Solo certification

[helimvee]

I'm a certified Solo diver, I trust no one but myself, and being involuntarily paired up with a diver who is now my responsibility and liability is not something I am willing to accept.

With the exception of my newly certified girlfriend and the rare trip I might take to dive with family members, I prefer to dive alone.

Being "Nice" has absolutely nothing to do with it.

I get what you mean and agree with you. I would rather have someone like you explain your position in advance of the dive and have the option to change buddies.

 

[idocsteve]

I get what you mean and agree with you. I would rather have someone like you explain your position in advance of the dive and have the option to change buddies.

See, and if I was on a boat and was paired up with you, and I told you my position and you answered me like you just did here, I'd probably say, "Nevermind, let's buddy up and dive together". And I wouldn't let you out of my sight.

:cool2:

 

[Diving Italy]

See, and if I was on a boat and was paired up with you, and I told you my position and you answered me like you just did here, I'd probably say, "Nevermind, let's buddy up and dive together". And I wouldn't let you out of my sight.

:cool2:

I agree. If you said that to me while we were geared up about to go in I would probably give you the ol' "No problem" and just keep a triple eye on you. I think everyone who has ever received an "insta-buddy" knows that you get one because that is the industry standard to dive with a buddy.

When I'm at home and doing beach dives my buddy and I normally spend our deco stops doing drills (removing BCD and redonning, weight belt adjustments..etc). I would never do that on a boat with a dive shop because that isn't their practice and especially not what I'm there for.

I guess in short - just because I do it home doesn't mean I expect to do that EVERYTIME I dive and I'm definitely not going to leave another diver out in the cold just because I do.

IMHO

 

[tkaelin]

I am heading down to Bonaire this April and I am taking the solo course with rectek. I am taking the course not so much for solo diving in Bonaire but because I am looking at possible taking a LOB trip next year and not sure I will take the trip with a buddy. I see that most of the lobs will let you solo dive only if you have a solo cert. I want to have the flexibility to solo dive on a lob trip. The course outline looks like it has some useful instruction even if you do not plan on doing alot or any solo diving and that the course can be completed in a day. Good luck. TK

 

[miketsp]

Just to echo some of the other comments.
I assume you're doing the cert because you actually want the training because the card itself will be accepted at very few places.
If you say you're going to solo dive the general answer is "no" even if you're certified.
If you say you're going to do a deco dive, on most tourist boats in the Caribbean the answer is "no".

OTOH I just got back from a week in the Netherlands Antilles and the briefing was basically
"If you want to see anything, follow me, otherwise back on the boat within 60 minutes. No deco diving."
And that was it. One DM as a "Dive Leader" would do a circuit but you were free to follow or not.
About half the group of 22 followed the DM, the other half broke off into smaller groups singles, pairs or triples.

Of these the ones with better air consumption were running deeper profiles on the reef wall and incurring some deco.

But there were no Scuba Police and everyone was always back on the boat within 60 minutes.