Should agencies back off of Solo?

[Sas]

I think if agencies started teaching better buddy skills, they wouldn't have to condemn solo as much, as fewer would desire to solo dive. Right now it seems the buddy skills training (and requiring a buddy-- even if a really bad one) is about giving a false sense of security and reducing liability if something goes wrong, and not truly about safety. Start producing buddies who are assets and not liabilities, and I bet we'd see some changed minds.

But that's just my opinion.

Most people I know (including myself) who solo dive, do not do so to avoid bad buddies. They do so for the enjoyment of being alone in the water. So I am not sure fewer people would desire to solo dive. The buddies I know who do not solo dive want to do so, but do not because they are not confident enough. So I am not sure that agencies improving teaching buddy skills will change who wants to dive solo. But, that is just my opinion and therefore could be quite wrong, n=a small number and all that.

I have not had the experience the OP has. Solo diving was never actively discouraged by any of my instructors, but instead they emphased not diving outside one's limits (which for many, involves solo diving). I see many solo divers around and no one gives them a second glance. I guess it depends on where you live and the culture around that perhaps, as I was quite surprised when joining Scubaboard (and other diving forums where I interact with foreigners ) at the big deal made out of solo diving being "evil" and in some places being banned. Guess I'm lucky I would have harsh words to say to someone who gave me grief for solo diving!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

My first real solo dive was off one of the charter boats from the instructor factory I had just trained with. It was actually at the Duanne, and I was diving a Draeger Dolphin (first certified dive). The Captain told me he wanted that technical rig off the boat as soon as the line was secured, "oh and bye the way can you stay down until the very last and sweep the wreck for stragglers?"

The agency could care less, and as far as I've seen, only on SB has anyone ever talked down their snorkel about my solo diving.

 

[redacted]

Why is it better to discourage solo rather than train for solo; but OK to train for scuba rather than discourage scuba?

I suspect the answer is simple and boils down to $$$. When the SDI solo course gains enough popularity, I'm sure other agencies will be jumping on board for their share.

 

[marinediva]

I am a Solo Diver as well as a PADI Instructor. The way I see it the agencies each have a system of diving. PADI system of diving is the Buddy System. Other agencies have different schools of thought and application. In terms of Padi I believe they teach never to dive alone.
The training that is taught by Padi is for buddy diving, so really do you expect them to say you can dive alone now you know how to dive?

When I am asked about solo diving and I am often, I advise there are courses that can be taken.

 

[Walter]

Why is it better to discourage solo rather than train for solo; but OK to train for scuba rather than discourage scuba?

Because only experience prepares you to dive solo.

 

[redacted]

Because only experience prepares you to dive solo.

Experience should be a prerequisite for all scuba courses beyond OW. But they all also have their own tidbits of knowledge and skills that contribute to competency and certification. Solo is no different. Whether you obtain that knowledge and develop those skills through formal training or on your own is mostly a matter of personal abilities and your need for a C-card.

I dove solo for quite a while before I took the SDI course to obtain the card. I wanted the card because the Gulf Diving liveaboards permitted solo diving with that C-card.

 

[drbill]

I don't think agencies should stop stressing buddy diving since many of those going through certification are still new at the activity and should be diving in buddy pairs. Solo diving is not something that should be advocated early on in one's diving career. I've seen too many "solo" divers who were truly risking their lives unnecessarily by diving without redundancy to depths even beyond recreational guidelines.

Although I've been diving mostly solo for almost 50 years, I never advocate that someone else do so. There are issues and criteria I think are wise that I would not likely know about any other diver... such as their response to emergencies... and therefore it would be inappropriate of me to suggest anything like that to them.

I would be happy to see more agencies offer a solo diving certification, with a reasonable minimum number of logged dives as a prerequisite, so divers who wish to go that route could be trained for it.

It is very rare that anyone suggests to me that I shouldn't dive solo... most of the ones who do are non-divers.

 

[Walter]

Experience should be a prerequisite for all scuba courses beyond OW. But they all also have their own tidbits of knowledge and skills that contribute to competency and certification. Solo is no different. Whether you obtain that knowledge and develop those skills through formal training or on your own is mostly a matter of personal abilities and your need for a C-card.

It is possible to learn tips for diving solo in a class, but all those tips are things a solo diver has figured out for themselves long before they are ready to be diving solo. The most important thing a solo diver needs is a mind set. A mind set that comes only from experience and cannot be taught in a class. A solo class is useless at best and potentially dangerous if it makes someone believe they are ready to dive solo when they are not.

 

[uspap]

I feel agencies should'nt encourage solo for beginers. They should stress the risks of doing so unprepared or untrained just like you would for those who want to do tech, cave ect. Set suggested guidelines. I have never had a problem at a dive site when entering or exiting solo. A lot of times there's others soloing as well. Some are even instructors I know and when they found out I was soloing they said "congradulations, isn't it great" The negativity I get is from begining divers or those who feel solo isn't for them. For me I wouldn't do cave or tech. It isn't for me but I would never discourage anyone from doing it as long as they have all the "tools" to do it safely.

 

[Walter]

The negativity I get is from begining divers or those who feel solo isn't for them.

It's none of their business. Don't share with them.