Solo diving

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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.
 
Perhaps they should allow you to cave dive without a cave cert, dive a rebreather without that class or dive NitrOx (heck, even use %100 O2 for deco) without the cert?

To suggest that taking pictures or diving off of a boat increases your risk indicates that you don't understand WHY this cert exists. Maybe you should take the class?

The few boats that I know that require the cert have been required to do so by their insurance companies. That makes sense to me.

I know WHY the cert exists. I have never agreed with it from the beginning. I was part of the the threads back when the cert was first unveiled. I am trying to avoid restarting THAT again.
 
I think this is a great point ... one only needs recall the Nitrox wars of 20 years ago to understand why. Solo diving is going through similar growing pains at this point in time.

It does concern me, however, when I see people with very little experience asking about solo diving. 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 ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I almost put in NitrOx, but I don't think our newer batch of divers would be able to relate to that. Every time I see Dick Rukowski's sign on his shop in Key largo, I smile knowing that most people don't really know why it's there and why he was such an important figure in those NitrOx wars: Science triumphs over Bullshit.

As for the experience, most who take the course take it S-L-O-W. At least the ones I have met. That doesn't mean that they have developed the necessary situational awareness. Then again, I have seen many a diver with over a thousand dives that lacked situational awareness. Go figure.
 
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?

Thanks!
 
I don't know if any agency "encourages" it, but SDI has a course. They have a sub-forum on this board.....

From the SDI website

"One of SDI’s most popular courses, the solo diver program teaches experienced recreational divers how to safely dive independently of a dive buddy or strengthen your buddy team skills. The course stresses on proper dive planning, personal limitations, accident prevention as well as the benefits, hazards, and proper procedures for diving solo. You will also learn the additional equipment that is required for solo diving including it's proper usage and assembly. This is the prefect course for underwater photography and underwater video divers."

This sure sounds like they encourage the course for Photography and their most popular course…
 
....
The instructor did also mention that he will interview each candidate and he will ask the reason they want to the course. If they answer that they want to dive by themselves, he will not teach them the course.


With all due respect this looks like a he said she said quote... To be clear, Diver X is an OWSI instructor and wants to take a solo course from this Texas instructor. If Diver X, the OWSI, states he wants to learn how to dive solo the Texas instructor will tell him he can’t teach him to dive solo. What is the Texas instructors name or the shops name? I bet he would like to chime in here on this topic.

What does the instructor want to hear “I only want to learn how to dive solo because I want to learn how to dive safer with my buddies?”

Using the same logic if he asks why would you like to take my Nitrox class I guess you would have to tell him “I don’t plan on using Nitrox I just want to dive safer on air.” Otherwise he wont teach the class.
 
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?

Thanks!

The PDIC Solo Diver Course covers:

Equipment:

The student must be equipped with a primary air source and a redundant air source that is separate or can be isolated allowing the diver access to two independent air sources. The following equipment configurations are acceptable:
1. Rebreather with adequate bailout gas for the depth, distance, and duration of the dive.
2. Double cylinders with isolation manifold.
3. Double independent cylinders
4. Single tank with H valve
5. Single tank or double tanks with stage “buddy” bottle
6. Single or double tanks with pony bottle
7. Sidemount



Classroom:

Note: Instructors may adjust lecture material for the training level of the student. The recreational student may be informed about technical configurations for knowledge and to initiate an interest in technical training if the instructor desires. Or, the instructor may omit technical information for the recreational student. The technical solo student would benefit from all information provided and the technical instructor should cover all information. Instructors may choose to add information and use additional support materials to achieve the highest quality education for PDIC Solo students.

A. History of solo and team diving
1. Most early endeavors were solo dives
2. How the buddy system began
3. Pros and cons of buddy diving
4. Pros and cons of solo diving
5. Legal concerns for solo and team diving
B. Unplanned solo dives
1. Planning for and coping with buddy separation or team breakdown
2. Dealing with diver stress and rescue
C. Planned solo dives
1. Considerations for the ability to dive solo
a) Experience
b) Health and Physical Fitness
c) Intellectual aptitude
d) Psychological and emotional stability
e) Keen diving knowledge
2. Types of dives and their risks to the solo diver
a) Shore
b) Boat
c) Recreational
- night
- deep
- wreck
- limited visibility
- nitrox
- underwater photography
- hunting
- other recreational dives
d) Technical
- caverns and caves
- wreck penetration
- deep decompression diving
- rebreathers
D. Emergencies
1. Dealing with problems alone underwater
a) Out of air/gas
b) Entanglement
c) Stuck
d) Unplanned decompression
e) Omitted decompression
f) Currents, upwellings, downdrafts
2. Dealing with problems upon surfacing
a) Lost at sea
b) Injuries in remote areas
c) Bleeding
d) Shock
e) O2 toxicity
f) DCI/DCS
g) In-water recompression
3. Managing equipment malfunctions
a) Free-flowing regulators
b) BCD inflator malfunction
c) BCD loss of buoyancy
d) Lost mask
e) Lost fin
E. Equipment for solo diving
1. Air/gas sources
a) Pony bottles affixed to cylinder(s)
b) Stage mounted pony bottles
c) Independent doubles
d) Double tanks with isolator manifolds
e) Buddy bottles
f) Bailout bottles
2. Equipment configurations
a) Recreational
b) Technical
- back mount
- side mount
- rebreathers
3. Standard equipment for solo diving
a) Masks
b) Fins
c) Regulators
d) BCDs
e) Exposure suits
f) Cutting tools
g) Gauges
h) Compasses
i) Reels and spools
j) Deployable Surface Marker Buoys
k) Whistles and audible signaling devices
4. Specialty equipment for solo diving
a) Signal mirrors
b) Dye markers
c) Flares
d) Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs)
e) Analog watch as compass on surface
f) Locating beacons
F. Planning and conducting solo dives
1. Dive site selection and conditions evaluation
a) tide tables
2. Filing a dive plan
- with someone
- leaving a note
- cell or computer message
3. Planning for contingencies
4. Gas planning
5. Pre-dive checklist
6. Performing self-bubble checks and equipment checks
7. Streamlining gear
8. Avoiding entanglements, becoming stuck or loss of equipment
9. Use of no-decompression tables, decompression tables, and software
G. Navigation
1. Electronic tracking systems
2. Compass navigation
3. Directional awareness
- direction
- topography
- environment
4. Emphasis on superb navigational skills for the solo diver

Open Water:

Note: Four (4) training dives is the minimum requirement for PDIC Solo Diving certification. The instructor may exceed the Four (4) minimum dive requirement at his or her discretion and may change the order of the skill work to suit the conditions and the environment. PDIC International encourages instructors to provide the best and most thorough training possible within a sensible time frame. Therefore, instructors may tailor the open water requirements to exceed minimum standards in the interest of student education and safety.

A. Swimming Skill Evaluation
1. Swim 200 yards on the surface in full scuba gear with empty BCD

B. Open Water Dive #1: Critical Skills
1. Instructor teaches proper pre-dive planning, safety checks and entry

a) Dive Tables
b) Gas management calculations
c) Filing a dive plan
d) Equipment assembly and check
e) Bubble check, flow check, regulators working, equipment

2. Instructor demonstrates basic skills and propulsion
a) Horizontal trim
b) Buoyancy control
c) Frog kick
d) Modified frog kick
e) Flutter kick
f) Modified flutter kick
g) Helicopter turns
h) Backward kick
i) Shuffle kick
j) Basic-5: Reg remove/replace, reg exchange, S-drill, mask flood/clear, mask remove/replace
k) Remove/replace scuba unit in horizontal trim
l)DSMB deployment
m) Horizontal ascent
3. Exit
4. Debrief

C. Open Water Dive #2: Use of guideline
1. Student demonstrates proper pre-dive planning, safety checks and entry
a) Dive Tables
b) Gas management calculations
c) Filing a dive plan
d) Equipment assembly and check
e) Bubble check, flow check, regulators working, equipment accounted
2. Pilotage and Guideline dive
a) Student uses pilotage and/or primary reel to navigate dive site
b) Student demonstrates environmental and situational awareness
c) Student demonstrates proper tracking of bottom time and other limits
3. Emergency Scenario
a) Student demonstrates ability to remove entanglements
b) Student demonstrates removal and replacement of scuba unit underwater while entangled
4. Deploy Surface Marker Buoy
a) Student demonstrates ability to satisfactorily deploy a DSMB
b) Student demonstrates ability to follow dive plan and ascend on planned time making proper safety or decompression stops
5. Surface
a) Student removes and replaces scuba unit at surface
6. Exit
7. Debrief

D. Open Water Dive #3: Compass navigation
1. Student demonstrates proper pre-dive planning, safety checks and entry
a) Dive Tables
b) Gas management calculations
c) Filing a dive plan
d) Equipment assembly and check
e) Bubble check, flow check, regulators working, equipment accounted
2. Compass navigation
a) Student demonstrates proficiency for dead reckoning traveling either:
- pre-planned course with way points
- circle, triangle, square
- search patterns
b) Student demonstrates situational and environmental awareness
c) Student demonstrates ability to follow dive plan
3. Emergency scenario
a) Student demonstrates ability to handle failures of primary scuba unit
b) Student demonstrates ability to breathe from a free-flowing regulator
c) Student demonstrates ability to handle BCD/wing failures
4. Deploy Surface Marker Buoy
a) Student demonstrates ability to deploy DSMB
b) Student demonstrates proper ascent rate and ability to make safety or decompression stops
5. Surface
a) Student explains how to handle being lost at sea, how to avoid boat traffic, and how to signal for help
b) Student explains how he or she would cope with DCI/DCS
6. Exit
7. Debrief

E. Open Water Dive #4: Experience dive
1. Student demonstrates proper pre-dive planning, safety checks and entry
a) Dive Tables
b) Gas management calculations
c) Filing a dive plan
d) Equipment assembly and check
e) Bubble check, flow check, regulators working, equipment accounted
2. Student executes his or her dive plan performing all tasks independent of the instructor, tracking all pertinent depth, time, decompression and directional information while maintaining good situational, environmental and personal awareness and making a proper ascent with any planned safety or decompression stops.
3. Student exits water and debriefs the dive

Written Examination:

A. The student must pass the written examination with a minimum score of 90% of the questions answered correctly.

B. The student will submit in writing a course debrief stating what he or she thought of the PDIC Solo Diving course, how he or she would evaluate his or her performance, how he or she would evaluate the instructors performance, why he or she enrolled in solo scuba diver training, and what opinion and intentions that the student has regarding solo diving.

Certification:

Upon successful completion of all self-study, classroom, open water and written work, the student will be issued a PDIC Solo Diver certification card. Certification is not guaranteed and the evaluation of the instructor as to whether or not the student is mature, knowledgeable, and capable of solo scuba diving is the final criterion for a certification card to be issued to the student.
 
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I can't put my finger on it trace, but I think you left something out!





Happy Diving

I think the water helps to fill in any gaps. :wink:
 
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Yo Trace, I thought you retired! The new guy should have to do all that typing!
 

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