Solo diving

[Mountainturtle]

I have a friend (about 120 dives) who mostly dives with a buddy, however on the odd ocasion he will go in alone. He has a set of rules which he follows which are:

- no deeper than 10 m;
- within 100 m of shore, or with a boat above with somebody useful in it.
- take a safety sausage and a whistle
- not near boat-ways
- not in dangerous conditions

I am relatively new to diving (23 dives)and was wondering if these rules seem sensible? Does anybody have any rules which might make this safer?

 

[blacknet]

Hello,

Well certainly this is a very hotly debated topic in the dive community. Some say that your still alone even if you have a buddy, others state your not. Some will say that accidents know no depth, so an accident could happen at the surface or at the bottom and anywhere in between. Some activities while underwater are more dangerous than others, that's given.

I tend to think that all divers need to learn self reliance as the 'buddy system' is like a chain, only as strong as it's weakest point. The key here is understanding what you can/can't do, understand your strong/weak points and slowly build from there.

Case in point, say you have a diver who is NOT self reliant and always dives with a buddy, then one dive their buddy disappears (for whatever reason) and now this diver is alone. He/she is so accustomed to having someone to rely on and this does cause excess problems during the dive that may put that divers life in harms way.

What I do is underwater photography. Some times I'll go to the beach, rent a boat, go to some inshore sites I know, beach the boat (pontoon) and snorkel the area scouting around, then later don scuba gear. I usually pick the same areas that I am familar with. Also will have at least one person on the boat with me (doesn't have to be a diver). I have also scouted around looking for wrecks so the group could dive it.

Ed

 

[Rick Murchison]

Solo diving boils down to a bet on two fronts.
The solo diver bets they will not get trapped or entangled in a way that they can't free themselves, and, the solo diver bets that they won't suffer a debilitating episode that will prevent them from returning to the surface alone.
I take the bet occasionally - but I understand the risks.
Rick

 

[jbd]

Like the first two respondents I also dive solo. I'm very cautious about anyplace that may represent entanglement or entrapment as Rick M mentioned. There are times when being alone with ones thoughts or endeavours underwater are very gratifying. A high level of situational awareness is required and since I dive in very low viz frequently I move very slowly to help minimize any surprise situations that may be hazardous. I do view every dive as a solo event regardless of how many people are in the water with me. This goes along with the 2nd paragraph in blacknets post.

Solo diving is not for everybody. If a diver has any feelings against it then they should not pursue it.

 

[The Chairman]

Hey Mountainturtle & all...

I either dive with friends... people I can trust.

OR... I dive alone.

Boats that make me take as a buddy someone I don't know leave me in a predicament. I am usually babysitting too much to enjoy the dive. There are a few boats who know me well enough to let me venture out on my own, when I don't have a natural partner.

Consequently, I rarely dive boats that I am not "friends" with the skipper unless I bring my own partner. Usually, that is not a problem for me, as I love to share my dive with someone anyway!

As for Dive alone rules, mine are not as neatly codified. I do surface with more air, and I do tend to not do any stressful diving conditions i.e. high current, low vis, etc. I always carry a pony, and double of just about anything I think is necessary for the dive. To put things in perspective, I have only 10 solos under my belt. Not many, but then I am a social being.

 

[TexasMike]

I also think the "rules" stated above are within reason.

The rule that I toss in for myself for my solo diving in addition to Rick's "bets" are that I know the dive location very well.

Currently for me the only place that qualifies is Athens Scuba Park. The area is free of entanglements, I don't enter any of the swim through attractions (aka no overhead environments), and the site is shallow enough (avg. depth 25 ffw) that an emergency surface won't hurt me. Essentially, Athens is has almost become as familar as a backyard pool.

Like the others have said,

• Know your SCUBA and emergency skills cold
• Know your gear, and carry the right tools for your dive plan
• Know your dive area
• Know your limits and stay within them! Don't exceed your training level or comfort zone.
• Let someone on shore know your dive plan, including where you are going, how long you are going to be there, and when you are coming back. And let them know you have returned safely.
• Be willing to call the dive off immediately if something is not right.
• Be safe. We want to hear about your exploits from you...not the obituary column.

 

[Mario S Caner]

The topic of Solo Diving has been talked about many times on these boards... one way to see what's been said before and the easiest way to find things like this is to click on the Search button in your windows upper right corner.

 

[old guy]

I think the likelihood of becoming entangled in a way that could not be overcome is very small. Perhaps approaching the probability of being in a fatal car accident on the way to the dive site.

We have all practiced taking off our BC's right?

Does anyone have experience otherwise?

 

[Rick Murchison]

A very small likelihood....
Yes, that's the bet exactly.
There is also a very small likelihood that you'll have a mini-stroke or heart attack or some other disabling event where a buddy could save you but you can't save yourself.
That's the other side of the solo bet.
And though the likelihoods are small, last year I personally know of one entrapment, one entanglement and one dibilitating episode - three deaths - while solo diving. All three would likely have survived had they had a buddy.
Yes... a very small likelihood is an accurate assessment, and solo diving "properly" done is a very small risk. But it nevertheless has its unique risks that must be accepted if you're going to do it.
I'm not saying "don't solo dive." I am saying "don't deny the risks."
Rick

 

[jbd]

Old guy,
We all may have been trained to remove and replace gear underwater at one time. However how long ago was that for many of us. I think the truth is that very few divers practice the emergency skills they were taught in their OW class. The advice "take a refresher course if its been a while since you've been diving" seems to be ignored by active divers. A diver with 200 nice safe dives may not recall how to remove the BC and SCUBA unit when suddenly entangled. This is the point where a good dive buddy may make all the difference. IMHO any solo diver should be well practiced in emergency skills (problem management skills might be a better phrase)