Solo diving

[Kharon]

My plan is to log several dives with my "self-reliance" gear in more complex dives before saying that I am ready 100% to dive alone anywhere.

Don't review the SDI Solo Diving Manual - STUDY it. I do over every winter. I also study all my other manuals (not OW of course). I'll keep doing that till I have them memorized.

In the SDI manual you will find a list of proscribed solo dives. Some are obvious - no enclosed, no deco, etc. One that I think is more important is no pinnacle dives. Don't dive solo in conditions that you haven't dove enough to be very familiar and comfortable with. If you ain't been to 130' you got no business doing it till you' done a bunch of dives to that depth with help available, and I ain't talking about spare air. Several dives with "self-reliant" gear doesn't cut it. Beside doing the dives you need to practice with the gear switch to the redundant, independant air source and all the other gear. Using the redundant gear has to be second nature so you can deal with the real emergency and not be concentrating on how to get hold of and use the redundant air or other gear. I still practice something on every dive. Don't sell muscle memory short.

 

[drbill]

The post below states my philosophy on solo diving in very direct language.

I've been diving solo for over 50 years and thousands of dives. Initially I did it because we had only one kit and had to share it between us (requiring us to dive solo for our portion of the gas in the tank). I continue doing it (although usually only in waters I'm pretty familiar with) because it eliminates the distraction of constant attention to a buddy which affects my ability to locate and film subjects (my primary purpose in diving if it isn't research-oriented).

I never recommend to anyone else that they dive solo UNLESS I am very familiar with their diving (hard to do since I'm diving without buddies!) and, most importantly, know their reaction to an unanticipated emergency. IMHO above all else, this is critical. You can dive with all the redundancy in the world, but if you panic when faced with such an emergency, you probably are not cut out for solo diving (at least not yet).

This probably isn't a popular opinion, but I don't think anybody should be diving solo until they've had a real "Oh Sh**!" moment.

It really puts the level of risk in a whole new light.

flots.

 

[chrpai]

This probably isn't a popular opinion, but I don't think anybody should be diving solo until they've had a real "Oh Sh**!" moment.

I agree with you, problem is that in 12 years of diving, it hasn't happened yet. I've had some stressful situations where I thumbed a dive but I haven't really had a "bad dive" yet.

I like to think that it's not in my nature to panic. I was put through some pretty stressful situations in the Marines and whenever something happens to my kids I always seem to know exactly what to do and do it quickly without panic (despite my wife getting very stressed out).

So I pray if I ever have an oh **** moment while solo diving I will be equally calm. Truth is, I don't know.

 

[uncfnp]

I agree with you, problem is that in 12 years of diving, it hasn't happened yet. I've had some stressful situations where I thumbed a dive but I haven't really had a "bad dive" yet.

I like to think that it's not in my nature to panic. I was put through some pretty stressful situations in the Marines and whenever something happens to my kids I always seem to know exactly what to do and do it quickly without panic (despite my wife getting very stressed out).

So I pray if I ever have an oh **** moment while solo diving I will be equally calm. Truth is, I don't know.

That raises an interesting point. Fortunately, I've never experienced a truly "Oh Sh**!" moment" diving either but I wonder if having an occupation that entails a high level of of stress management can also

1) adapt a diver to deal with stress in different environments, such as scuba diving

2) develop the mindset that solo divers need

3) alternatively do people naturally suitable for solo diving gravitate to high stress, challenging jobs?

For myself, I was a volunteer EMT/Shock Trauma/EMT instructor in the 80's, a Critical Care nurse in the 90's and a Nurse Practitioner at an Urgent Care center from 2000+

 

[raftingtigger]

That raises an interesting point. Fortunately, I've never experienced a truly "Oh Sh**!" moment" diving either but I wonder if having an occupation that entails a high level of of stress management can also

1) adapt a diver to deal with stress in different environments, such as scuba diving

2) develop the mindset that solo divers need

3) alternatively do people naturally suitable for solo diving gravitate to high stress, challenging jobs?

For myself, I was a volunteer EMT/Shock Trauma/EMT instructor in the 80's, a Critical Care nurse in the 90's and a Nurse Practitioner at an Urgent Care center from 2000+

Probably. I certainly hope so in my case. EMT/Paramedic/Preceptor 1976-1984, Airline Captain 1987-1998, Urgent Care Physician Assistant 2001 on.

 

[flots am]

Probably. I certainly hope so in my case. EMT/Paramedic/Preceptor 1976-1984, Airline Captain 1987-1998, Urgent Care Physician Assistant 2001 on.

The only one that might qualify is airline captain, if you were in a situation where you had a limited amount of time to make a decision, and the bad decision would result in your death.

All the others are certainly stressful, but not potentially, personally fatal, which is a different animal.

flots.

 

[raftingtigger]

The only one that might qualify is airline captain, if you were in a situation where you had a limited amount of time to make a decision, and the bad decision would result in your death.

All the others are certainly stressful, but not potentially, personally fatal, which is a different animal.

flots.

Agreed as to the personal risk. However all the above professions require the same kind of coolness and composure under fire -- as do many other professions. I like to joke that the only real difference between medicine and aviation is that in the former you risk killing people one at a time, sparing yourself; while in aviation you risk killing many people at once, yourself first. A humorous reminder that in both professions mistakes can, and often do, have serious consequences.

I like to think that demonstrated coolness and composure in life threatening (yours or others) situations carries over to other environments. If anyone knows of such a study please share it.

 

[uncfnp]

The only one that might qualify is airline captain, if you were in a situation where you had a limited amount of time to make a decision, and the bad decision would result in your death.

All the others are certainly stressful, but not potentially, personally fatal, which is a different animal.

flots.

Apparently you've never rode in the back of an ambulance.

More seriously, I understand what you are saying about personal risk but we all face that to some extent everyday. But the stress of your judgement and decisions potentially having serious consequences for others is a whole different animal.

 

[DevonDiver]

I agree with you, problem is that in 12 years of diving, it hasn't happened yet. I've had some stressful situations where I thumbed a dive but I haven't really had a "bad dive" yet.

I think this underlines the true value of effective solo diver training.

A properly run solo diver course should provide the student with realistic, but controlled, stressor scenarios which enable them to investigate their own psychological responses and stress management capacity.

All the other stuff on a solo diver course - the use of equipment, the more precise dive/gas planning etc can be gained through mentorship, self-study and the accumulation of raw experience. Albeit not as efficiently/quickly as it can be developed in formal training.

 

[chrpai]

I think this underlines the true value of effective solo diver training.

A properly run solo diver course should provide the student with realistic, but controlled, stressor scenarios which enable them to investigate their own psychological responses and stress management capacity.

I've dealt with stressful situations over the years... I just haven't had a complete "oh sh!t" moment. Course I guess we could have an entire thread on what that means. Maybe I have had it already?