Solo Beach Diving?

[Foo]

LMAO! That's what I was thinking, too.

 

[Hemlon]

The only person I have ever dove with is my husband, he works in the Dive Industry and is an OWSI.

Since your husband is in the industry, is it possible for you to tag along on some of his dives?

 

[divingdreams]

Honestly, I bet that solo diving would be fun but diving is a sport that is best enjoyed iwth a buddy. This is for your safety. You mentioned that you are not comfortable diving with people that you don't know and I can empathize. I get very nervous when I am diving with people I don't know. One thing that has helped me is that when I dive with people I don't know I put myself in control. I lead, they follow. I suggest depth, time, air, the entire profile. Most buddys won't go against you if you just start it off. Also, I tell them what I expect of my buddy. Stay close...share what you see and I will share what I see...and don't be stupid.

Maybe I am behind the curve, but aside from never holding your breath...I believe you should never dive alone. Find a buddy, do a couple of easy dives with them, and before long you will be comfortable with them. And most of all, you will be much safer in case of an emergency.

Good luck finding a buddy.

Aloha

 

[margorah]

I'd have to agree with Divingdreams. I'm fairly new to diving, but the idea of solo diving would make me nervous. From both a saftey point but also from an experience point of view.
I can't understand the point that you wont dive with buddies you don't know, because it makes you feel uncomfortable. Surely, diving alone would (or possibly should) make you more uncomfortable.

S

 

[BubbaFetta]

I'd have to agree with Divingdreams. I'm fairly new to diving, but the idea of solo diving would make me nervous. From both a saftey point but also from an experience point of view.
I can't understand the point that you wont dive with buddies you don't know, because it makes you feel uncomfortable. Surely, diving alone would (or possibly should) make you more uncomfortable.

S

Not necessarily.
If the unknown buddy turn out to be a liability rather than an asset, then solo diving is better (assuming you are trained, certified, experienced to the level of the particular dive).

A good buddy is rare and hard to find. Both of you will have an almost telepathic link. But in the absence of a good buddy, solo is a possible option.

A diver's level of comfort should be dependent on his/her mastery of skills, (legitimate) sense of confidence, and mental fortitude, not the presence or lack of a buddy

A lot of divers won't / don't admit it, but the presence of a buddy is psychological crutch for them--a form of "enabling." To put it another way, there is no comfort in dying with company.

Dive safe now,

-BubbaFetta

 

[MyDiveLog]

You won't find PADI, NAUI, or SSI teachign solo diving ... this seems primarily to be SDI's turf!

 

[BubbaFetta]

You won't find PADI, NAUI, or SSI teachign solo diving ... this seems primarily to be SDI's turf!

Yes, that is correct.

-BubbaFetta

 

[cavedivergurl]

Give them time! If you look at the history of diving since SDI came to be you will see they were first in quite a few things... lowering the age for certification to name one.
It is simply a matter of time before the others jump on the solo diving bandwagon.
As for me... I would much rather depend on my skills and equipment than to deal with someone I have never met and know nothing about their level of skill or personal responsibility. The last time I went out with a "cattle boat" there was a guy who hadn't been in the water for two years and needed assistance just to put his regs on his tanks... his unfortunate buddy (whom he had never met) had a miserable dive spent constantly rescuing this guy from his lack of bouyancy and basic watermanship skills. Give me solo any day of the week to that sort of situation.

 

[b3w@r3]

I'm not really sure what the standards are for an openwater solo dive according to SDI. However the main reason to have your buddy on a dive (other than it's another brain and set of hands) is to have an emergency air source. Ie; you have an air failure he/she has your emergency source.

Granted, as mentioned above, some buddies can be more trouble than they are worth. In that case you are diving with the wrong buddy IMO.

That said people will make their own minds up about solo diving. When we accept the risk to rely only on ourselves we need to make sure we are prepared for what can happen.

I am interested to know what people here (that have said they solo dive) do in the way of preparing for an emergency in the absense of a buddy.

 

[BubbaFetta]

I'm not really sure what the standards are for an openwater solo dive according to SDI. However the main reason to have your buddy on a dive (other than it's another brain and set of hands) is to have an emergency air source. Ie; you have an air failure he/she has your emergency source.

I am interested to know what people here (that have said they solo dive) do in the way of preparing for an emergency in the absense of a buddy.

If memory serves, SDI's prerequsites are:

Prospective student should:

1.) be at least AOWD trained (although my instructor only accepted rescue-trained and above...)
2.) possess a minimum of 100 logged dives.
3.) be aged 21 years and above.

A solo diver always carries:
1.) a redundant air source
2.) 2 cutting devices
3.) Surface signaling devices (light-based, sound based)
4.) SMB + reel
5.) back up timing device
6.) back up depth gauge
7.) back up dive tables

To the above list, I add my own list of "must haves," which are:

8.) spare mask
9.) 2nd redundant BCD "wing"

Items 5, 6, and 7 can be substituted by a 2nd dive computer.

Personally, I rather have my "emergency air source" with me at all times... but that's just me.


-BubbaFetta