Solo diving

[atedeschi]

That course outline looks alot like a tdi intro to tech course to me. Guess they just label it different or do they have a intro course as well?

 

[Osric]

I do firmly believe that one of the specific protocols necessary for solo diving is adequate diving experience to have learned how to deal with problems underwater, and in a calm manner. That typically is something that comes with experience and self-confidence that very, very few newer divers can attain ... even at the 100-dive mark ...

I think this is impossible to assess. Most people seem to accept/believe that new divers are overconfident because they don't know what they don't know, but experience in the form of 100 dives doesn't mean much unless some of the dives were eventful.

I think if we really want to build confidence in emergency situations, we should have to train for them, but the complexity and ethics of putting classmates at actual risk is not something any instructor or certifying agency could take on.

How about a course where:

- your buddy is OOA at 100 fsw?
- you are about to hit deco but there is not enough gas left between the pair of you to surface safely?
- your buddy is entangled?
- your buddy has lost a mask and fin and panicked, inflating his/her BCD?

To really be effective for vacation divers, all these scenarios should be tested in groups of 6, where there is a guide who somehow manages to miss the emergency and nobody knows which diver is going to get hit with the emergency.

Maybe there is such a course and I don't know about it. But I contend that without practice, nobody is ready for these situations, and that 95% of all vacation divers lack any training that they could actually apply to these situations.

That then, seems to be the benefit of solo diving for less experienced divers: as a defense against the real state of unprepared buddies.

Osric

 

[Trace Malinowski]

That course outline looks alot like a tdi intro to tech course to me. Guess they just label it different or do they have a intro course as well?

PDIC's Tek Prep course is a different program with 8 dives focusing on developing a high degree of proficiency with trim, buoyancy, propulsion, and team procedures rather than handling failures alone. I'm also an SDI/TDI instructor and the PDIC Solo course contains elements of both along with other elements such as those found in wilderness first aid, but targeted at divers.

I created the PDIC program based upon my experience growing up solo diving, as a recreational instructor, as a solo wreck and cave diver, tech/cave instructor, and after having taken an excellent SDI Solo class from a TDI cave instructor in caves. But, solo cave diving in remote areas and being a wilderness first aid instructor lead to education on preparing to deal with DCS/DCI and other injuries without help in places such as caves in which you need to climb out of if in trouble. I developed several new procedures to manage emergencies on one's own including methods of self-extraction while injured.

These programs are heavy on stress, task-loading, and dealing with simultaneous multiple failures.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

Trace - shoot me an email to dave@indianvalleyscuba.com regarding this thread and the PDIC program

 

[AndyNZ]

So typically what does one learn in a Solo Diver class? I'm thinking redundant air source(s), gear setups, situational awareness and problem solving.

Is there more?

I saw a book on it at my LDS a couple of weeks ago and thought about getting it. I got distracted and forgot all about it until this thread.

and

So, can someone shed some light on what the actual course involves and what equipment is required (i.e. Pony or doubles?). What skills are covered/evaluated in the training dives?

You will find many answers to these questions - as many as there are SDI Solo instructors.

This is a sample from the SDI manual, albeit from 2006 - there have been some changes since then:

http://web.mac.com/wilem/Sebastien_Wilem/Technical_files/27 - Solo Diver Specialty.pdf

The performance requirements are clearly laid out. But SDI does encourage it's instructors to exceed the minimum standards for a course - how much someone chooses to do that is up to them. You will find SDI instructors who do not extend their courses at all, yet still charge the same for the course...... moral of the story? shop around and choose the right instructor for you!

I can give you an idea of what I teach in an SDI Solo Diver course. I typically have one evening of theory, one evening of pool training and at least six open water dives spread over a few evenings or a weekend.

Most of the theory evening is spent on equipment, gas management and most importantly attitude.

The pool session focuses on control in the water - buoyancy, trim and positioning. We also cover gas sharing whilst hovering and introduce all of the foundation skills for a solo course, such as a decent regulator switching protocol, switching to a spare mask whilst hovering, remove and replace pony bottle (if used) and so on. If at this point I am not feeling 100% confident about a student I tend to encourage them to go and do some more diving and come back having practiced skills.

Open water dive 1 would tend to start with a descent/ascent drill - descent to 9m at 3m/min, spend 1 min there and ascent at 3m/min. All in trim and maintaining position relative to the line. Following that, it's a similar descent followed by all of the skills from the pool. We also measure SAC rates - average over the dive and also a working portion. Finally, students deploy an SMB and conduct a controlled ascent. Divers get feedback on their skills performance and coaching towards doing them better.

Dive 2 is a scenario dive - rather than controlled skills, students simply go for a dive and various things "go wrong" through the dive. I'm looking for appropriate responses to the problems. Failures get progressively more challenging and "unsolvable" causing to someone thumbing the dive. SMBs are deployed and students ascend - often on their redundant air source, monitoring pressure.

Dive 3 is a repeat of dive 1 - except I am looking for some degree in refinement from dive 1.

Dive 4 is a repeat of dive 2 - except failures are more progressive and challenging to deal with. A typical outcome of this is students having to deal with some very unrealistic failures, being OOG combined with a freeflowing regulator on their pony bottle and a broken computer. They need to decide how to conduct an ascent in that situation.

Dive 5 (assuming an ideal course!) is simply a dive - divers need to plan and conduct a dive as if it was a solo dive. They need to demonstrate they can stay within limits of the plan.

Dive 6 is a solo dive - though I do check exiting gas pressure and depth on computers etc to see that the plan for the dive was adhered to.


This is a "perfect" course. Many students require more dives and I have a bag of tricks for helping them improve their skills. Some students do upwards of 10 dives to finish, spread over several weeks or months.

Not all instructors do courses this way, though!

In terms of equipment, the course can be done with any recognisable redundant gas supply - manifolded doubles, independent twins, a H valve, a pony bottle or sidemount. I think that SpareAir is allowed by standards, but I don't teach students who think that it is a good option. Some instructors may.


Hope this helps.

 

[dtownsend2000]

Trace and Andy: Thanks for all the information!

 

[Downing]

Trace and Andy: Thanks for all the information!

Ditto that. Thanks, guys.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

SDI's standard is 2 dives, but Andy is doing at least 4 more obviously because he cares. I kind of speed read Andy's post, but I don't know if he mentioned that he crafted PADI's Self-Sufficient Diver specialty.

Also, to Andy, you know what I do on one of the dives? I apply intense pressure and pull out all the stops. I'll even come away with wing OPV valves in the stolen items inventory during failures and push the student to the max stress threshold. The next dive, I tell the student that "the gloves are off" and the whole can of "Whoop-A$$" is about to befall him or her. Then, I don't mess with the student at all. Often, they'll say that was the worst dive - waiting for the hammer to drop. Afterward, I'll tell the student to remember what it felt like to expect me to pounce at any time when they decide to take on a risky solo objective and to take whatever measures will be necessary for a safe exit or ascent by the numbers as if it were class whenever they feel complacent on a real dive.

I also try to do one solo dive at night and one in an overhead. Usually when at Dutch, We'll do 1 dive on the platforms for critical skills, 1 dive in open water, 1 at night, and 1 inside one of the attractions such as the Silver Comet. In the St. Lawrence, I'll use the Barge in shallow water at Cape Vincent for critical skills, the Islander in 50 feet, and the Keystorm in 115 feet.

 

[AndyNZ]

Fabulous! I've got a class starting next week and I might try the "gloves are off" line on dive 5, which generally has no failures on it.

I try to give multiple failures that force a student to prioritise what they are doing, things like being OOG followed by a first stage failure on their pony (normally means they are feathering the valve to reserve gas) and then piling it higher and deeper and seeing whether they make bad choices that lead them to forget to keep the gas supply under control.

I'll have to try the OPV.... though I might need to up the task loading a bit to ensure my students are distracted enough to not notice me unscrewing it.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I'll have to try the OPV.... though I might need to up the task loading a bit to ensure my students are distracted enough to not notice me unscrewing it.

Believe it or not, that's the easiest thing to get next to a spare double ender. You can take it while they are doing nothing at all. Hand it to the student and see if he or she realizes he/she needs to remove the scuba unit to fix it.