Solo diving in Coz....

[ReefHound]

The biggest risk are divers who are effectively diving solo while thinking they are diving with a buddy, as in buddies too far apart to be of any assistance or buddies too focused on their cameras to notice any need for assistance and so on.

 

[Ana]

Just curious. Are you a certified solo diver? Do you have redundant equipment? What would happen if you had an equipment failure while diving solo?

If I walk into a dive shop to rent tanks and they ask me these questions you are asking, I'll just turn around and walk out.

I don't have a problem with shops not renting tanks to people without certifications, but getting into the solo diving restriction seems ridiculous. Are these shops going to follow the person to see if they have redundant equipment? or they just want the customer to refrain from disclosing the truth.

What would happen if you had an equipment failure while solo? seriously? what if I bring you a signed permission note from my mom?

 

[cruiser]

I'm not sure if Cameron was Solo certified and/or he had redundancy. Nevertheless, I would argue that far more dive incidents occur with buddy diving. Should Coz dive Ops ban buddy dives now? How about triple divers? (We can go on down this slippery slope if you like...)

I agree that most dive incidents happen with a buddy, even though buddy diving is taught as a panacea in open water. Some buddies are perilous to dive with.

 

[cruiser]

Just curious. Are you a certified solo diver? Do you have redundant equipment? What would happen if you had an equipment failure while diving solo?

My answer to equipment failure depends on what equipment actually failed. Whatever happens underwater you have to think it through. Panic is the kiss of death.

Last year I had faulty rental equipment. I was in 14 feet of water and even though the pressure hose snapped securely into the alternate regulator and delivered air via the reg and to my BCD while gearing up, it did not deliver air when I needed it during the dive (my main regulator came loose from my mouthpiece). The only choice I had was to ditch the gear. A young man was fishing from the iron shore, and he helped me get out of the water which was very much appreciated. I had just started diving a shorty for the first time and my knees took the brunt of the iron shore. No matter, I was safely out of the water. The dive shop went and retrieved the gear. If I were less experienced, or prone to panic, the outcome could have been much different.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

My answer to equipment failure depends on what equipment actually failed. Whatever happens underwater you have to think it through. Panic is the kiss of death.

Last year I had faulty rental equipment. I was in 14 feet of water and even though the pressure hose snapped securely into the alternate regulator and delivered air via the reg and to my BCD while gearing up, it did not deliver air when I needed it during the dive (my main regulator came loose from my mouthpiece). The only choice I had was to ditch the gear. A young man was fishing from the iron shore, and he helped me get out of the water which was very much appreciated. I had just started diving a shorty for the first time and my knees took the brunt of the iron shore. No matter, I was safely out of the water. The dive shop went and retrieved the gear. If I were less experienced, or prone to panic, the outcome could have been much different.

Experienced equipment failure in Cozumel on Tuesday and panic definitely is killer. I kept m cool and handled my situation but I did make a couple of minor mistakes that could've been worse in deeper water. Of course in deeper water, I wouldn't have reached the surface changing masks. Cliff Notes....the omni swivel on my full face blue an o-ring and started free flowing so I disconnected it from my primary hose and bailed out in exchange for a regular mask. But because I was so caught off guard, my breathing changed and I was't exhaling as much as needed so I ended up inches from the surface by the time I cleared my regular mask. I honestly didn't feel panicked as I've practiced doffing and donning a full face many many times. But I think because it wasn't a simulation and I was caught completely off guard increased my breathing a bit. Once I got everything changed over and even attached my primary to a regular 2nd stage reg, I was good and finished the rest of the 15 minutes of dive time I had left considering the loss of air I experienced. But I was pretty disappointed that I ended up on the surface, not to mention that when I doffed my ffm I completely spaced and let it go along with my Go Pro. Luckily a couple other divers near me grabbed them for me. Certainly a learning experience and something to work on. Had I been diving solo, I still would've been okay, but I'm not certain I would've gotten my gear back.

I completely agree on the Solo cert and it will absolutely be my next class. As a DM or Instructor I almost think it should be a requirement because new divers/students won't be able to render aid effectively during a class. And for me diving with my son when he gets certified in a few months once he turns 10...same situation. I don't have full confidence he'll be able to help other than being next to me. So for all intents and purposes....I'm a solo diver.

I can certainly see why officials/dive ops in Cozumel wouldn't want to allow solo diving even away from the marine park. But it's not their sole responsibility to police certified divers, either.

 

[cruiser]

Experienced equipment failure in Cozumel on Tuesday and panic definitely is killer. I kept m cool and handled my situation but I did make a couple of minor mistakes that could've been worse in deeper water. Of course in deeper water, I wouldn't have reached the surface changing masks. Cliff Notes....the omni swivel on my full face blue an o-ring and started free flowing so I disconnected it from my primary hose and bailed out in exchange for a regular mask. But because I was so caught off guard, my breathing changed and I was't exhaling as much as needed so I ended up inches from the surface by the time I cleared my regular mask. I honestly didn't feel panicked as I've practiced doffing and donning a full face many many times. But I think because it wasn't a simulation and I was caught completely off guard increased my breathing a bit. Once I got everything changed over and even attached my primary to a regular 2nd stage reg, I was good and finished the rest of the 15 minutes of dive time I had left considering the loss of air I experienced. But I was pretty disappointed that I ended up on the surface, not to mention that when I doffed my ffm I completely spaced and let it go along with my Go Pro. Luckily a couple other divers near me grabbed them for me. Certainly a learning experience and something to work on. Had I been diving solo, I still would've been okay, but I'm not certain I would've gotten my gear back.

I completely agree on the Solo cert and it will absolutely be my next class. As a DM or Instructor I almost think it should be a requirement because new divers/students won't be able to render aid effectively during a class. And for me diving with my son when he gets certified in a few months once he turns 10...same situation. I don't have full confidence he'll be able to help other than being next to me. So for all intents and purposes....I'm a solo diver.

I can certainly see why officials/dive ops in Cozumel wouldn't want to allow solo diving even away from the marine park. But it's not their sole responsibility to police certified divers, either.

Good save. I hear it's trickier with a full face mask but oh, the advantages, especially in cold water.

I've learned the best buddy is a certified solo diver because they don't go into a dive dependent on their buddy. And having dived with both, I see the difference. My regular buddy would get lazy with her gear because she knew I'd be there to take up the slack, whether she didn't gear up right or forgot a piece of equipment like a knife or light. Then one day she said she'd like all her gear ready to go, she would just jump in the water and put it on LOL. I was done enabling her and suggested she take the solo cert because she was getting too careless and dependent. She completed the class and now owns her dive, even when diving with a buddy.

 

[deepsea21]

Just curious. Are you a certified solo diver? Do you have redundant equipment? What would happen if you had an equipment failure while diving solo?

This is the first time I have ever heard of a "Solo Certification". What is this about? 17 or whatever years ago I was PADI certified as an OW diver and it was recommended we practice the "buddy system" but there was no "Solo Certification" that I recall and no limitation presented that said I couldn't dive without a buddy. Any PADI certified OW diver was free to rent tanks anywhere and do whatever they wanted with them solo or with a buddy.

What the heck is this "Solo Certification" as I've never heard of such a thing. Is this yet another PADI dive op money grab and an excuse to deny grab-and-go tanks to a certified OW diver if they haven't paid for yet another level of certification that is meaningless when one gets right down to it?

Good Lord... I would personally INSIST on diving solo and would NEVER dive with a dive op that forced me to buddy up with some random individual on the boat for the sake of the buddy system because I don't hold some BS "Solo Certification". Luckily, there are dive ops on Cozumel that understand and respect my way of thinking. The only "buddy" I'm going to buddy up with is my wife or a VERY close dive friend who I've been diving with for a long time... No one else... Period.

 

[cruiser]

.....but getting into the solo diving restriction seems ridiculous.....

This was my concern too, and since the dive shop said other shops on the island were doing it, I wanted to put feelers out and see what experiences other divers have had.

 

[cruiser]

Maybe it's a dirty little secret that locals don't discuss but has anybody ever heard of a tourist successfully suing a Cozumel business anyway? I'd think the ones most at risk are those with a U.S. presence.

I haven't heard of anybody successfully suing a Coz business. I have heard you're wasting your time. That's second hand information though.

 

[Steelyeyes]

I wanted just air I'd go to the boat harbor. There's a place there that fills lots and lots of tanks. I got mine for $3 each. The guy in the cage asked if we had ID. We said yes. We didn't get it out and he didn't care to see it. Paid him cash and took the tanks. He logged the tank numbers on his sheet. I don't know what he used for name, maybe Dos Gringos or something.

I prefer nitrox these days and haven't been shore diving on Coz in a while. Things might have changed in the few years since.