Solo in 20 ft dangerous?

[Charlie99]

20 ft is not 100 ft. However, the potential for injury and problems remains the same.

.....most people who end up drowning (regardless of scuba), end up doing so in shallow water.

Many of the risks remain the same, independent of depth, and many who drown do so in shallow water or on the surface, but there are indeed some things that do change with depth. The most significant one is the ability to bail out and safely reach the surface upon having some sort of instantaneous, catastrophic failure of the reg or tank. Even if it is not instantaneous failure, a rapid failure such as an LP hose blowing open or a total freeflow are easier to handle when shallow simply because you are more likely to be able to do a controlled ascent before the tank is emptied by the failure.

At some depth, it is wise to bring along a redundant air source --- buddy, pony, or doubles. For some divers, that depth is 0'. For me, the dividing line beyond which I won't go (for very long at least) without backup air is around 60'.


Charlie Allen

 

[biz_nate]

I agree that for the most part, 20 ft on scuba is much like 100 ft on scuba. And Shane, you make an interesting observation that most deaths, including on scuba, occur in 20 ft or less. Do you have any numbers to support that? I'd love to see the data.

However, there is one HUGE potential difference that I'm surprised nobody's brought up yet- nitrogen narcosis, if you're not on trimix. Not everyone gets narced at 100 ft, but a fair number do. Sorry Walter, but that's why I'd have to disagree with your comment that you shouldn't solo to 20 ft if you wouldn't to 100. I would probably cap my max depth to within the region where I'd expect to be sober, with some safety margin thrown in. I'd be surprised if SDI's solo cert didn't include some sort of calculation for that.

If you know what you're doing, can handle problems underwater, and have redundancy, I'd say do it vicariously for me. But until you reach that point, and have owned your path with your girlfriend, I'd proceed pretty cautiously.

-Ben

 

[Tigerman]

I hope that's not your backup plan.

OF COURSE its not... CRYO IS!!

My backup plans dont involve staying under water with no air AT ALL.
However stating that you WILL crash your car and die if you drive twice the speed limit while the fact is that youre MORE LIKELY to crash your car and die if you drive twice the speed limit is painting with a bit too wide black and white brush..

 

[mobster75]

I really don't think 20 dives w/ just OW is enough to know that you're ready for solo diving..

I have dive buddy issues myself (I'm also in Mass and routinely on the Cape so let me know if you want to dive) and I'm leaning to trying easy solo dives in the near future, however, I never would have considered them at 20 dives. I'm still a new diver (48 dives logged) myself but I just completed Rescue which I feel is a very valuable course. Aside from the skills and scenarios you learn/experience, it really gives you things to think about how many "oh crud!" situations there are.

I also have a 19cf pony that I want to try out in the pool and buddy dives to get comfortable with before going it alone. Redundant air isn't an option, its a necessity in my opinion.

Personally I feel that most insta-buddies (whether on a boat or whoever shows up for an open dive day) are more dangerous than solo diving because it conveys a false sense of security as your buddy is NOT paying any attention to you and typically will be greater than 10-15 feet at any time which in New England diving puts you out of sight and reasonable reachable distance if the worst situations happen.

At this point, if my buddy isn't rescue diver trained, he's not a worthy buddy to me as I want someone who knows how to deal w/ surfacing a passive panicked or unconscious diver and how to start in-water rescue breaths to give me the best chance for survival if the worst happens. How does a less-ready buddy serve me? As prepared as I may feel and careful with diving I may be, there is a chance for anything (heart attack, dangerous debris or bite, random everything blows up).

FYI, 10 minutes is a LONG time... brain damage is probable after 6-10 minutes without oxygen, after 10 minutes it's almost guaranteed. Yes, from what I've read the cooler temperatures can contribute favorably to that, but anecdotally its most effective in children, not quite so much adults.

 

[Tigerman]

Another problem with "insta-buddies" is what if youre an odd number of divers?
Youll basically be a third wheel (or get a third wheel) unless youre prepared to basically do the dive as if you where solo, with the exception that you might have a few more air sources available during the dive..

 

[underwasser bolt]

people die in bathtubs, solo;
people die in swimming pools, solo;

any amount of water carries risk as you can not breath it. At what level you decide to draw your safety margin is just that, your choice. The very best non-rec divers are known to dive to depths over 200ft, alone. that is the other end of the spectrum i suppose.

 

[John_B]

At this point, if my buddy isn't rescue diver trained, he's not a worthy buddy to me as I want someone who knows how to deal w/ surfacing a passive panicked or unconscious diver and how to start in-water rescue breaths to give me the best chance for survival if the worst happens. How does a less-ready buddy serve me? As prepared as I may feel and careful with diving I may be, there is a chance for anything (heart attack, dangerous debris or bite, random everything blows up).

mobster, were you a worthy buddy before you were rescue trained? Should any one have dived with you between dives # 5 and # 48?

John

 

[Tigerman]

mobster, were you a worthy buddy before you were rescue trained? Should any one have dived with you between dives # 5 and # 48?

John

Now thats an interesting thing to bring up, because what he says is basically that anyone without 50 dives or more, plus rescue training should never be anyones buddy, which again means said diver will never get 50 dives unless he dives umm, solo...

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

Another problem with "insta-buddies" is what if youre an odd number of divers?
Youll basically be a third wheel (or get a third wheel) unless youre prepared to basically do the dive as if you where solo, with the exception that you might have a few more air sources available during the dive..

Three divers is considered optimal for cave diving. It gives the most amount of resources, short of being a gang dive. If one diver has a problem there are two others to assist. All divers just have to understand that no one is the odd man out. All three are part of the team.

 

[mobster75]

mobster, were you a worthy buddy before you were rescue trained? Should any one have dived with you between dives # 5 and # 48?

John

Of course, ignorance is bliss, and everyone accepts their own level of risk tolerance. If someone doesn't want to buddy with me for whatever reason (lack of exp/personality conflict) it's fine with me.

I wasn't saying that everyone needs to not dive w/ someone who isn't rescue trained, but for myself I'd rather not dive with someone that isn't experienced/trained in rescue -- unless I have my pony.

Ultimately I'm responsible for myself and need to incorporate whatever redundancies I feel necessary as I have no illusions that most buddies really aren't paying any attention to me underwater. No amount of backups systems or buddies can eliminate all the risk associated with just being in contact with water.