Solo diving and back up gear.

[GDI]

First of all I would never attach a spare bottle to a anchor line. Anchor lines bounce the boat in the waves and you can loose the bottle. Here are the pre reqs from another thread in this section. If you do not have a redundant air system then you are not diving to standard:

I teach this class so here you go.
SOLO Pre-Requisites SDI

Minimum age :21
Miminmum certification of AOW or equivalent
Minimum of 100 logged dives
Completed Medical Release Form
Completed Waiver and Release Form

Required Equipment:
1. Basic OW scuba equipment with the exception of a safe second or octo is not allowed as a redundant air source
2. One of the following must be used as a redundant air source:
Pony Bottle, Twin Cylinders with isolation, Independent doubles, Spare Air

Also note that SDI consideres AOW certification to be having logged 25 dives and completed 4 specialties

 

[captain]

All of my diving both buddy and solo is done with the same gear. I have never carried an octo or pony or any other type of secondary breathing device. If you carry over the idea of backup, than all airplanes would have two engines, rock climbers should alway use ropes, high wire walkers should alway use nets. I sure some of you can think of other activitied where a persons life depends on either his skill or one single piece of equiptment. I worked for a company whose mantra was all accidents were preventable and went to ridiculous lengths to to prevent the slightest injury. Anyone ever see a person cutting grass with a hard hat, hearing protection, safety glasses, goggles, resperator, steel toe boots, chemical resistant suit and a life jacket in 100 degree heat. And when that person suffered heat stroke they said it should have been preventable.
It could be that by giving ourselves a false sense of security from all the backup equiptment we do things that may make accidents more lightly to happen.

Captain

 

[MASS-Diver]

All of my diving both buddy and solo is done with the same gear. I have never carried an octo or pony or any other type of secondary breathing device. If you carry over the idea of backup, than all airplanes would have two engines, rock climbers should alway use ropes, high wire walkers should alway use nets. I sure some of you can think of other activitied where a persons life depends on either his skill or one single piece of equiptment. I worked for a company whose mantra was all accidents were preventable and went to ridiculous lengths to to prevent the slightest injury. Anyone ever see a person cutting grass with a hard hat, hearing protection, safety glasses, goggles, resperator, steel toe boots, chemical resistant suit and a life jacket in 100 degree heat. And when that person suffered heat stroke they said it should have been preventable.
It could be that by giving ourselves a false sense of security from all the backup equiptment we do things that may make accidents more lightly to happen.

Captain

So, you dive with one second stage?

I agree though, if you don't how to use backup gear, it's not worth too much. But, is it really that hard to learn to use redunant gear? You seem to think it's only possivle to learn to use "a single piece" of gear? It's really not to hard to learn to manage a stage bottle or a set of doubles, although it does take some level of dedication.

True, divers who have poor basic skills may be a more risk with more complicated gear configurations (as you suggest), but what about a skilled diver. I dive doubles all the time, for me, I feel safer with them. Have you ever dove doubles? Have you ever dove with a slung stage bottles? If so, what did you find so difficult about diving them?

I guess for the weekend warrior, more gear can give a false sense of security, but not for the dedicated diver.

Just curious, have you ever met someone who has had a bad eye injury, been burned, or been hurt in car accient without a seat belt? Basic saftey precautions are always a good idea.

I think you analagy of cutting ones grass with tons of saftey gear to carry some back up lifge support gear to help you survive is a foreign enviorment is really off base.

In fact, I find it hard to take your comment seriously. Have you ever had a piece of gear fail? Sooner or later you will. I would suggest that investing some time in learning to use some basic backup gear - instead of choosing whatever rig is the simplest and easiest to dive - makes a lot of sense.

 

[captain]

I know how to use back up equiptment, fact is I tried it when octos and poneys first came into use but I did not like the extra clutter dangling all over me. It is the way I chose to dive and I accept the risk because I feel the chance of equiptment failure is minimal. I have been repairing and servicing my own equiptment for 30 years and I am yet to have any kind of failure that I would consider life threating.

Captain

 

[Nemrod]

I won't go so far as to say no redundant gear is required but where does one draw the line? Captain prefers to draw the line very close. He relies on preventative maintenence, training and experience. He is not equipment dependent/intensive like so many divers today. People used to dive and dive very well without all the multiple regualtors and spare bottles slung all about! If someone has been doing something for 30 years and been successful at it then maybe they know what their doing or maybe their just lucky. Since I don't believe in luck that leaves me thinking that they know what their doing. N

 

[teknitroxdiver]

I know how to use back up equiptment, fact is I tried it when octos and poneys first came into use but I did not like the extra clutter dangling all over me. It is the way I chose to dive and I accept the risk because I feel the chance of equiptment failure is minimal. I have been repairing and servicing my own equiptment for 30 years and I am yet to have any kind of failure that I would consider life threating.

Captain

Well, one day when you tear the diaphragm in your reg, or dislodge your tank valve, or get stuck and it takes a little too long to get un-stuck, I suppose you will be able to comfort your suffocating mind that you've saved some money and spared yourself from 'clutter' for this long....

 

[SDAnderson]

Well, one day when you tear the diaphragm in your reg, or dislodge your tank valve, or get stuck and it takes a little too long to get un-stuck, I suppose you will be able to comfort your suffocating mind that you've saved some money and spared yourself from 'clutter' for this long....

He's pretty well made his mind up, I'd say. Remember, this is the solo forum, where those of us willing to break convention come to hone our skills as underwater iconoclasts. Let each man determine his own level of tolerance for risk.

No point in

 

[Nemrod]

See thumbnail. What is his redundancy? N

 

[Mandy3206]

I've done solo dives without a redundant air supply, but has limited them only to less than 50 fsw and no overhead obstructions, of course, within the NDLs.

 

[MASS-Diver]

I know how to use back up equiptment, fact is I tried it when octos and poneys first came into use but I did not like the extra clutter dangling all over me. It is the way I chose to dive and I accept the risk because I feel the chance of equiptment failure is minimal. I have been repairing and servicing my own equiptment for 30 years and I am yet to have any kind of failure that I would consider life threating.

Captain

Obviously, anyone can dive any way they want. That said, I think for the saftey minded solo diver some redundancy is important. In terms of extra gear being cluttered, I think my doubles rig is cleaner than most people singles rigs. The key is again is setting up the gear with some thought, not just adding random stuff.

To take your viewpoint to the extreme (even more so than you have done) - do you dive with a pressure gauge? It's a potential source of failure and for the skilled it is basically a back up - so do you bring one along?


People love to point out how long they have went without a problem i.e. "I've pulled 700 dives with this rig and I've never had a problem." But, if a problem arises on the 701st dive, I have wonder if the diver's last thoughts as he or she dies an unspeakably horrible death will be, "well, at least I made it this far."

You can blindfold yourself and run across a highway at night. You may make it across safely 20 or 30 (or more times) - this really doesn't make it safe though.

If you are diving solo deep (deeper than you can freedive) and your do not carry any redunant gear, in my view, that's reckless. But, certainly you have a right to do so, just as you can drive around without a seat belt (in most states), or cut metal without saftey glasses.