Solo in 20 ft dangerous?

[STOGEY]

There's nothing intrinsically dangerous about solo diving as long as nothing goes wrong. But that's the kicker right there:" ..as long as nothing goes wrong." If something goes wrong then solo diving can kill you. Do you have a redundant air supply such as pony bottle? Many people solo dive in my neck of the woods (south Florida) but all of them are extremely experienced and always dive with at least a 13 cf pony bottle.

But if you are diving with a buddy and he/she's about a hundred feet away looking at something and you have a problem. There really isn't much he/she can do for yu. So basically you're solo diving anyways.

 

[Hemlon]

But if you are diving with a buddy and he/she's about a hundred feet away looking at something and you have a problem. There really isn't much he/she can do for yu. So basically you're solo diving anyways.

Agreed!

 

[Tigerman]

...
As far as people on the beach having a a boat there in 10 min. you could be dead in less time than that. First those people would have to know something was wrong and then know how to help you. Don't know too many people that could dive 25' down to get you. Brain damage in 4 min. without air.

Actually thats very dependant on amongst other things water tempratures. There are people that has been submerged 5 times longer than that without getting permanent injuries in cold water..

 

[Dentonmc]

I've been diving less than a year, so I am not one to hand out any advice. I'll just say that in that little time of diving I have learned a lot more respect for the ocean than I had from all the many years of fishing, snorkling and swimming. Maybe once I've got several dozen more dives under my belt and once I am very very familiar with my usual haunts will I go solo diving. I have no desire to be underwater, looking at the pounds clicking off thinking to myself, "Gee, I'm going to be dead in five minutes because the unexpected happened and I'm stupid!"

 

[scubak]

I have been tempted to solo dive at my local splash spot, with a shore support person to watch the clock and bubbles...however, a local diver always came to my "rescue" and helped me beat the "buddy blues"...
Just get involved with the local diving community. Someone can dive with you. However, I know a diver who is an excellent solo diver and that is what he actually prefers...and he goes deep and has redundant gear so...
It is an individual choice...It's up to you. Just get the education so you can bail yourself out and make the educated call.
Just my 02 PSI....
K

 

[medic001918]

Think about it this way: If you had asked that question a little differently, "Snorkeling and diving down to 20 feet dangerous?", everybody would say, "No, why?"
As long as there are no entanglement hazards, I'd say 20 feet is perfectly safe, because a lot of the big issues with scuba don't exist at that depth (no DCS, no Out-of-air hazards etc.). Biggest concerns to me would be currents/getting lost at sea, entanglement, lung embolism. As long as you are aware of those, I'd say go for it.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you about this. Your free diving analogy is somewhat different. You're looking at holding your breath for a short period of time and returning to the surface. Equipment failure's do not come into play with that scenario. Entaglement hazards can happen and are a risk.

The "big issues" with scuba can certainly happen at that depth, and some more so. I don't know as though there's a certain depth that "big issues" are prone to happen in. Entaglement hazards increase substantially in shallow water, especially from a shore dive as presumably people could be fishing there. There is still the risk of equipment failure, as that's not depth dependant generally. You can get bent in a swimming pool, and you can get a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in 6 ft of water.
While navigation isn't as much an issue, it still can't be neglected. Twenty feet of water isn't any safer than 100 ft of water in my opinion.

As to your issue with your girlfriend, like other's have mentioned...how much do you value her feelings? I'm fortunate, my fiance dives with me. But we've also made a deal that overhead environment's are off limits. I want to do them, she's adamently against it. It's a trade off and a comprimise. Since we're getting married in a few short weeks, her feelings and concerns are a concern to me. I'm still working on her to one day let me get into some virtual overhead stuff like deco diving. But that's still very much up in the air. And the bottom line is that if she say's "no," then the answer's going to be no and I'm going to have to live with it. She's not being unreasonable and saying I can't dive.

Only you can make your own decisions of what to do. But 20 dives really isn't much for experience, especially when you consider that the OW checkout dives are 25% of that number. To quote others, "YMMV."

Shane

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you about this. Your free diving analogy is somewhat different. You're looking at holding your breath for a short period of time and returning to the surface. Equipment failure's do not come into play with that scenario. Entaglement hazards can happen and are a risk.

The "big issues" with scuba can certainly happen at that depth, and some more so. I don't know as though there's a certain depth that "big issues" are prone to happen in. Entaglement hazards increase substantially in shallow water, especially from a shore dive as presumably people could be fishing there. There is still the risk of equipment failure, as that's not depth dependant generally. You can get bent in a swimming pool, and you can get a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in 6 ft of water.
While navigation isn't as much an issue, it still can't be neglected. Twenty feet of water isn't any safer than 100 ft of water in my opinion.

As to your issue with your girlfriend, like other's have mentioned...how much do you value her feelings? I'm fortunate, my fiance dives with me. But we've also made a deal that overhead environment's are off limits. I want to do them, she's adamently against it. It's a trade off and a comprimise. Since we're getting married in a few short weeks, her feelings and concerns are a concern to me. I'm still working on her to one day let me get into some virtual overhead stuff like deco diving. But that's still very much up in the air. And the bottom line is that if she say's "no," then the answer's going to be no and I'm going to have to live with it. She's not being unreasonable and saying I can't dive.

Only you can make your own decisions of what to do. But 20 dives really isn't much for experience, especially when you consider that the OW checkout dives are 25% of that number. To quote others, "YMMV."

Shane

20 ft ain't 100 ft. The guy asked about diving off the beach in 20 feet. I say, take two knives and have fun! I started solo dives like this after 3-4 buddy dives post certification when I was 13 yrs old. Give me a break!

 

[jiveturkey]

There are people that has been submerged 5 times longer than that without getting permanent injuries in cold water..

I hope that's not your backup plan.

 

[matt_unique]

What's OK for you (original poster) is determined by your own comfort level and knowledge. For someone else reading your posts, it's hard to get a sense of your experience, the way you practice solo contingencies, your comfort, etc. Only you can make those decisions. You can also seek the advice of more experienced divers, but that too is hard to evaluate when you are new.

I mention this every time this thread comes up, but I know of a diver who will not solo dive beyond 400' because he feels it's too dangerous. Ha ha ha! I personally will not dive a site with a buddy unless I will also do it solo.

--Matt

 

[medic001918]

I say, take two knives and have fun! I started solo dives like this after 3-4 buddy dives post certification when I was 13 yrs old. Give me a break!

And I say differently. We have different opinions on the matter. It happens, and happens quite frequently. I explained many of the reasons for why I feel the way that I do, and the OP came here looking for opinions. He's gotten them and can do with it what he wants.

20 ft is not 100 ft. However, the potential for injury and problems remains the same. The responses may vary however. Ironically enough, most people who end up drowning (regardless of scuba), end up doing so in shallow water.

He'll figure out his own path. Before worrying about if this is safe, he should have the conversation with his girlfriend and work out that aspect first. Unless that's not his priority. Once that hurdle is overcome, you can move onto the logistics of solo diving.

Shane