Solo Diving

[cortez]

Regardless of which side of the fence you're own, unless you hold an SDI Solo card you are exceeding your training agency limits and recommendations by diving solo.

Keep in mind the SDI Solo cert is still relatively new, being just around two years old. For many of us, we were solo diving before it was available. Now, I'm still trying to find an instructor to teach it... one that I think I will learn something from.

 

[HammerNoMore]

Sorry Pete, but just because tons of people are exceeding their training doesn't mean it's prudent for you to turn a blind eye to the fact. If the sticky post made the faintest illusion to the varations from what you learn in OW I wouldn't be posting this. Take a look at the sticky in the tek section. Try replacing the very first word in it with "solo" and tell me why I'm off base? I don't care what you guys do as long as you (ScubaBoard, not you personally) aren't so nonchalant as to suggest the biggest problem for solo divers is trolling.

I think there is a line drawn in rec vs. tec. Most of the discussions about what that means seem to center around ceilings hard or soft, so by that definition solo diving is not technical diving.

I've never seen any evidence of SB pulling things where BOW divers went to 61 feet or someome taking pictures without an Underwater Photograpy card, etc. But as Pete said, we are not suggesting you solo dive without training. We are just adding a place to talk about solo diving.

James

 

[The Chairman]

Drew,

the only credentials we verify are those needed to enter the Instructor to Instructor (I2I) forum and the Business to Business (B2B) forum. Other than that, we do not police users as to what certifications they possess or if they are fit to offer advice in any forum. Indeed that would cause us to close our Board and deprive many of some great information.

 

[stingray1]

I could be wrong and have been in the past but, it looks like the old saying "it only takes a few to mess up a good thing".
I hope this doesn't happen here.
If you don't agree with solo then stay out of here. Moderators, please enforce the no trolling policy. Yes it's risky, h*** I've been doing it on and off for 16 years. All of that time WITHOUT a c-card. Just got a card this year. I don't advocate any of HOW I did things but it is the way I did it. I have never dove beyond what I am comfortable with and still will not just because I have a c-card. And let me ask this, O.k. there's two agencies that certify solo, but, where are you going to go that you do not already go to dive solo?
I'm going to spend the money on a specialty that will compliment solo or to better my diving experience.
Number one rules in solo: let someone know where your going, let that person know when your going in the water and about when you are to be back on land, redundancy, redundancy, good reliable equipment, and a true unpainted image of yourself, by that I mean, know your limits and don't push it. Be honest with yourself, it's not worth dying over. I'm a solo diver and will be until I met my maker. In fact, I wish I could figure out how to get Solo Diver under my profile name just like the DIR guys and the Photographers and Singles and other groups.
Main thing is to dive safely regardless of whether you do it as a buddy system or as a solo thing. That's what this forum is here for - to share diving experiences and to help fellow divers of like interests out. Because you can learn a lot from a dummy contrary to popular belief. Ask me I am a dummy. Enough said for now.

Norman

 

[cornfed]

Drew,

the only credentials we verify are those needed to enter the Instructor to Instructor (I2I) forum and the Business to Business (B2B) forum. Other than that, we do not police users as to what certifications they possess or if they are fit to offer advice in any forum. Indeed that would cause us to close our Board and deprive many of some great information.

Pete, check your PMs.

 

[TwoTanks]

I am concerned about divers reading about solo diving and making a decision from information that they get on the board. They don't know the qualifications of the poster but they use it as input in their decision.

People use input from this board to make decisions about all aspects of diving without knowing the credentials or qualifications of the posters. It is the nature of these boards.

I think the real problem here is the controversial nature of solo diving.

It is absolutely not for everyone! But unlike cave diving or other types of advanced diving, it appeals to everyone without a buddy.

Solo diving is a form of advanced diving. Being properly trained and having proper equipment and redundancy will nearly eliminate the dangers of an equipment failure, but won't
help with navigation, entanglement or many other types of problems.

Only an experienced diver can understand these risks, and therefore, only an experienced diver can decide if he/she may be ready to solo dive.

That said, many of the bug hunt dives we do in Boston start out as buddy dives but end up as solo dives as we wrestle lobsters in low viz and our buddies move on to the next hole. We understand before the dive that if we do get separated we will continue our dives alone, and we usually meet up a few minutes later. Sometimes we don't.

When my son (age 13) dives with us I make sure he stays with a buddy and all the guys know not to swim off and leave him alone. No one minds waiting for him. There are several other people that we won't leave alone either.

I believe that it is a measure of the comfort we all have with each other’s abilities that we don't mind splitting up.

On one dive at 60 feet we had an o-ring burst and the guy was out of air before he reached 50 feet. Had they not dove as a team there could have been an injury or worse, without any diver error other than diving solo.

TT

 

[fgray1]

Every Instuctor has at one time or another solo dives.
If he's with a student he has to not only has to save himself but the student as well. Solo divers are surpose to have the right gear for it. The only differance is where the gear is located.
For that fact Solo divers don't have to worry about swimming to the gear because it's already where he can reach it.

 

[The Chairman]

We are currently reviewing the "sticky" in this forum. Please check it later today or tomorrow for possible changes. Thanks in advance.

 

[stingray1]

I find it interesting that solo diving discussions are "allowed". Regardless of which side of the fence you're own, unless you hold an SDI Solo card you are exceeding your training agency limits and recommendations by diving solo. Discussions about wreck penentration, 'mix diving and other topics are closed when it is obvious someone is trying to avoid taking the proper classes. Why then are we allowed to discuss solo diving?

So, is this forum going to be closed now to anyone that does not hold an SDI Solo card?
Norman

 

[The Chairman]

Stingray... please refer to post #13 in this thread.