Solo diving?

[Nemrod]

IMHO that is ridiculous advice.

No idea how deep I can freedive. 25 feet maybe? So I should not solo deeper than 50 feet? Why?? Bolting for the surface is never part of my plan so what does it matter how deep I can freedive?

I am not endorsing that concept but the idea --the twice your freedving depth limit---comes from the idea that if you can, for example, free dive 60 feet then your total breath hold time is equal to 120 feet and so therefore--in theory--you should be capable of ascending 120 feet without any air source (total failure). You say you don't know your free dive depth capability, well, if you were a practitioner of this concept then you would find out wouldn't you? The ultimate concept here is that the surface is ALWAYS your redundancy.

If you are of the mind set that the surface does not provide your redundancy, your ultimate refuge, and instead choose an equipment solution then as you rightly might think, the concept (2X free dive depth) is not so much of consequence to you.

It is simply two different ways to achieve redundancy, one depends upon practiced capability, the other depends upon equipment. I generally follow the 2X free dive depth which for my current state of affairs is 80 to 100 feet for my solo max depth. Beyond that depth I switch over to an equipment solution, a pony or doubles etc depending upon the expected depth.

N

 

[JDenning]

I have to agree with the sentiment that the twice freedive depth doesn't make a great deal of sense. Coming up after taking a breath at depth is the the same as swimming down and back up. Let's all go back to Boyle's Law.

I gradually moved into solo diving. I think it really came home when I realized that many of the dive buddies I've had I might as well have been solo. I'm not trying to be arrogant, I bet we all have buddy stories.

My skills have grown, I also had the privilege of some super and intensive training in some advanced diving when I was young before most of the course material for advanced stuff was set. Including going down in a recompression chamber to 165' to see how it effected us. It was very interesting.

I agree that if you feel you need a course you ain't ready yet. You will know when you are. Don't tell yourself you are. Just evaluate yourself your skills, how you react underwater to an emergency. Don't do anything that you don't feel is safe. Be very comfortable with your skills, and your gear. And don't push yourself on solo dives, at least not at first.

A dive club I was in when I was young we had an advanced diver program. We did things like navigation, and free ascents, from 30' and 60', and some of us from 100'. We did it with buddies under controlled situations. It was a good skill to have. After doing it you learn, it ain't hard to do.

I did a week on the Cayman Aggressor and I did mostly solo. Well I missed out being in any of the photos and videos:-( My fault. I just came back from Curacao, and I let the Dm do the navigation and I just enjoyed the reef. Both have their benefits. But sometime the group can be fun, watching some of the divers. And I like shooting pictures with divers in em. Hard to do solo

Safe Diving... & Fun Diving.

 

[ianr33]

I am not endorsing that concept but the idea --the twice your freedving depth limit---comes from the idea that if you can, for example, free dive 60 feet then your total breath hold time is equal to 120 feet and so therefore--in theory--you should be capable of ascending 120 feet without any air source (total failure). You say you don't know your free dive depth capability, well, if you were a practitioner of this concept then you would find out wouldn't you? The ultimate concept here is that the surface is ALWAYS your redundancy.

If you are of the mind set that the surface does not provide your redundancy, your ultimate refuge, and instead choose an equipment solution then as you rightly might think, the concept (2X free dive depth) is not so much of consequence to you.

It is simply two different ways to achieve redundancy, one depends upon practiced capability, the other depends upon equipment. I generally follow the 2X free dive depth which for my current state of affairs is 80 to 100 feet for my solo max depth. Beyond that depth I switch over to an equipment solution, a pony or doubles etc depending upon the expected depth.

N

Good post!

Most of my solo dives are deepish (100+ feet) and often have a bit of deco so for me the equipment option makes most sense.

I can see that for a shallow dive heading for the surface would be a viable alternative..

 

[String]

You must first gain experience and be TOTALLY dependant on yourself when and if the S*** hits the fan

To me that's essential of ALL diving regardless of whether you have a buddy or not. All divers should be able to get themselves out of any situation they get into without having to blindly rely on a 3rd party.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

There are other OPTIONS, that btw do NOT include solo in their philosophy!

I sure with people would stop doing that ... he did not ask for advice on agencies that are philosophically opposed to the concept of solo diving. Such advice, while perhaps well-intentioned, does nothing to address the question (and yet it's the inevitable answer some DIR adherent will always offer).

Let's try responding to the OP's question, rather than telling him to "Just Say No" (that advice never works anyway).

To the OP ... you have a long road ahead of you before you are ready to consider solo diving. One of the most fundamental requirements is that you have sufficient experience to recognize potential risks and how to take steps to avoid them.

As the saying goes, "A good diver is one who can get himself out of a bad situation ... a great diver is one who knows how to not put himself into that situation in the first place."

If you're thinking to go solo, you really need to be in the latter category ... and that's knowledge you're just going to have to get by diving.

On my website there's an article on solo diving ... http://www.nwgratefuldiver.com/articles/solo.html ... you may benefit from reading it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Land Locked]

The Op was posting in two different forums at the same time, I was just pointing out the options. The best advice is what you have outlined below, which is not an option on the other forum.

I sure with people would stop doing that ... he did not ask for advice on agencies that are philosophically opposed to the concept of solo diving. Such advice, while perhaps well-intentioned, does nothing to address the question (and yet it's the inevitable answer some DIR adherent will always offer).

Let's try responding to the OP's request, rather than telling him to "Just Say No" (that advice never works anyway).

To the OP ... you have a long road ahead of you before you are ready to even consider solo diving. One of the most fundamental requirements is that you have sufficient experience to recognize potential risks and how to take steps to avoid them.

As the saying goes, "A good diver is one who can get themselves out of a bad situation ... a great diver is one who knows how to not put himself into that situation in the first place."

If you're thinking to go solo, you really need to be in the latter category ... and that's knowledge you're just going to have to get by diving.

On my website there's an article on solo diving ... NWGratefulDiver.com ... you may benefit from reading it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[dumpsterDiver]

The idea of limiting depth to twice freedive depth is very silly. Freedivers are rested and calm when they do their swim up and down. A scuba diver who has lost ALL breathable air is not anywhere near as streamlined as a freediver nor is he as calm, unless he is scuba diving very shallow. It is also unlikley that he has totally rested his muscles and has cleaned out all excess Co2 from his blood. There is very liittle similarity in the two situations, in my mind.

I can easily freedive to 60 feet but I wear a pony for all dives (solo and otherwise) over 55 feet or where boat traffic might be likley to make me hesitant to pop up.

In my mind, you need to be able to survive if any one piece of equipment fails and probably 2 or 3 pieces.

I was solo diving as a young teenager in sometimes challenging conditions, but this was the norm for the group of NJ wreck divers that I associated with.

You need to be pretty confident you can handle most problems, you definitely need to be able to remove and replace the scuba unit underwater and you need to have enough physical reserve (strength/endurance) to muscle out of a situation, because obviously nobody is going to help you. I carry two knives, multiple surface markers, a pony bottle, a light and lately a marine radio in a pressure vessel.


I think you should also wait until you have extricated yourself from a few "diving emergencies" or at least a few incidents that scared you or pushed you to your physical limit. Once you get a handle on how you will react in bad situations and a better idea of your comfort level and true abilities, then you might consider doing any kind of challenging solo diving.

Since I was solo diving after only doing maybe 10 dives after certification, I view it as a normal type of activity, but it still makes me nervous to wait on the surface when someone is solo diving and they are just 3-4 minutes late. It is not something I want my wife doing.

 

[DaleC]

As the saying goes, "A good diver is one who can get themselves out of a bad situation ... a great diver is one who knows how to not put himself into that situation in the first place."

Holy cow! There is a lot of wisdom in that little saying.

To the OP: Wether you solo in the future or not, you can begin training right now by being pro active in your approach to diving.
Even if you are diving with others with more experience, participate fully in planning your buddy dives. How deep; how far; how long. Get out the tables and crunch NDL's and emerg. decomp stops, even on seemingly simple dives. Start looking at maps and taking compass bearings etc... Study your gear - what works and what doesn't. Start understanding tide and current tables. Practise using and/or deploying stuff. Is it really accessable in an emergency. Start answering the what ifs:

What if I drop my knife while cutting out of an entanglement?
What if I lose my mask?
What if my light burns out?
What if my regulator malfunctions?
What if I have to surface where there might be boat traffic?
What if I find myself in zero vis?
What if my tank gets entangled?
The list goes on.

The idea is not to become overly morbid but rather to begin developing skills and understanding rather than blind reliance on your buddy or worse... luck.
Somewhere down that path if soloing is for you , you will know it.

I think it is too bad that SDI places such a prerequisite on the solo course (but at least they offer one) although I do understand why. I think that by the time someone logs 100 dives and takes the RD course they are pretty far down the path for what is offered. Those who most need such a course (newer divers determined to solo) are left out of the loop to fend for themselves. Of course conventional thinking is that such divers should not be soloing but... kids will be kids. The arguement is simular to that of sex education in school. Do you just insist on abstinence or do you try to reduce risk via eduction.
Solo diving itself isn't any more dangerous than solo small aircraft flying, solo hang gliding or solo sky diving; there is a signifigant risk that can mostly be offset by specific skills and equipment but not completely. At the end of the day there is no one else to blame but yourself, most divers will poo poo you and no buddies to relive the dives with. When, and if, you do solo; make sure it is for the right reason.

 

[BobbyT22]

The thing I think about when I solo, in addition to risk mitigation (good vs great diver comment earlier is right on), is whether there is will I be able to summon help of some sort on the surface should I need it after ascending. The phrase "diving alone...together" applies for me. Will someone see my inflated safety sausage, and know what it means, when I deploy it? Will someone be within earshot of my whistle or be able to see my waving arms? Those are the things that give me pause when I solo. If the answers are all no, then I don't solo there. That usually means I only solo in my home quarry, or at a very popular shore dive location like La Jolla Cove in San Diego, or maybe off a cattle boat when there are a ton of other folks in the water and a professional crew on the surface keeping a good lookout. IMHO, solo diving in the middle of nowhere, with nobody to see a distress call, is a risk I am not willing to take. Just my .02.

 

[WetCell]

IMHO that is ridiculous advice.

No idea how deep I can freedive. 25 feet maybe? So I should not solo deeper than 50 feet? Why?? Bolting for the surface is never part of my plan so what does it matter how deep I can freedive?

I think it is pretty clear that you can partition any (solo) diving emergency where a buddy would be an immediate lifesaver into one of two classes. 1) out of air, no air, air supplies inoperative and 2) constrained in some way, such as snared, entangled, trapped, etc. At the moment emergency #1 occurs, you have become a free diver. Von Maier makes perfect sense. So do the ancient Greeks when they said "know thyself".