Solo diving

[TMHeimer]

I agree of course not to do it. I did my first solo dive after my 75th dive, due lack of buddy and my location. I continue to almost always solo dive, but my general rule is no deeper than 30 feet (on rare occasions I will exceed that for a very short time). I figure I can do a CESA (controlled emergency ascent) from that depth and practice it. I don't do solo deeper than that.

Another thing to be aware of-- for future reference-- is that when I went to Panama and expected to solo shore dive I found the dive Op didn't allow that and assigned me a DM buddy. I later found that this was at my expense and didn't pay, since I wasn't informed beforehand of the set up (I could've done without those couple of shore dives).

 

[Robert H. Diver]

Mine has a trust fund. She buys me new computers instead of battery changes.

We only pee in a wetsuit once, then toss it.

It’s the little things that keeps the love alive.

That, and her selfie….

View attachment 764054

Fantastic

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

I would estimate that many fewer than 50% of solo divers get formal solo diving training. Of course, if a dive op requires a solo card, and if a diver dives primarily with such dive op's, then it might appear to him/her that a higher percentage of solo divers have solo cards.

ETA: I really want to dive the Texas Flower Gardens. I would prefer to dive them solo. However, the charter that runs there requires a solo card (for solo diving), I think. If so, I will have to seriously consider getting a solo card before I go there--despite the fact that I have been solo diving, almost exclusively, since the early 2000's!

rx7diver

Wait - when's the Flower Garden trip? Need to put that one in sometime.

 

[bradlw]

I was maybe 5 dives past earning my 1st C-Card when I realized that pretty much all diving is basically solo to some degree. Buddies will be in the neighborhood but they aint looking at you 100% of the time. In my experience few buddies are really good at it.... most will go long periods of time without having you even in peripheral vision.
How many times have you tried to get your dive buddie's attention...to look a a cool fish or whatever...and basically can't unless they are within arms reach?
When I had that realization, that's when I started gearing up to be self sufficient and thinking things through with that in mind...this was decades before there was any sort of recreational level solo dive training classes. As a side result, I'd like to think it made me a better buddy to others.... Being aware of the problem had it in the front of my mind so I paid better attention to others on the dive.... and in some cases resulted in my having reduced experience on the dive...helping other divers that weren't even my "buddy" but were having trouble....
all that said, I'm not going to exactly counter the majority of folks here that advised against your dive based on relative inexperience.... but I don't recall seeing how deep you'd be diving or any other relevant variables. Only you know you. You know your equipment and you know your abilities....potential for snags or enaglement where you'll be, etc....
If the place is shallow enough to snorkel then on scuba you aint going to be very deep most likely

and I'll add this. Many of the most fun dives I've had were snorkel dives. It's a lot more freeing without the equipment and time is not nearly as limited. Especially if the water is shallow enough for you to reach down there...I'd say just join your wife for a good snorkel. Research before hand some tips and tricks for free diving. If its a good spot you'll have fun!

 

[TMHeimer]

In progressing to the usual "solo vs. buddy" topic, I look at it this way (assuming you have enough experience to consider solo).--

Buddy diving is safer than solo if your buddy is conscientious, has good ability and isn't easily prone to panic. And stays with you always.
Solo diving is safer if your buddy is none of those things above ("possibly "instabuddy" on charters?).

If the buddy is somewhere in between the two at least you have a separate air source and he/she may not
drag you into a fatal accident, so-- a draw here.

 

[SlugLife]

So the question is, is it a bad idea to go under alone with someone snorkeling above basically pacing me?

I mostly solo-dive, and I'm going to say this is a bad idea, especially at 9 dives experience. It appears that....

• ...you lack redundancy, including redundant air and redundant cutting devices.
• ...you lack adequate skills and experience.
• ...you lack solo (or "self reliant") training.
• ...you may even put your snorkeler "buddy" at risk, if they think you have a problem and they try to assist.
• ...you're an infrequent diver.

I'm not one to say you need literally the entire list before you can solo-dive, but you appear to have almost none of the list.

There's a concept where in an activity, you'll quickly gain peak-confidence and prematurely think you know what you're doing. But then as you learn even more, you'll discover more and more and more and more all the things you don't know. You're probably at that sweet-spot where you brain is tricking you into being over-confident.

For reference, the typical/standard number of dives that most agencies want or require before issuing a solo (or "self reliant") cert is 100 dives.

The problem here isn't necessarily whether you'll have a problem, will panic, or will survive. To be honest, there's probably a good 98% chance everything would go fine. But it's that 2% that should scare the hell out of you, because this isn't like driving aggressively where you might wreck your car, but you have insurance or can just work a year or two to save up to buy another one. If **** goes wrong, maybe you're dead, badly injured, have PTSD, or give up on diving entirely.

I could throw out a list of scenarios you might not have anticipated .... regulator failure, waves, currents, wildlife, lack of air-monitoring, unexpectedly narced, entanglements, BCD failure ... that's only a tiny percentage of the things that can go wrong that have nothing to do with user-action.

 

[SlugLife]

I would estimate that many fewer than 50% of solo divers get formal solo diving training. Of course, if a dive op requires a solo card, and if a diver dives primarily with such dive op's, then it might appear to him/her that a higher percentage of solo divers have solo cards.

ETA: I really want to dive the Texas Flower Gardens. I would prefer to dive them solo. However, the charter that runs there requires a solo card (for solo diving), I think. If so, I will have to seriously consider getting a solo card before I go there--despite the fact that I have been solo diving, almost exclusively, since the early 2000's!

rx7diver

Wait - when's the Flower Garden trip? Need to put that one in sometime.

I need to dive Flower Gardens sometime, and also lack the solo-card. We might need to setup a sort of "buddy solo-dive arrangement"

 

[Cthippo]

That's what we need, an association of solo divers who book trips together so we look like buddy pairs, but then do our own thing under water.

 

[Marie13]

Telling a new diver with only 9 dives to solo?

 

[rx7diver]

... and I'll add this. Many of the most fun dives I've had were snorkel dives. It's a lot more freeing without the equipment and time is not nearly as limited. ...

Which is precisely the allure of warm water, shallow diving using minimal, simple, robust gear (single cylinder, no BC, no octopus, no or thin wetsuit, no pony, etc.; proper weighting). Extended snorkeling, sort of. Use a double-hose regulator to route your exhaust bubbles behind your head for a more sublime (perhaps) experience. Solo or buddied. (Your choice.)

rx7diver