Solo diving.. thoughts

[m and m]

Hi,
I'm considering solo diving... i have 150 dives and comfortable freediver to 40fsw. You see i train with Padi.. (currently embarking on assitant instructor) and they are dead set about buddies.. however are they really a asset? As a working DM i often take very new divers down on some challenging dives in currents to 18meter (open water limit). In this situation i would deem my 'buddy' as a liability in the event of a emergency.. so does this mean that i have really been solo diving all a long? When i dive with my wife (shes a UW photographer, i'm not) we don't exactly swim side by side.

So any advice from solo divers out there... is a pony bottle and second reg set really necessary in case of equipment failure.. do others use them??

I have read that if you can think and problem solve calmly underwater then solo diveing in probably safer than driving your car on any street in Australia!!! i have a tendency to belive this . Having said all this i have heard solo diving horror stories as well!

Any thoughts?

 

[El Orans]

Me thinks you can get a lot of info here: ScubaBoard > Scuba Diving Central > Technical Diving Specialties > Solo Divers.

It's a opt-in forum, so you'll need to get access here: Group Preferences.

 

[m and m]

umm .. thanks... still learning my way around

 

[Hank49]

I dive solo now because I cannot usually find a dive buddy living in the middle of nowhere. It is more dangerous for sure. Redundant, independent air supply is a very good idea. I never dive more than 60 feet alone though. I routinely free dive to 60-70 feet so I figure if something on my routinely serviced, with new, or almost new hoses, reg blows, I'll still get to the surface.

 

[m and m]

Thanks for the thoughts ... getting to the surface is one thing... not being bent is another i guess!!

 

[Hank49]

Thanks for the thoughts ... getting to the surface is one thing... not being bent is another i guess!!

You're a surfer? Well, diving alone is about like paddling out alone....which I'd do anytime in perfect conditions with no one else out. The dangers are the same. If you bang your head or get a skeg through your leg etc etc...being alone is more dangerous. But in perfect, glassy 6-8 foot waves.....is it worth it? If you have to think about the answer, you're not a surfer. haha. Hank

 

[drbill]

First, I would never recommend to another diver that they dive solo. I feel this is a decision that cannot be made by someone else with the possible exception of an instructor certified to give solo diver certifications (which PADI doesn't offer).

I have dived solo for over 40 years. In fact 80% of my diving is solo. I only dive solo at sites I'm familiar with and there are generally other divers in the vicinity, either at our park or off the dive boat I dive with. I dive with a fair degree of redundancy, especially air supply. This includes an HP120 as my primary tank and a 13-30 cu ft pony bottle depending on depth anticipated. After a recent computer failure, I am planning to dive redundant computers as well even though I can estimate conservative profiles (even deco) with just my depth gauge and watch.

Although I feel site familiarity and redundant equipment are important issues to address, perhaps one of the most important ones is one you referenced. How do YOU react to emergency situations underwater when they occur? Keep in mind that your reaction when a buddy is present 20 ft away may be different than if the same emergency occurred with no buddy present.

Having had a few unexpected emergencies in my years, two potentially life threatening, I have an idea how I react. I am calm (in denial?), begin responding (for example, ascending slowly) as soon as I sense a problem, analyze the situation "rationally" as it unfolds and do not panic (so far).

Knowledge of YOUR reaction underwater ("preferably" while solo) is a major key to knowing in YOUR mind whether YOU are ready to solo dive yourself. And of course I'll leave that decision strictly in your hands!

In general I think a solo diver is much safer than a DM or an instructor diving with a group of students. After all, you are often essentially solo in those situations... who will be trained or level headed enough to respond if YOU have an emergency during a class dive? That is one area I draw the line... I don't want the liability for another's life!

 

[Cacia]

I think it is an okay thing to do, but 150 dives might not be enough experience.

 

[Footslogger]

Once my kids were grown and gone and until I married someone else who dove I always dove solo. Some boats/DM's weren't too crazy about it but it was the only way I would go. I do a lot of photo and don't swim much. I'm actually a pretty boring person to dive with for that reason. I watch where everyone else goes and then swim the other way. Generally don't get very far from the boat but typically I'm the only one in sight.

Even now with the wife diving I still pretty much go my own way. She swims circles around me doing her own thing and often spots stuff for me to take photos of. It's a good combination.

'Slogger

 

[Vayu]

Do what you want. If something happens like a rock falls on your head, an entanglement, bad gas, or a lightning strike, no one is gonna be there to bring you back up. Just something to consider.

My personal stance is if you can't do it with a buddy you trust, then why do it at all? Just find a friend you can train with. You are in an environment that you were not built for and require the aid of machines to let you survive.

I have too many people rooting for me to let them down like that. As a PADI AI what sort of message are you sending to your students? Also, why would you certify divers and take them into openwater if you don't think they can handle a basic OOA emergency?

Then again like Bill says... its a personal decision. No one can make it for you. Are you disciplined enough to stay within your limits even when the big fish flies by? Just realize that the pony bottle doesn't make you much safer.

An H valve or a set of doubles both with two independent first stages may make you better off.

This should probably be moved out of the forum since it doesn't involve an accident or incident.

Good luck,

-V