Solo quandary

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I don't get the "you can't solo from a charter". If I am in the water at 80 feet and the nearest diver can't be seen, how am I not diving solo??? Yes if I can manage to get to the surface I will have someone nearby to help but up until that point I am on my own.

Well... I was just trying to make a point that there are different levels of solo, just like anything else. Yes, if you're on your own, even from the back of a charter, I would agree that meets the definition of solo. But, if you just happen not to be able to see your buddy for a few minutes and then hook back up later, that's just a buddy separation problem.

If you're in the water by yourself with a group of other divers there's always the chance that another diver will happen by which offsets some of the risk. Several times, I have seen things that led me to swim over to another buddy team and check on them, or put their tank back in their harness because their buddy was oblivious, etc. One time even helping another diver put his BC back on.

When I do a beach dive far from shore, I take some comfort that there are boats around even though they have no obligation to me and might not even have divers on board. I know that many/most will come check on me if I wave to them. In fact, I sometimes have boaters come check on me unprompted because they find it unusual to find a lone diver on the surface a mile from shore. I appreciate that and it helps reduce the risk to me. Again, no different than mountain biking, or hiking. While carrying my bike 5 miles from the trailhead, I had two other bikers stop and fix my flat for me. Having other bikers on the trail reduces the amount of risk I take by riding alone. Should you count on assistance from others, no. Is it appreciated, absolutely!

That's not to imply that you can't die in the water because other divers are around.

 

[Nemrod]

Well... I was just trying to make a point t

If you're in the water by yourself with a group of other divers there's always the chance that another diver will happen by which offsets some of the risk. Several times, I have seen things that led me to swim over to another buddy team and check on them, or put their tank back in their harness because their buddy was oblivious, etc. One time even helping another diver put his BC back on.

That's not to imply that you can't die in the water because other divers are around.

Then you are not solo, you are just on an unorganized group/buddy dive.

N

 

[cmburch]

Then you are not solo, you are just on an unorganized group/buddy dive.

N

Okay, For some reason this seems funny to me. I will have to remember this for later use.

 

[Stoo]

The thing is this is why we are solo divers. We don't completely agree on anything and in some cases not close. A fellow has a right to be as conservative as he/she wishes or as bold and daring as well. There is no accepted standard, this is not DIR or any of that and and SSI or whoever was not appointed to be our rules decider. Some like to be cautious and have redundancy and lot's of dives in the local, other's don't and have not.

Well put. I have browsed through a couple of solo texts and all I learned was that I should write a book about solo diving. And how do you ever get totally "familiar" with any underwater environment with regard to the stuff that actually matters? I big ass rock, or ship or wall isn't going to change much from dive to dive. Nor do these things mess you up on a dive. It's the ever-changing things that matter.. current, vis, temperature... and you never get familiar with these, because they change all the time. It's not about "familiarity", it's about "adaptability"... That's part of what makes a dive interesting for me.

My favorite local wreck is an old barque called the Arabia. It sits in 110' of water and it's 3 miles from my front door. I have about 500 dives on that old boat, and it's always different. Great vis. Crappy vis. Calm. Ripping current. Warm. Cold. And it's always fun... I especially like it at midnight. Alone. Take "that" solo manual~ :mooner:

I got stuck over the last few dives having to dive with a friend who was getting back into diving after being away from it for a while. She's very capable, looks good in a bikini (and a drysuit, and that ain't easy) but, ugh... I hate babysitting. I finally got back in on Saturday and had an awesome dive... alone.

 

[akscubaduck1]

I love solo night dives!!!!!!!!

 

[Stoo]

I love solo night dives!!!!!!!!

LOL... I would think that where you live, that's a good thing. Can't you do night dives at about 1:30 in the afternoon for most of the year?

 

[watchoutheyspit]

I have no problem diving solo most places, including boats. You just have to master the art of saying I'm diving with him/her and point in the general direction of people who have no clue. Then when you splash do your own thing. I dive solo anywhere I'd dive with a buddy.

You're a genius! Why didn't I think to say that the last time I was on the boat alone. The result was I got stuck with someone that limited my bottom time drastically.