a risk this is than diving with other people who may be relying on me. They should bring their own skills; or I have to have explicitly agreed to the condition of babysitting them in advance. Of course I'd help someone in trouble.
What with circumstances out of my control? If you have a heart attack... you die. We've all got to go sometime. Even if you were with a buddy and had a heart attack you'd probably die, especially if you've a fair deco obligation. Stuff happens; mitigate it as far as you can. Be careful. I'm someone who is comfortable with that approach to life. If I had a motorbike I could be knocked off and killed; have a heart attack and die; even walking in the woods is dangerous.
Most of the people I dive with are like this. We're all fine on the boat and may jump in together. It's just that we don't have to come up together. Occasionally I may dive with other people and we may stay together for part or all of the dive, but separate if and as we find something more interesting to see. Sometimes we may signal each other with a wave. The classic thumbs up and wave goodbye!
Take responsibility for yourself. Only YOU know if you're ready for solo diving or should do it even if you are. There's no course that you can rely upon; even the fabled SDI Solo Diver *workshop* only tests that you've got some of the skills, it doesn't tell you that YOU are ready, nor that YOU are ready for that specific dive.
BTW other rules I stick to...
Make sure you're dived up; do buildup dives at the beginning of the season.
Never change more than one thing, so if you're using a new SMB+reel, using two or three stages, different gasses, depth, do only one change and make sure the rest of the dive is like your last one (depth, deco, etc.)
The principle things are to think ahead and be prepared; you, your skills, your kit, your planning. And enjoy the dive.
Most of my dives are solo even if I'm diving with others. I don't like taking responsibility for other divers and refuse to play the instabuddy game - the DiveMASTERs are paid for that, I'm paying for my own diving. It's an attitude; think ahead and be responsible for yourself; have redundancy -- if it's important take two or three (knives, computers, torches, SMBs, lining off spools, double-enders, etc.). Calculate your gas needs to assume things go wrong and at the worst time, so with deco, how will you cope if one of your deco gasses fails? Practice bailouts and shutdowns on every dive (if on a twinset it's just to do a valve check). Don't dive narked, use mix when required. Don't skimp on equipment and servicing...
The night before get your kit together. Double check that you've got everything - including the drysuit! Build your kit up. If using a rebreather go though all the checklists for building, testing and calibrating your kit. If your checklist says analyse your gas, then analyse it, don't rely on what's on the bottles; assume your mate Murphy's playing with you.
Arrive in plenty of time for ropes-off. Unload some of your kit on the quayside if possible. Get into a routine of carrying your bags and kit to the boat so you don't forget anything. Tie your box / twinset to the boat. If you get there early you've got the choice of the best place to sit. Keep your kit tidy.
On the boat, get your act together. Be methodical. Do your prebreathe checks well in advance. Allow plenty of time to get kitted up. Checking each item as it goes into your drysuit pockets (two backup SMBs, spare knife, spools, mask, wetnotes...). Connect your pee valve and suit heater before zipping up. Put your dryglove 'strings' under your cuffs. Prepare your bailout / stage cylinders. Make sure everything's laid out and to hand before you climb into your harness (gloves, hood, fins, mask and untie your unit before you buckle up!). If someone or something disturbs you during this process tell them to go away and start again. Check the gas at least 3 times along with all regulators, the drysuit hose and wing (have been on a boat where someone died because they didn't turn their gas on).
Before jumping in run through your preflight mental and equipment checklists once more. Gas on? Ensure your suit's properly sealed. Mask? Fins? Drygloves? Are you breathing? Check your gauges. Puff some gas into your drysuit and wing.
When jumping in, check that all's well and down the shot line, then move off and chill. Do a bailout (if CCR); check your gas; check the deco stages are all sorted and hoses stowed; bungee the bailouts back (I rig them sidemount style); check pressures; check computers (both of them) have the right gas selected, setpoints, etc. Check the primary SMB's properly clipped on and nothing's out of place. Calculate and memorise your minimum gas / max TTS / max bottom time. Check one last time for anything loose. If the visibility's poor and "must return to shot", line off.
Then chill and enjoy your time with nature. Make sure that you're thinking ahead and monitoring everything especially your PPO2 (if on CCR). When penetrating the wreck check that nothing's dangling and your gas is fine, line in if necessary, always backreference. In short monitor everything and be aware of what's around you especially if the vis is poor. Be careful as you progress.
For the ascent, think ahead -- you've memorised your TTS/gas/BT so will be well aware of when the bottom phase is coming to and end. Be competent with putting up the SMB and decide early if you're going to use a backup SMB (e.g. the primary's tangled/got caught/whatever). Always check above you before launching it. Don't drop the spool! If it snags whilst ascending, let it go; you've got backups and the boat will pick it up. If practised and dived up, put some friction of the unwinding spool/reel to give you a starter lift but don't overcook it. As ascending dump the wing, suit, counterlungs, monitor your PPO2 and inject O2 as necessary. But don't overdo it and if you do, simply pause and get your act together (the challenge here is when there's a current running and the SMB went off sideways; if you're holding on to the SMB, you may well swing under it and descend, which is a particular pain for your PPO2). A big reel's massively easier to handle than a little one - less winding. Nobody's keeping a score; just make it a safe ascent. Slow down as you get to your stop.
And relaxxxxx. Adjust the reel; check and set minimum loop volume; clean up your buoyancy (I tend to wind in the suit dump a bit for more drysuit buoyancy and less wing buoyancy). If OC prepare your first deco stage if you're near your stop. This will be to check that it is pressurised (then turned off), there's enough gas and that you're ready for the correct stage checking the MOD you wrote on the neck label the night before; preparation never hurt anyone. When your computerS tell you, ascend slowly to the next stop. (Interesting, although obvious, the wrist mounted computer (Petrel controller) will require slightly longer deco times than the face mounted Nerd - as my hands will tend to be lower than my face). If changing deco gas at the next stop when you get there, stop. Check the depth. Check the MOD on the label. Pull out the reg. Trace it back. Turn on. Purge. Validate your depth is above the MOD. Only then remove the old reg and wrap it around your neck and breathe (with a purge). Change gas on your computerS. Clip off or tidy the stage. Chill. Rinse and repeat up to the surface.
The reason for this 'attitude' is that where I dive the visibility is generally not that good and I like slowly moving around a wreck looking at the flora & fauna and details of the wreck. This can be very difficult with a buddy where you have to be watching/monitoring them all the time and especially if they're not an experienced team diver (e.g. torch protocols). I also enjoy doing deco alone; it's the zen-like solace of not being able to go to the surface for some time, setting one's buoyancy and letting the SMB spool/reel bounce up and down below or in front as you zone out, almost meditating. It's amazing how fast an hour passes at deco. Far easier than coming up with a "magnetic" diver.
I fail to see how much more of a risk this is than diving with other people who may be relying on me. They should bring their own skills; or I have to have explicitly agreed to the condition of babysitting them in advance. Of course I'd help someone in trouble.
What with circumstances out of my control? If you have a heart attack... you die. We've all got to go sometime. Even if you were with a buddy and had a heart attack you'd probably die, especially if you've a fair deco obligation. Stuff happens; mitigate it as far as you can. Be careful. I'm someone who is comfortable with that approach to life. If I had a motorbike I could be knocked off and killed; have a heart attack and die; even walking in the woods is dangerous.
Most of the people I dive with are like this. We're all fine on the boat and may jump in together. It's just that we don't have to come up together. Occasionally I may dive with other people and we may stay together for part or all of the dive, but separate if and as we find something more interesting to see. Sometimes we may signal each other with a wave. The classic thumbs up and wave goodbye!
Take responsibility for yourself. Only YOU know if you're ready for solo diving or should do it even if you are. There's no course that you can rely upon; even the fabled SDI Solo Diver *workshop* only tests that you've got some of the skills, it doesn't tell you that YOU are ready, nor that YOU are ready for that specific dive.
BTW other rules I stick to...
Make sure you're dived up; do buildup dives at the beginning of the season.
Never change more than one thing, so if you're using a new SMB+reel, using two or three stages, different gasses, depth, do only one change and make sure the rest of the dive is like your last one (depth, deco, etc.)
The principle things are to think ahead and be prepared; you, your skills, your kit, your planning. And enjoy the dive.
