Solo diver missing - Makara, New Zealand

[flyboy08]

Yep. Also, living is death waiting to happen.

True, but one can prolong life being prudent....

 

[drrich2]

From a scuba perspective, solo diving can be done a good deal more prudently than some of the buddy diving that goes on, and I'm reminded that we hear a number of stories where a pair of divers has died. Ironically, I've yet to read a story about a buddy pair dying where subsequently a commentator says 'I wish one had been solo diving so we wouldn't have lost two.'

Now, this guy was said to be a free diver. I've read before of free divers working in pairs to mitigate risk of shallow water blackout, but I'm not familiar with the range of practices in the free diving community. Since soloing may (?) have been a factor here, can anyone speak to how common it is for free divers to solo dive, and how common it is to do so while spearfishing?

Richard.

 

[Deitsch]

Sad....to a certain extent, solo diving is an accident waiting to happen imho.....

I would recommend you take a solo diver course before making that judgement. Even if you never plan to solo dive, it's a great course to help you be a more independent diver. I think that once you have taken the class you won't consider solo diving an accident waiting to happen.

 

[flyboy08]

I would recommend you take a solo diver course before making that judgement. Even if you never plan to solo dive, it's a great course to help you be a more independent diver. I think that once you have taken the class you won't consider solo diving an accident waiting to happen.

Nah, it's like a two pilot crew on jets...would you get on an airline with just one pilot on board? No doubt its a great class, but I'll never solo, so I'd put my efforts and training into areas that would benefit me (and others). I'm not against solo diving..if its your thang, then so be it and enjoy it and be safe doing it.

 

[Deitsch]

Nah, it's like a two pilot crew on jets...would you get on an airline with just one pilot on board? No doubt its a great class, but I'll never solo, so I'd put my efforts and training into areas that would benefit me (and others). I'm not against solo diving..if its your thang, then so be it and enjoy it and be safe doing it.

I completely get where you're coming from. I felt the same way for a long time but then realized as an underwater photographer that even though we were "buddy" diving, I was essentially on my own anyway. Also, in many buddy situations one of the buddy pair is more experienced than the other and what usually happens is the less experienced diver ends up depending on the more experienced diver. In my case, my wife only has 50 dives so even though we buddy dive, if something happened to me, there's no way I could depend on her to rescue me. So solo diving for me is more about having redundant systems (gas, regulator, mask, cutting tools, etc.) and learning how to use those to rescue myself.

 

[DandyDon]

would you get on an airline with just one pilot

Yep, some small airplanes only have one. As far as this deadhorse discussion is concerned, I prefer solo diving with my 19 cf pony as I don't want to be responsible for some boat pick doofus, much less depend on one. I try to make myself an independently safe diver instead. I have failed, but survived.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

would you get on an airline with just one pilot

That's comparing apples to oranges. If a solo diver dies one person is lost. If a solo pilot dies a whole planefull of people could be in serious trouble.

 

[Altamira]

"...Also, in many buddy situations one of the buddy pair is more experienced than the other and what usually happens is the less experienced diver ends up depending on the more experienced diver. In my case, my wife only has 50 dives so even though we buddy dive, if something happened to me, there's no way I could depend on her to rescue me. "

I am sure your's is not a unique dive buddy situation, but it is a sad commentary on the capabilities of your buddy and others. Being a well trained and equipped solo diver is fine and safe, until it is not, as in those situations in which you cannot rescue yourself.

 

[dmaziuk]

True, but one can prolong life being prudent....

One can shorten life by being stupid reckless. The converse isn't generally true.

 

[Steve_C]

would you get on an airline with just one pilot

Yes. Couple small prop jobs. Taking me from real airport to small one.