Safety question

[Mahhz]

I know that you should always dive with a buddy, and solo diving for the most part is a heated issue, but I'd like to go over a situation, and see what you all think.

I was thinking of taking some of my family down to a really nice provate rock quarry that I dove with some friends over the weekend (30'+ visability). I wanted to take them there to do some swimming and general relaxing and having fun. Unfortunately, none of them dive.

Being that the quarry is extremely clear, and fairly shallow (17' max) do you think it would be unsafe for my to dive by myself? The only thing that I could even think of happening that would cause an issue is if somehow I stuck my foot into a hole and got pinned by the rocks. There aren't any submerged trees or anything like that to get tangled in. Its basically like diving in a big swimming pool with rocks on the bottom and catfish to chase.

So what do you all think?

 

[theskull]

If it's that shallow, why not snorkel? You're going to involve the family, so get them involved in snorelling and swim with them. Save the diving for a dive trip when you can take a buddy--safety aside, these are social opportunities, so share the swimming now and share some diving later.

theskull

 

[scuba_frog]

I personally think it depends on your comfort level. BUT, I also think it you decide to go, that you have a game plan as what you will do if something does happen underwater...how would you signal the people on the surface AND how would they reach you if you did get into trouble. I'm too new at this to even consider diving solo...even though the last dive I was on, the vis was so bad I could not find my buddy if I wanted to...and he was only 6 ft away. We spent more time losing each other and surfacing than diving...finally, we gave up and enjoyed the fish down below.

 

[pt40fathoms]

There are no "underwater cops", so if you decide to do so, most likely no one will know or even care. If I were to lay odds on anything bad happening, I'd problably have a better chance at being struck by lightning.

That being said, you have to ask yourself, "do you feel lucky...".

Remember, you are placing yourself in a location where without life support equipment, you will die!

Is it worth it?

 

[Gary D.]

I know that you should always dive with a buddy, and solo diving for the most part is a heated issue, but I'd like to go over a situation, and see what you all think.

I was thinking of taking some of my family down to a really nice provate rock quarry that I dove with some friends over the weekend (30'+ visability). I wanted to take them there to do some swimming and general relaxing and having fun. Unfortunately, none of them dive.

Being that the quarry is extremely clear, and fairly shallow (17' max) do you think it would be unsafe for my to dive by myself? The only thing that I could even think of happening that would cause an issue is if somehow I stuck my foot into a hole and got pinned by the rocks. There aren't any submerged trees or anything like that to get tangled in. Its basically like diving in a big swimming pool with rocks on the bottom and catfish to chase.

So what do you all think?

If you have to ask if you can go solo your not ready. Only one person knows if your ready or not and that person is the one looking back at you in the mirror.

If you remember, the biggest pressure and volume changes are near the surface. Where do most people have problems? On the surface.

So if you feel you have the skills and comfort level go for it. If not don't but I for one will not tell you that you can. I will tell someone they shouldn't but I won't tell a newer person they can.

Gary D.

 

[Walter]

Gary is 100% correct. (as usual) If there's any doubt, don't do it.

 

[Mahhz]

I guess I just don't completely see it as going Solo, being that there will be a few people around me that know my intentions and where I'm at.....they just won't have scuba equipment on, but being that the max depth is only 17' (my average depth there last time was 10'-12') I'm still reachable from the surface.

There's no way I'd go to a lake with NOBODY around that's for sure.

I can go two ways....if I have to ask for your blessing on this, then I'm not ready. And if I have to defend myself and say it's safe, then it doesn't really matter what I'm told, I'll do it anyways, so now I have to decide which side of the fence I'm on.

 

[pasley]

Gary is right. The question is your common sense saying no.

Now about is it solo diving or not. Is there another certified diver there who can assist you? Is there another certified diver there familiar with the symptoms of DCS or an embolism, or a blown lung and what to do about it?

Since the answer to all of the above is no, then you are solo diving. My vote is no, snorkel instead.

 

[Rick Inman]

I have solo dived when I shouldn't have and was lucky enough to have lived through it. Of course, anyone can survive a solo dive if nothing ever goes wrong. But things DO go wrong.
I retrospect, I can now see that I should have asked myself the following questions:

*Do I have the dive experience? For me, I needed to be able to say I have at least a hundred or more dives, with several dives each month in the last year.

*Do I have the dive history in a similar diving environment?

*Have I made several dives at the site?

*Do I have RECENT practice of solo skills (too many to list here, but, for example, when is the last time you did a OAA from 17 feet?).

*Is my equipment configured for solo diving (bailout bottle for example), and have I recently practiced the use of this equipment?

There's more, of course. And Gary is right again (darn it!). I wouldn't do a 3' solo dive if I was unsure in the least.

I think TheSkull made the perfect suggestion. Make it a family event and go snorkeling.

Just my HO, since you asked...

 

[northcoast_diver]

I know that you should always dive with a buddy, and solo diving for the most part is a heated issue, but I'd like to go over a situation, and see what you all think.

I was thinking of taking some of my family down to a really nice provate rock quarry that I dove with some friends over the weekend (30'+ visability). I wanted to take them there to do some swimming and general relaxing and having fun. Unfortunately, none of them dive.

Being that the quarry is extremely clear, and fairly shallow (17' max) do you think it would be unsafe for my to dive by myself? The only thing that I could even think of happening that would cause an issue is if somehow I stuck my foot into a hole and got pinned by the rocks. There aren't any submerged trees or anything like that to get tangled in. Its basically like diving in a big swimming pool with rocks on the bottom and catfish to chase.

So what do you all think?

Robert von Maier wrote an excellent book about solo diving, and he gives parameters within the pages as to what type of solo diving is relatively safe, compared with inappropriate solo diving. You should read his book. It answers your question extremely well.

Anyone who wants to solo dive should also read his book as well.