Solo Diving

[Sasquatch]

Ya, Trinigordo, good point if you don't have a regular bud. I have 2 that have been with me for some time. Some of the close quarter/low viz work we do is like a well rehearsed dance.

 

[Trinigordo]

I would absolutely love to have a regular partner to go gungho with, but unfortunately I am transient between Trinidad and East Lansing and I cannot seem to find people who want to dive as often as me on short notice dives.

But as of right now I do all dives as a solo dive, but with me looking out for my buddy if I am diving with one.

 

[TheFoggyMask]

This is how people die in this hobby, making stupid decisions like solo diving. Or even losing your buddy once under and then deciding that you're going ahead with the dive solo. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around it.

 

[Bryan]

 

[Sasquatch]

This is how people die in this hobby, making stupid decisions like solo diving. Or even losing your buddy once under and then deciding that you're going ahead with the dive solo. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around it.

I most strongly disagree with your first broad statement but just as strongly agree with your second. Go figure!

Sea ya!

 

[Melicertes]

This is how people die in this hobby, making stupid decisions like solo diving. Or even losing your buddy once under and then deciding that you're going ahead with the dive solo. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around it.

Despite the fact that I personally do not like the idea of solo diving, I think you're assumption of facts are ungrounded. Diver casualties occur despite practicing buddy diving; hmmm, let it be stated for the record that I do not intend for this phrase to be misconstrued in any other way but to have meaning in its most innocent and face value form.

Ergo, solo diving as opposed to buddy diving does not necessarily kill more divers. Granted, there is a higher risk a solo diver takes when diving alone because he/she will not have assistance from a buddy should something go wrong and they can not deal with it effectively and in time; whether they get killed or not is, however, a consequence of their ability to manage the emergency effectively or not. Buddy diving's not more safe if your buddy runs out of air and couldn't reach you in time for assistance either.

I entirely agree with your second statement though. Losing a buddy and continuing the dive solo without locating and informing one's buddy first is just spoiling for a disaster; how would one's buddy know of this decision? For all intents and purposes the now solo diver would be considered a lost diver and constitutes an emergency IMHO.

 

[grazie42]

This is how people die in this hobby, making stupid decisions like solo diving. Or even losing your buddy once under and then deciding that you're going ahead with the dive solo. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around it.

I´m glad you gave us the benefits of your wisdom...using broad sweeping statements and words like "stupid" without any arguments to support your view is very persuasive...the fact that YOU can´t wrap your mind around it is what convinced me to never solo again...

 

[SteveAD]

Rather than the classic rule of never dive alone, I simply extend the rule of always dive within your limitations, both those of training and equipment.

trying to maintain buddy contact in <3foot vis is beyond many divers abilities, the use of a buddy line can pose an entanglement problem. some folks probly should not dive in those conditions at all.

if one does opt to go solo, then we have to look at eqipment considerations, redundancy, and limiting other risk factors like depth.

diving solo doesn't kill people.....making bad decisions does

 

[Melicertes]

diving solo doesn't kill people.....making bad decisions does

I hear you, and I entirely agree with you on this one. :14:

 

[TheFoggyMask]

I´m glad you gave us the benefits of your wisdom...using broad sweeping statements and words like "stupid" without any arguments to support your view is very persuasive...the fact that YOU can´t wrap your mind around it is what convinced me to never solo again...

Thank you for the flame, I'll have to remember next time to be completely politically correct in my opinion and give facts and a peer reveiwed paper so as to not anger your highness again.