Solo dive - true confessions

[happy-diver]

Today I'll see what kind of metal cleaners i have around and give that coin a clean face.

No no no it has fifty years of characterful patina, no no no

 

[happy-diver]

You see it can be really quite difficult sorting the grain from the chaff

I spend my entire dive life ensuring I can hang around under the surface for that invisible decompression ceiling, so making an exception for "just bolt to the surface" as I'm shallow is a big big step!

and having spent decades subscribing to this philosophy I completely sympathise

Availability of the surface is redundancy. Instead of switching to a bailout I'll surface.

also having this tool firmly embedded and at ones disposal the both combined


Makes for a competent diver like me


So dive at least one minute ahead of yourselves in the front of your brain
and with the entire dive visualised firmly planted in the back of your brain

As if you have already seen it that makes it more natural to do it or avoid it





And then there's this

I like to remain at "zero strikes" myself. However, anyone who wishes to start their dive at "1-strike" will be at 2-strikes any time any incident happens.

the usual negative parotted from books lacking true survival instinct, not like a diver at all
like preaching to peoples in far away lands who need food not god and don't know English





And anyway me, weather's a bit shemp at the moment

So relegating myself to moving some treasures around

A couple, of girlfriends that bought me a dive trolley were quite disheartened when I returned it


Hey I might just have to grab a scooter and go get one of those crocks

 

[Boarderguy]

Sure hope I'm not wrong but I'm talking about shallow single tank diving here.

I generally only stay shallow if there is crap vis below 10m. Lots of goodies to see in 10-15m but I like to poke and prod at the critters around 25-30m. GPO and wolf eels especially.

 

[Celt]

I generally only stay shallow if there is crap vis below 10m. Lots of goodies to see in 10-15m but I like to poke and prod at the critters around 25-30m. GPO and wolf eels especially.

Absolutely, best light lovely footage and always something going on, relaxed and when it's really good you can stay there as long as you like. I wouldn't go deep unless there's a very interesting wreck to see.

 

[SlugLife]

Yes. Most of the time.

I like to plan for when the crap really hits the fan. Agreed it's very unlikely, but having a proper redundant kit config is easy, so there's no reason for not diving with redundancy.

The big thing is what kind of diving... Haven't dived a single in goodness knows how many years.

That plus, I like the idea of "zero" emergencies.

Out of air? Rope Entanglements? Regulator failure? Zero vis or Lost mask? Lost fin? BCD won't inflate? Bad leg-cramps? Handling any 2 at once would be annoying, but not even slightly scary or stressful. Even 3 is very doable, even if starting to get stressful.

I practically never dive single. It's just easier to have good habits, and not be making exceptions. I won't even dive single with a dive-buddy or in a class with an instructor. Last thing I want is to depend in a buddy for air.

 

[happy-diver]

Even more shemp today blowing majorly and that crock is getting louder

Must clean my windows!

 

[scubadada]

That plus, I like the idea of "zero" emergencies.

Out of air? Rope Entanglements? Regulator failure? Zero vis or Lost mask? Lost fin? BCD won't inflate? Bad leg-cramps? Handling any 2 at once would be annoying, but not even slightly scary or stressful. Even 3 is very doable, even if starting to get stressful.

I practically never dive single. It's just easier to have good habits, and not be making exceptions. I won't even dive single with a dive-buddy or in a class with an instructor. Last thing I want is to depend in a buddy for air.

I have 2207 dives since 1997, 655 of them solo. I dive solo with a 19 cu ft pony. I have never run out of gas, never had a major entanglement (a couple of monofilaments on wreck night dives taken care with my trilobyte), never had a regulator failure, never lost a mask, never lost a fin, never had a BC inflation problem, never had incapacitating leg cramps.

However, I am ready for any of these problems, alone, or in combination

 

[rx7diver]

I wonder, if some of the people participating in this thread would just do a simple dive using simple, basic gear--your know, mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, weightbelt, dive knife, analog dive watch, and analog compass (skindiving gear), and an old-school steel 72, basic regulator (no octopus) and analog gauges, and backpack and harness (no BC)--would they get a different perspective?

Be correctly weighted.

Snorkel out to your dive location, pulling/pushing your dive float with dive flag. Do a competent surface dive to effortlessly slip below the surface (since you don't have an elevator-down button), and fin down to your target depth. Shallow or moderate depth. Swim around down there awhile. Linger awhile. Then slowly ascend.

Hang out for a while, completing a generous surface interval. Rehydrate by drinking the water/Gatorade you brought with you in the basket held by your dive float.

Do a repetitive dive--if you're feelin' it.

Snorkel back to your entry.

There is absolutely nothing more liberating. Minimal equipment hassle. Minimal drag.

Oh, and you can take a buddy with you if you choose to.

Or not.

rx7diver

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I wonder, if some of the people participating in this thread would just do a simple dive using simple, basic gear--your know, mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, weightbelt, dive knife, analog dive watch, and analog compass (skindiving gear), and an old-school steel 72, basic regulator (no octopus) and analog gauges, and backpack and harness (no BC)--would they get a different perspective?

Be correctly weighted.

Snorkel out to your dive location, pulling/pushing your dive float with dive flag. Do a competent surface dive to effortlessly slip below the surface (since you don't have an elevator-down button), and fin down to your target depth. Shallow or moderate depth. Swim around down there awhile. Linger awhile. Then slowly ascend.

Hang out for a while, completing a generous surface interval. Rehydrate by drinking the water/Gatorade you brought with you in the basket held by your dive float.

Do a repetitive dive--if you're feelin' it.

Snorkel back to your entry.

There is absolutely nothing more liberating. Minimal equipment hassle. Minimal drag.

Oh, and you can take a buddy with you if you choose to.

Or not.

rx7diver

You just described me to a T!

 

[Boarderguy]

I wonder, if some of the people participating in this thread would just do a simple dive using simple, basic gear--your know, mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, weightbelt, dive knife, analog dive watch, and analog compass (skindiving gear), and an old-school steel 72, basic regulator (no octopus) and analog gauges, and backpack and harness (no BC)--would they get a different perspective?

Be correctly weighted.

Snorkel out to your dive location, pulling/pushing your dive float with dive flag. Do a competent surface dive to effortlessly slip below the surface (since you don't have an elevator-down button), and fin down to your target depth. Shallow or moderate depth. Swim around down there awhile. Linger awhile. Then slowly ascend.

Hang out for a while, completing a generous surface interval. Rehydrate by drinking the water/Gatorade you brought with you in the basket held by your dive float.

Do a repetitive dive--if you're feelin' it.

Snorkel back to your entry.

There is absolutely nothing more liberating. Minimal equipment hassle. Minimal drag.

Oh, and you can take a buddy with you if you choose to.

Or not.

rx7diver

Drop the spg. Single 1st & 2nd. Depth guage on your wrist if so desired since you're likely diving a known depth and area. Use a j-valve and pull the handle when you get your first hard breath.