Solo Gear & DIR Setup

[Nemrod]

I see no purpose to an octapus or long hose with solo diving. Down to about 60 feet I don't get to much in a fuss over redundancy. Below that depth and of course circumstances in general I use a slung 19/30cf buddy bottle. I call it a buddy bottle because it serves as my buddy, my fully redundant air supply.

I don't thnk that a few photogs loosely swimming around qualifies as solo diving. Solo by definition is alone, completely so. Why do we always discuss buddy diving methods and buddies in the solo forum?

DIR and Hog do influence my diving equipment set up but not at the expense of common sense or practicality--examples---the long hose, the butter knife and scissors, the buddy dependency that is integral to the concept, the huge honking can light in a daylight dive, the no computer stance--a few of many. I use a 40 inch hose on a quality swivel, it does not dangle or drag and bungees at my neck just as does the seven foot hose and is equally streamlined. The seven foot hose is a cave diving adaptation that is of no superiority in non overhead conditions--especially solo. If I dive with an octapus so equipped while solo it is just because I was to lazy to remove it. Sometimes you get accustomed to a configuration and lately I tend to keep the same set up solo or not even including the buddy bottle. I suppose there is no one right way and no one way to do anything right exclusive of other methdologies.

Speaking of butter knife and scissors, recently I explored a sunken cabin cruiser, afterwards I dropped over the edge of a cliff and went to 90 feet. I then cruised through a submerged forest and then suddenly I came to a wrenching stop. In the low viz I saw nothing to stop me, I felt nothing within the range of motion I had. I attempted to turn over and when I did I could "feel" that something had a hold on me. Do I remove my gear in 90 feet--doff and don and untangle--hell no---the 12 inch steel blade of the SeaHawk comes slashing out and in a swooping motion over and behind me it slices with deadly intent and then I was free! Upon returning to the surface I found a steel leader and heavy mono with hook and lead sinker ---probably a catfish rig--it had tied itself around my valve. N

 

[vladimir]

hell no---the 12 inch steel blade of the SeaHawk comes slashing out and in a swooping motion over and behind me it slices with deadly intent and then I was free!

I proceeded to the staging area to prepare my assault on Blofeld's headquarters...

 

[GDI]

Rich Courtney was dead on when he made this comment while interning one of your courses- and I couldn't agree with him more.

Actually Johnny not to be petty but this is a quote I gave to Richard when he was interning with me. Regardless it is a very valid point

 

[Cacia]

Nemrod---you are right.

I took the solo term because I was labeled that, so I said...okay fine "solo".

Actually, I am usually just loosely swimming around and taking pictures AND don't want a legal relationship, if I can avoid it. If painting S-O-L-O on my back helps, then I will.

I have new appreciatition for kayak solo divers. Getting in and out of your gear by yourself, etc.


I contend solo is a mindset, in the company of another diver or all alone. I do love the longhose though. And the bungeed reg for unorganized faux pas and being able to grab it reflexively.

 

[TomP]

I’ll add my voice to the consistency chorus. In Jersey it isn’t uncommon to have a boat load of solo divers and in any case it’s a safe bet you won’t be alone. On the long hose debate, I’ll simply say is that I love it. I love that it’s streamlined and I love that the second stage rests comfortably on my chest when I’m walking to the entry point for shore dives or when it gets dislodged by the fin of some other diver [yes yes, regulator retrieval is a basic skill – still no reason it should be any harder than it needs to be].

 

[Nemrod]

My main rig for solo diving from a kayak is either my DA Aqua Master or Pico Mistral on a steel 72 on either a strap harness or Voit SnugPack. I don't use a BC but I will have a sausage. That is it along with fins and mask and knife. Don't need anything else and don't wear exposure protection because I only dive with a kayak in warm water so a swimsuit and rashguard shirt is all that is needed. Who needs a long hose when you have two? This results in a light, streamilined, uncomplicated rig that is easy to doff and don on the yak or in the water and provides neutral bouyancy. I find much below about 60 feet dragging a kayak on a reel is to much for me so there is no need for carrying a dive shop along with me. The kayak serves as surface flotation. OK, the kayak is stolen by pirates, most likely if I paddled there then I can swim back, if I can't, oh well, live dangerous and die free.

I simply cannot understand the rational for a long hose when your actually solo, for what purpose, why bother with it, who is going to use it if your solo? The whole point of the long hose was to allow a buddy team to extract themselves from a tight situation in the event of failure of one divers gear when in an overhead envionment. Who will you share air with if your actually solo. Again, an octapus represents very little redundancy for a solo diver, it's purpose was and is to assist an out of air buddy or buddy who has had a problem. Diving in a disoraganized loose group of divers is still buddy diving, it is not solo, and your still responsible for the other divers morally and possibly legally. If I am diving with other people then I rig up to provide them alternate air--as their buddy, loose gaggle or not. N

 

[TomP]

I simply cannot understand the rational for a long hose when your actually solo, for what purpose, why bother with it, who is going to use it if your solo? ..... Diving in a disoraganized loose group of divers is still buddy diving, it is not solo, and your still responsible for the other divers morally and possibly legally. If I am diving with other people then I rig up to provide them alternate air--as their buddy, loose gaggle or not. N

N,
First, I am completely jealous of your rig and dive anywhere freedom. It also reminds me that I forgot to retrieve my vinyl coated steel 72 from my buddy when I moved to NJ.

We will have to agree to disagree as to whether proximity itself constitutes buddy diving.

I agree that long hose on a mistral would be a challenge. For me its a matter of preference and consistency - and since I already have it the question really becomes whether there is any concrete reason to not use it.

 

[Nemrod]

TomP, lol, while you cannot put a long hose on the old Mistral which is the purest regulator ever made (or close to it) you can rig a seven foot hose on a DA Aqua Master, Royal Aqua Master, Voit Navy etc and others including such as the Voit Trieste. The Phoenix Royal Aqua Master has three LP ports, three HP ports, plus the hookah LP source can support more than seven LP consumers--including a long hose or two, enough to rescue an entire DIR team!!

Tom, I guess I don't really disagree with you so much as the title of this thread, DIR by definition is a methodolgy based on the team concept, you guys nor me are diving within the confines of a "team" when we solo whether it is as a loose gaggle of divers or purely alone. Therefore the DIR concept is not optimal for solo. DIR configurations are designed to be optimal for team diving--not solo--the optimal solo configuration is yet to be defined and more diffucult to define because we don't have a buddy to serve as our redundancy. So the question is then how much redundancy do you need? Well, depends on thedive doen't it and whatever dive it is, an octapus on a short hose, long hose or whatever does not represent much in the form of redundancy.

Just got chased of the tractor by yellow jackets, better go get it before it get's dark, it is still running--lol. N

 

[FishDiver]

DIR by definition is a methodolgy based on the team concept, you guys nor me are diving within the confines of a "team" when we solo whether it is as a loose gaggle of divers or purely alone. Therefore the DIR concept is not optimal for solo. DIR configurations are designed to be optimal for team diving--not solo--the optimal solo configuration is yet to be defined and more diffucult to define because we don't have a buddy to serve as our redundancy. So the question is then how much redundancy do you need? Well, depends on thedive doen't it and whatever dive it is, an octapus on a short hose, long hose or whatever does not represent much in the form of redundancy. N

Right.

My intent was to examine the equipment configuration of DIR and to discover if there was any consensus among solo divers on an ideal configuration for soloing.

 

[Nemrod]

Well, I have rescued my tractor from the hornets with only minor fuss armed with five cans of Yard Guard and wasp killer!

I don't think you will ever see such a definition of a solo rig in the same fashion as Hog and DIR are so rigidly defined. Solo divers are rebels. It is clear that many solo divers utilize a pony either slung or hard mounted. I do the same below my comfort depth. My comfort depth is the depth from which I feel I can make an ascent on one breath. Above that point I don't bother with redundancy, intentionally diving below that depth I use a slung bottle of 20 to 30 cf. I typically use a steel 72 but below 60ish feet I switch to an aluminum 80 and also incorporate a wing/BP. At depths of 100 feet or more then I use a large capacity LP single of close to 100 cf along with my 30 cf slung buddy bottle. I don't typically use doubles but if I did they would be independent steel 72s or on a semi-isolating manifold. In this case I may not have the slung 19/30 because now I have a dual system that is fully redundant or nearly so.

I don't think there is one single answer. I do find doubles to much to handle for me while solo. To much weight, to much drag, to hard to get on and off alone. That is why I prefer a single or large single with slung buddy bottle. If I have an octapus rigged it is as an artifact of buddy diving and simply no reason to remove it though I realize it serves no useful purpose as a solo diver. N