I don't think solo diving is for everybody, or diving at all for that matter. I also don't think I'm being unsafe by diving a redundant gear set up by myself. By redundant I mean a set of doubles w/isolation manifold, back plate with dual wings, two computers, watch, tables in pocket, backup mask. Not to mention any stage bottles that might be required. I don't want anyone to put themselves in a bad place to help me. I would rather not be tied to a buddy. I don't think I would have considered diving solo until well after 1000 dives. I would always dive with a buddy when diving someplace new or doing something new. I also would never tell my students that solo diving is a good practice for them.
Solo Diving, How about WHY we should not instead of just NO you should not.
- Thread starter DavidHickey
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Many have covered the pros and cons of Solo diving. Even with redundancy if you have a problem death is a possibility. This applies to Skydiving, Mountain Climbing, Back Country Skiing and a myriad of other potentially high-risk sports. Either you accept the risks or you dont do it.
I have been Solo diving for the last +20yrs. I enjoy diving with buddies, my wife but I prefer the peace and freedom of diving on my own. I do not recommend it for anyone with less than 200 dives and have buddy dove in many situations, current, low viz, etc. Of course redundancy in your equipment is mandatory, at least a pony and extra computer. If you need to ask if it is OK to Solo dive you are probably not ready to do it. Most Solo divers I know it is something that was just a natural progression as they gained more experience over yrs of diving.
I have been Solo diving for the last +20yrs. I enjoy diving with buddies, my wife but I prefer the peace and freedom of diving on my own. I do not recommend it for anyone with less than 200 dives and have buddy dove in many situations, current, low viz, etc. Of course redundancy in your equipment is mandatory, at least a pony and extra computer. If you need to ask if it is OK to Solo dive you are probably not ready to do it. Most Solo divers I know it is something that was just a natural progression as they gained more experience over yrs of diving.
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I won't tell anyone they should not solo dive ... but I will say that I think you shouldn't do it without knowing all the risks, and preparing for them through skills, training, and preparation. Otherwise, you're just gambling that nothing will go wrong.
Basic skills would include a basic level of comfort in the water, the ability to remove and replace your gear underwater, the ability to remove and replace a mask while hovering, the ability to make a free-water ascent and hold a safety-stop without assistance, and some basic knowledge about how to manage your air supply.
As to basic comfort, that's the main reason SDI requires a minimum of 50 dives before letting you take the solo diver class ... for most folks, 50 dives is about sufficient to start giving them the idea that there's an awful lot to this activity that they haven't had time to learn yet. They're starting to relax in the water and get comfortable with basic skills, but they've also gotten over the notion that everything they needed to know about diving was contained in their OW and AOW class. In other words, caution starts to set in.
Being able to hold a stop while replacing your mask is a pretty essential skill. Like it or not, if you dive often enough sooner or later somehow your mask WILL become dislodged ... perhaps even come off ... and you'll have to put it back on and clear it. Doing this essentially blind while holding your depth is not an option, if you start to ascend while putting your mask back on you run the risk of an uncontrolled ascent ... at some point the gas in your BCD will expand faster than your ability to release it, and then you ARE going to the surface.
Removing and replacing your BCD ... well, a likely place for an entanglement is around your tank valve/first stage, and without a dive buddy you'll need to untangle yourself. In this case, your only option will be removing and replacing your BCD underwater. Now, of course, most of us practiced this in OW ... but have you done it since? At depth? Without supervision? I'd recommend practicing it several times in the presence of a safety diver before betting your life on the fact that you could do it if you needed to.
Free-water ascent ... you'll need to manage your buoyancy not just on the way to the surface, but also during your safety stop. Can you do it? Have your practiced it? What about deploying a surface marker buoy? If you're diving in areas where there's boat traffic, that's something you'll want to learn as part of your basic ascent skills.
Air management is a requirement. Guess what ... if you suddenly find yourself low on air, your only choice is going to be an emergency ascent. So the obvious solution is going to be not allowing yourself to get in that situation. Developing good gas management habits is important for any diver ... the solo diver even more so.
Redundant air is pretty much essential, but make sure your gear-up routine includes checking initial pressure, leak testing, and a practice deployment before starting your dive. We had a death in our area not too long ago from someone (fairly experienced) who actually planned to use his pony for ascent, but neglected to make sure it could be deployed. It couldn't, and before he could manage the problem he drowned. Don't just assume that because you've got a pony bottle on your back you are "safe" ... there's a lot more to solo diving safely than just packing a redundant air source.
Just some things to consider ... if you think solo diving is for you, then go for it. Just don't take shortcuts. Take time to get some practice on your basic skills, assess your ability to deal with problems calmly (and be honest with yourself, your life depends on it), get some training, learn how to plan your dives properly ... and then assess your readiness ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Basic skills would include a basic level of comfort in the water, the ability to remove and replace your gear underwater, the ability to remove and replace a mask while hovering, the ability to make a free-water ascent and hold a safety-stop without assistance, and some basic knowledge about how to manage your air supply.
As to basic comfort, that's the main reason SDI requires a minimum of 50 dives before letting you take the solo diver class ... for most folks, 50 dives is about sufficient to start giving them the idea that there's an awful lot to this activity that they haven't had time to learn yet. They're starting to relax in the water and get comfortable with basic skills, but they've also gotten over the notion that everything they needed to know about diving was contained in their OW and AOW class. In other words, caution starts to set in.
Being able to hold a stop while replacing your mask is a pretty essential skill. Like it or not, if you dive often enough sooner or later somehow your mask WILL become dislodged ... perhaps even come off ... and you'll have to put it back on and clear it. Doing this essentially blind while holding your depth is not an option, if you start to ascend while putting your mask back on you run the risk of an uncontrolled ascent ... at some point the gas in your BCD will expand faster than your ability to release it, and then you ARE going to the surface.
Removing and replacing your BCD ... well, a likely place for an entanglement is around your tank valve/first stage, and without a dive buddy you'll need to untangle yourself. In this case, your only option will be removing and replacing your BCD underwater. Now, of course, most of us practiced this in OW ... but have you done it since? At depth? Without supervision? I'd recommend practicing it several times in the presence of a safety diver before betting your life on the fact that you could do it if you needed to.
Free-water ascent ... you'll need to manage your buoyancy not just on the way to the surface, but also during your safety stop. Can you do it? Have your practiced it? What about deploying a surface marker buoy? If you're diving in areas where there's boat traffic, that's something you'll want to learn as part of your basic ascent skills.
Air management is a requirement. Guess what ... if you suddenly find yourself low on air, your only choice is going to be an emergency ascent. So the obvious solution is going to be not allowing yourself to get in that situation. Developing good gas management habits is important for any diver ... the solo diver even more so.
Redundant air is pretty much essential, but make sure your gear-up routine includes checking initial pressure, leak testing, and a practice deployment before starting your dive. We had a death in our area not too long ago from someone (fairly experienced) who actually planned to use his pony for ascent, but neglected to make sure it could be deployed. It couldn't, and before he could manage the problem he drowned. Don't just assume that because you've got a pony bottle on your back you are "safe" ... there's a lot more to solo diving safely than just packing a redundant air source.
Just some things to consider ... if you think solo diving is for you, then go for it. Just don't take shortcuts. Take time to get some practice on your basic skills, assess your ability to deal with problems calmly (and be honest with yourself, your life depends on it), get some training, learn how to plan your dives properly ... and then assess your readiness ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
matt_unique
Guest
DA Aquamaster:
I agree with DA.
I prefer a good buddy over solo diving, I prefer solo diving over a bad buddy. I think the best buddy team would be two solo divers bar none. It is one thing to have a similarly equipped self sufficient buddy available for help in the most remote circumstances. It is an entirely different game altogether to have to "rely" on a buddy for air, gear, or problem resolution. I think that concept is crazy and more dangerous than properly equiiped solo diving.
--Matt
What I find interesting is why the diving industry makes it such a taboo while other equally or more dangerous activities don't seem to make a big deal of it, climbing, flying, backcountry hiking, etc.
I think this is why most new divers will ask why solo diving is so risky. The original poster mentioned a specific set of very conservitive dive paramaters and compared it to the risks of snorkling solo. Most of the same risks mentioned for scuba would also apply to snorkling, yet no one mentioned, although Rick alluded to it, that you shouldn't be solo snorkling either.
The buddy system is generally a great system and could eliminate a lot of unnecessary death if used throughout your life. Let's face it, heart attack, stroke, hitting your head on a rock could happen as you walk to the bathroom, well maybe not the rock thing, having a buddy could potentially save your life. If someone did a detailed study they would probably find the woman have fewer bathroom related death because they are more likely to go as a group. The point is, you need to look at the risks and decide what risks you are willing to take. Some of these risks you are going to think to minor to worry about and take.
I think this is why most new divers will ask why solo diving is so risky. The original poster mentioned a specific set of very conservitive dive paramaters and compared it to the risks of snorkling solo. Most of the same risks mentioned for scuba would also apply to snorkling, yet no one mentioned, although Rick alluded to it, that you shouldn't be solo snorkling either.
The buddy system is generally a great system and could eliminate a lot of unnecessary death if used throughout your life. Let's face it, heart attack, stroke, hitting your head on a rock could happen as you walk to the bathroom, well maybe not the rock thing, having a buddy could potentially save your life. If someone did a detailed study they would probably find the woman have fewer bathroom related death because they are more likely to go as a group. The point is, you need to look at the risks and decide what risks you are willing to take. Some of these risks you are going to think to minor to worry about and take.
There isn't one undisputable reason. As previous responders had said, diving the buddy system increases the likelihood of having assistance (success not guaranteed) if problems occur.
This is true for any outdoor/sporting activity - or any life activity for that matter. At the end of the day, the choice is yours. You balance the pros and cons (is that mountain hike risky enough for me to put up with an irritating companion or can I manage on my own and enjoy the solitude).
So, in diving, you have to consider various things.
Level and experience of the diver - you would never advise a newly qualified Open Water diver to jump in solo
The dive - a nice dive off the beach in calm waters is not in the same league as a wreck dive at 50m in current
The confidence and knowledge of the diver to deal with problems should they occur.
This is true for any outdoor/sporting activity - or any life activity for that matter. At the end of the day, the choice is yours. You balance the pros and cons (is that mountain hike risky enough for me to put up with an irritating companion or can I manage on my own and enjoy the solitude).
So, in diving, you have to consider various things.
Level and experience of the diver - you would never advise a newly qualified Open Water diver to jump in solo
The dive - a nice dive off the beach in calm waters is not in the same league as a wreck dive at 50m in current
The confidence and knowledge of the diver to deal with problems should they occur.
You're obviously not a climber or backcountry hiker.ranger979:
Doing these things solo is widely accepted as being more dangerous, particularly climbing. Hiking is not as big a deal as long as you let someone know when to expect you back and where to find you if you don't come back. Underwater, you die much faster than while on a trail.
Remember that guy who cut his arm off with a swiss army knife because he got trapped by a boulder? He wouldn't have had to do that if he either went with someone or simply let someone know where he was going and when he was going to be back. Despite media worship, he was widely criticized for being a dolt.
lamont
Contributor
i've done two solo dives just to see what was up with the taboo.
lessons learned:
- you must have your **** together on entry and exit. this is probably one of the most dangerous points of the dive for the solo diver.
- nobody is there to give you a bubble check, you have to be good at planning and monitoring your gas supply. if you can't look at your SPG 20 mins into the dive and determine that you don't have any leaks, imo, you don't have any place solo diving.
- if you run out of gas you will not be able to inflate your BC.
- even on a super weenie solo dive with good gas management you could still have IP creep in your first stage cause catastrophic gas loss. recovery from this is not elegant if you are solo with only a single air source.
- the first time i went down the fish looked a whole lot bigger and more dangerous without having human backup around, that was actually kinda cool, but it wears off.
- downsides in addition to it being more risky, you don't have an extra set of eyes spotting cool stuff for you, and you don't have opportunity for feedback ("was i head down? did i have any air in my wing on that stop?", etc)
so, i think that got the solo diving out of my system, it just doesn't hold any attraction for me and i've got enough people around that'll dive with me that i don't need to.
honestly it did help to do a couple solo dives just to prove that i could do it. it immediately made me stop worrying about buddy separation. there were actual benefits in confidence which translated to buddy diving so that when i look around and don't see my buddy i don't think "oh no, i'm alone!" but just "where the f did my buddy swim off to?".
and i do think that there's a little bit of FUD about solo diving with some misplaced risk assessment. if you pick your dive site and dive conservatively with no penetration and with good viz you should be able to minimize your risk of entaglement and those issues. the bigger issues that are more likely to kill you are probably related to air and buoyancy. its going to be an uncontrolled free flow, or a valve rolled off, or a regulator that you can't get at, or a BC/wing dump that is stuck open. your pre-dive checks need to be flawless and your gas management needs to be excellent. in retrospect i've got considerably less confidence in my skills to solo dive now than i did when i did those two dives.
lessons learned:
- you must have your **** together on entry and exit. this is probably one of the most dangerous points of the dive for the solo diver.
- nobody is there to give you a bubble check, you have to be good at planning and monitoring your gas supply. if you can't look at your SPG 20 mins into the dive and determine that you don't have any leaks, imo, you don't have any place solo diving.
- if you run out of gas you will not be able to inflate your BC.
- even on a super weenie solo dive with good gas management you could still have IP creep in your first stage cause catastrophic gas loss. recovery from this is not elegant if you are solo with only a single air source.
- the first time i went down the fish looked a whole lot bigger and more dangerous without having human backup around, that was actually kinda cool, but it wears off.
- downsides in addition to it being more risky, you don't have an extra set of eyes spotting cool stuff for you, and you don't have opportunity for feedback ("was i head down? did i have any air in my wing on that stop?", etc)
so, i think that got the solo diving out of my system, it just doesn't hold any attraction for me and i've got enough people around that'll dive with me that i don't need to.
honestly it did help to do a couple solo dives just to prove that i could do it. it immediately made me stop worrying about buddy separation. there were actual benefits in confidence which translated to buddy diving so that when i look around and don't see my buddy i don't think "oh no, i'm alone!" but just "where the f did my buddy swim off to?".
and i do think that there's a little bit of FUD about solo diving with some misplaced risk assessment. if you pick your dive site and dive conservatively with no penetration and with good viz you should be able to minimize your risk of entaglement and those issues. the bigger issues that are more likely to kill you are probably related to air and buoyancy. its going to be an uncontrolled free flow, or a valve rolled off, or a regulator that you can't get at, or a BC/wing dump that is stuck open. your pre-dive checks need to be flawless and your gas management needs to be excellent. in retrospect i've got considerably less confidence in my skills to solo dive now than i did when i did those two dives.
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