Go ahead and jump in, it is 15 feet deep and this is a SOLO FORUM (though you would never know it) so go for it. Learn by fire, sink or swim. Safety is way over rated, live dangerous, die free. N
solo diving
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Scuba
Contributor
Nemrod:
You're right. Way too many forums here. Way too many divers in this forum. Way to many confused divers here. Am I Solo or Buddy? Can't totally blame them, its the dive environment they learned and live in.
On the bright side, this is probably the only forum on SB where someone can get away with saying something like this without getting 30 lashes and 3 months of repentance in purgatory.
I used to think the lock on this forum was designed to keep people out - but it just may be to keep people in.
DocWong
Contributor
Of course there are inherent risks to any diving you do and for the most part I dive with buddies and enjoy the company, etc. However some of the most enjoyable diving I've done has been solo.
Solo diving, I'm so much more relaxed. No buddy to watch after and not loose sight of. I navigate where I want and not worry about my buddie/s. My breathing is much more relaxed so my dive times are longer.
So from time to time I'll endulge myself with a solo dive. I might even just hang out hovering motionless in different positions, just watching the enviornment, right side up, upside down, on my back, etc, just enjoying the ocean enviornment and being part of it.
Of course it can be dangerous, so be prudent on where you dive and what your dive plans is. Take precautions, but if you're hesitant about, better not to.
Doc Wong
www.docwong.com
Solo diving, I'm so much more relaxed. No buddy to watch after and not loose sight of. I navigate where I want and not worry about my buddie/s. My breathing is much more relaxed so my dive times are longer.
So from time to time I'll endulge myself with a solo dive. I might even just hang out hovering motionless in different positions, just watching the enviornment, right side up, upside down, on my back, etc, just enjoying the ocean enviornment and being part of it.
Of course it can be dangerous, so be prudent on where you dive and what your dive plans is. Take precautions, but if you're hesitant about, better not to.
Doc Wong
www.docwong.com
abman
Contributor
well you know just getting in the water is dangerous,,,,but some people make it much more of a life threatining big deal than it really is. it you aren't willing to take any chances then this is the wrong sport for anyone to get involved it. now, i'm not saying throw caution to the wind and let it all hang out. you have to use at least a little bit of common sense.you have to think about what you are doing and the choices that you make have consiquinces. i don't try to rationalize every move that i make or do. i'm diving by my self because i want to and my gear is set up to let me do that safley. i am aware of the risks and the rewards. from what iv'e seen of a lot of the new divers that have been mass produced out of the agencies,they are not qualified divers. i think that it's a matter of $ . the more bodies that they run thru and cert. the more $ they make. unfortunatley, it's the new divers that suffer. i just don't like babysitting much any more. i'd rather dive by myself. kenDocWong:
can you picture telling a hardcore biker they can't ride by themself. or a hardcore army ranger they can't go behind the line by themself. you would get the same look from a hardcore diver. so if someone spouts off to you about the evils of solo diving , feel free to tell them to go dive with the girl scouts,
Scuba
Contributor
rubberduck:
Not a heated topic in this forum. You've come to the right forum.
For someone who has never dove solo before, has never, or only briefly found himself alone in a dive before, this is a good idea. You are going to try something new, solo. Keep the dive simple and focused. Minimize risks. This will increase your confidence level and decrease the risk in the event of an unforseen event. You will be able to easily surface and abort the dive at any time you desire, and increase the chance of doing so in the event of an undesireable unforseen event or accident.
If the lobster tries to get away by swimming down to 21', what will you do? ..... 22',23',24', ? Will you notice the depth change before or after? Awareness and discipline.
A few more things to consider. A solo diver should be a self sufficient diver in the interest of safety, actually - all divers. You should have an adequate degree of competence in dive fundamentals, techniques and understanding. You should learn and prepare for the demands imposed by a new dive environement or discipline - beforehand.
This is not a recommendation to solo or not. It is a recommendation to prepare for any dive - beforehand. Thinking required, as opposed to just listening to, or following others.
You appear to be on the right track by asking questions. Remeber there are no dumb questions, only dumb answers. Feel free to ask away. Some replies may seem insensitive at best on these forums, but there are a lot of experienced and knowledgeable divers here willing to help, even those who sometimes give a tart reply. Overlook this and it will pay off in the long run.
matt_unique
Guest
If you feel confident in your diving skills based on the environment you plan to dive, go for it. We're in this forum because we believe the same. Personally there are no dives I do with a buddy that I do not also solo.
--Matt
--Matt
abman
Contributor
experience, training and gear. that's what it takes. you can't substitute for any of the above and sucsessfully, and safely, dive solo. if you do, you are a rescue waiting and asking to happen. that's if, you don't manage to effectivley to kill yourself. at least diving solo, if you are truly a "stroke" you won't take anyone else with you. ken
Just Saturday I was diving at around 30 feet when I spotted a a Jimmy Buffet CD laying on the bottom, I grabbed it and tucked it away when I noticed a nice lure. I grabbed the knife and cut it free and was stowing both when I suddenly noticed a large snake coming at me. At first I thought it an eel and then I was certain it was a big snake. Yep!!!!!!it is a snake, I was swatting at it, it was trying to bite me and somehow I grabbed it by the tail. This was bad!!!, Now if I had a buddy I could have given him the snake but being as I was solo I began twirling the snake about and it was trying to bite and I was swimming all over twisitng and turning all the while holding the snake by the tail. I was somewhat concerned as to my strategy not being all that smart so I grabbed my knife and then began trying to slice his head off and all the while he was still trying to bite me! I guess the snake decided he was not all that smart either and we called a mutual draw and I retreated at high speed as did he. Aside from being able to hand a buddy the snake and assuming willingness on his part to take it the only other advantage I see to having a buddy would have been getting his take on the entire episode. N
I have 76 logged dives, a number of them are solo. Deepest was to 100 ft as part of a multilevel profile that lasted 43 minutes. The shortest was for 22 minutes to a max depth of 38 ft. I have a few of these shorter ones to what I consider shallow 30 ft or less. My instructor was not happy with my first solo deep until he found out the details. I was carrying a full tank, plus slung pony, reel, and lift bag. I had wrote out my dive plan and gave a copy to someone on shore who would not be going in before I came up. Then I intentionally cut the dive short by 5 minutes. This seemed to calm him down. The short shallow ones are usually for specific tasks. For example placing the float on the platform and making sure the lines are intact from the different locations, checking the vis, and making generally sure there are no unexpected surprises for new students. Had one lady freak when she touched a pine tree that we did not tell her was there. She said it grabbed her. But even on these shallow ones I still take my pony, reel and bag. My point is this. If you are comfortable with your gear and ability and have a specific objective and can stick to it go for it. If you can set a depth of 20 ft and let that bug go at 22 or 23, cool. If you don't think you can, get some more experience and discipline. Make your dive plan and stick to it. If you tell the people on shore you'll be down for 30 min don't stay 32 or 33.Especially if they do not dive. Chances are they'll be watching the time closely and you can bet if you overstay it's going to be that much harder to dive again under similar circumstances. You know you are ok but they don't. Even a 5 lb bug that you cook yourself and serve to her on your knees might not make up for worrying those that care about you. In short experience, proper gear, stick to your dive plan, and enjoy!
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