Should there be a Solo Diving discussion section on this forum?

[jagfish]

I'm all for it, under the technical diving section. Putting it the general population would be ignoring the basic fact that solo diving, even in a recreational setting is technical diving.

Adam

Ditto...

 

[Scubaguy62]

I do agree that diving accidents can affect more than just the person diving. This holds true for any type of diving. In the event of a loss of life, there is an overall greater chance of not recovering the body of a solo diver. Steps can be taken to mitigate this, and the risk of not recovering a body from a buddy team is not only there, but it does happen. This is a risk solo divers and those near and dear to them must be willing to accept. Just as other forms of diving present their peculiar risks, such as being lost in a cave or wreck, or in the depths of the ocean.

Solo diving does throw in another risk factor into the equation. And so do many types of advanced diving such as the tec categories. As well as factors such as ignorance, lack of preparation, lack of skills, lack of proper gear, complacency. No one is exempt.

I would even agree to the following comparison in general terms: conditions being average and equal, the risk factor would likely be less for a competent team then a competent solo diver, overall. But it gets more complicated than this. The risk will vary based on specifics. How much of a difference is there? How do we weigh the risk of a buddy causing an emergency that otherwise would not happen? Is a competent solo diver at greater risk in a conservative dive than a competent tec diver team in a more aggressive dive? How about compared to a new diver pushing his limits, unprepared.

Not so simple, is it? All types of divers take on risks to varying degrees. There is no one category, rec, cave, wreck, deep, solo, - that is always safer or more dangerous than another. So the question remains, why are these other forms of risk taking readily accepted by many, while solo is presented as the forbidden fruit?

I'll take a shot at it. Peer pressure. Acceptance of established norms, that which we know and are comfortable with. Prejudice. Adopting a defensive posture to support and reassure our beliefs. Resistance to change. Biased analysis resulting in a flawed conclusion. Limited perspective. And so forth .......

Do you feel the same way about the risk increase taken in tec diving than more conservative diving? Risk increase taken by careless divers in conservative dives than prudent divers? If not, why not? What is the fundamental difference? Is it more than a biased point of view?

The ocean is big enough for all of us. But I'm afraid - our minds are not.

I can appreciate your argument, and to the extent that the risk increase is parallel to the type of diving, I agree. However, it is plausible, and reasonably concievable that the training which tech divers undergo is far more extensive and demanding than the training provided by SDI for solo diving. So in esence, while in principle tech diving is a greater risk, given the variables of depth, gas, and decompression, IMHO, to compare tech diving to solo diving, only in so far as training and ability is concerned, is no different than to compare the training I received for my Citation V type rating, to the training B-777 pilots receive for theirs. IOW, it's a whole different ball of wax and to compare both is not exactly possible.

You're right; it's not so simple, and to the list of examples for justifying team diving over solo diving, let me add two: choice and comfort zone. Both of which are entirely within the person's control. If it is your choice to pursue solo diving, as my counterparts south of the border say, "vaya con Dios." However, for me that's not a choice I can make, despite any wish to step out of that comfort zone. It's not peer pressure, nor is it acceptance of a flawed standard, or practice, but more the desire to see my kids graduate college and to grow old with my wife at my side. With that in mind, I will agree there is an extent of prejudice involved in my rationale; I'm very prejudicial with whom I buddy up besides my wife. It must be a diver of equal, or perhaps greater competence, and if the later, only if our level of competence is not so disparate that he/she won't be comfortable buddying up with me.

One more thing in which I agree, I wish our minds were big as the ocean is!

 

[Scubaguy62]

Solo diving in contrast is totally about self reliance and knowing your limitations and remaining conservatively within them. As such, properly done, solo diving eliminates two of the major killers faced by buddy divers in that you are never going to have a false sense of security from a buddy being present and you are never going to end up at the scene of someone else's accident.

I agree DA, and in theory, team/buddy diving is also about self reliance and knowing your limitations, with the added bonus that if the one of the members of the most trained and competent of teams sucumbs to panic or primal fear, of which none of us is exempt, again, in theory, there will be someone there to assist. Self rescue is the first thing learned in rescue diver training, which is the foundation of solo diving, but there will always be that time when, through no fault of their own, some solo diver will become inadvertently distracted with an item of the underwater world to notice the danger of perhaps a stalking predator, or perhaps a severe entanglement.

Solo divers acquire a whole new skill set that prepares them for that eventuality and to top it off they can still opt to buddy dive when the conditions or situation dictate. It gives a great deal more flexibility than a diver who has no training in solo techniques.

Training is no substitute for judgment and common sense, which is also a part of team/buddy diving. The difference lies in how that judgment and common sense is exercised.

In a perfect world, both solo and buddy divers would co-exist perfectly, as would smokers and non-smokers, but we already know the outcome of that attempt.

 

[Mako Mark]

This really is a bt out of order Mark, first of all I would never knowingly encourage solo diving amonst the ill equipped / poorly trained. ?

then you shouldnt have made the post.

properly planned solo dives by people that have the training and experience from the TDI/SDI course (or other technical training) is a whole different issue.

To the ill equiped, untrained recreational diver that is vague on exactly where his limits are, may not see the difference between buddy separation and the properly planned solo dive.

I expected more from you, you should know better.

If that is a true concern from the moderates, make a semi-private forum and only allow SDI Solo certified divers in.

yeah, something like that. DIR have their own section and it seems towork for them. Just keep it out of sight of novice divers and the general diving discussions.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Solo divers acquire a whole new skill set that prepares them for that eventuality and to top it off they can still opt to buddy dive when the conditions or situation dictate. It gives a great deal more flexibility than a diver who has no training in solo techniques.

Could you describe this "whole new skill set" please?

It would be most useful if you could put it in the context of existing training standards.

All divers should be equiped able and prepared to complete any dive they do alone or even helping a buddy if needed. In this context another way to phrase my question is which skills would a solo diver be taught that isn't required for a diver to be a solid team member?

 

[nwdiver2]

There are non tech organizations (not agencies) that allow solo diving after instruction and a check out. They are not in the US or Europe and they have a good safety record. It can be done safely with proper instruction and it is only offered to very experienced 250+ logged dive divers who accept the consequences and act responsibly. The program is most often used by UW-Photogs.

 

[hantzu701]

I just stumbled across these threads and I CANNOT believe that you guys are discussing this.

Solo diving has no place in safe diving. No ifs, ands or buts. No exceptions. If you want to pull the individual right BS, then go ahead. You're welcome to dive any way you want to. But, don't bother to justify the way that you dive to the diving community.

 

[MyDiveLog]

I've seen a number of posts along the solo/buddy line and haven't waded in with a response because it's such an emotionally charged topic ... witness the tone and quick number of comments to the original post to this thread.

My opinion: I agree with Mike F. on this -- It'd be nice to have a separate place to discuss solo diving, more to avoid all the flaming responses than because there are techniques specific to solo diving (other than redundant air supply & regulators, leaving communications, etc. that SDI teaches).

Having said all that, while I prefer to dive with a buddy, I do dive solo about a third of the time. Sometimes it's because I simply can't find a buddy when I'm available to dive and sometimes it's just for the chance to have a longer, more relaxed dive after being surrounded by students for a couple weeks. I think that solo diving has made me a better buddy diver ... it sharpens my focus on key skills like navigation, bouyancy, and air consumption, makes me fairly religious about staying in good physical shape to dive, and underscores the need to always be a self-reliant diver. When I DO choose to buddy up I take it seriously, and these skills help me to be a better buddy.

I don't claim to know everything about diving, and that includes solo diving. It would be nice to have a place to 'compare notes' with other solo divers without having to deal with the solo/buddy rhetoric.

 

[Mike Newman]

I voted yes, because this Board is big enough to take all opinions.

 

[Mako Mark]

Solo diving has no place in safe diving. No ifs, ands or buts. No exceptions. .

Thankyou Hanzu, I will mention that some technical dive situations warrant it, but diving for fun and pleasure no.

If it is not going to be discussed in the technical context that it falls into, then it should not be discussed at all. It certainly should not be discussed in front of anyone that may think "well if people on SB think it is ok, then I suppose it is ok for me to give it a go"

This is not an acceptable situation.