Solo wreck diving

[O-ring]

I will not respond to criticism, only open honest debate.

You're right...you and I are like oil and water..

I think Steve said what I was thinking MUCH better than I did..

 

[Boogie711]

Boogie usually understands the point completely, he is just likes to re-state things in such a way as provoke an argument if you don't happen to agree with his view of the world. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

DA - I wasn't trying to make this personally, although you're obviously taking it that way.

What am I supposed to think when I read statements like "I am not subject to the errors, mistakes, or pequipment problems of anyone else, just my own. I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself, and I am not responsible for anyone else's life, just my own. " This is a statement you yourself agreed with.

Obviously, you feel that someone else on a dive team is a liability. If you feel that someone is a liability, then obviously you feel that you are better than they are, and less likely to be entangled, run out of air or get lost?

Please understand I'm not trying to be ignorant here. But I see your logic as shortsighted, and your dismissal of my point is even more so.

Let me put it to you another way - do you feel that diving in a well prepared dive team with competent team members is safer than solo diving?

If no, why not? If yes, then why do you choose to not do so?

 

[pipedope]

My only concern is people who solo dive who may not be ready to do so. I do not mean not trained, but simply not ready. Many years ago now, I was asked to help in the search for a diver who was lost while solo diving. The person was a trained diver and had been diving for about a year when he was asked to recover a lost object from a peat bog. He agreed to find the object, put on his gear and jumped in the water. We found him 3 days later, with no air in his tank in 12 feet of water.

My worry is someone who is not ready to attempt a solo dive will do so and be hurt by it. That person may not realise the extra techniques needed or be aware of the added preperation required to dive in this manner.

Was that diver a commercial diver?
Was he using commercial gear and technique?
Where was his tender and dive supervisor?

Recovery of a lost item in a peat bog is a commercial dive and really does call for commercial standards, which don't call for a buddy but go one better and use a tender and supervisor.

Being a trained and experienced recreational diver does not prepar or qualify anyone to do commercial diving. There is a lot more training and experience required. There is a big difference between swimming in the water and working in the muck and stuff that is the bottom.

I still remember the first time I was stuck in the bottom. It was a scary thing. You know what was funny? The moment I was going to ask for help from the surface the dive supervisor called me on the com and asked if I was stuck. I said yes and asked for the jet nozzle.
How did he know? He could tell by my breathing that something had changed and I was under stress and given the job and location the most likely cause would be 'diver stuck in the bottom'.

For Recreational diving;
A bad buddy is worse than no buddy.
No buddy is worse than a good buddy.
A good buddy is not as good as a good team.
A great team is best.

As soon as there is work to be done;
A proper team is required if at all possible and that means at least a diver, tender and dive supervisor.
A buddy is a dangerous distraction on a working dive, 99.9% of the time.

On a working dive the diver needs to be concentrating on the JOB. The tender is concentrating on the diver and the dive supervisor is watching over the whole thing.

Many commercial divers do quick, simple things solo. They do it because there is a pressing need or desire AND they have a very good understanding of things that can go wrong and either prevent the problem and/or have a good escape route.

The GUE model of only diving with great buddies is a wonderful ideal but for many (if not most) divers it would result in them not getting to dive much.

Diving is NEVER SAFE.
As a diver, each and every one of us is responsible to ourselves to learn and understand the risks and then choose our own level of acceptable risk.

Do what you want, but KNOW WHAT YOU DO!

 

[d33ps1x]

DA - I wasn't trying to make this personally, although you're obviously taking it that way.

I think the original request was to hear from like minded individuals who liked solo diving not to be criticised by people trying to force unsolicited advise on them and draw them into the buddy diving fold. I can't imagine why they are reacting this way Boogie. Can you?

 

[O-ring]

I think the original request was to hear from like minded individuals who liked solo diving not to be criticised by people trying to force unsolicited advise on them and draw them into the buddy diving fold. I can't imagine why they are reacting this way Boogie. Can you?

Actually, that's a good point. I just sorta followed him over from another thread since we are buddies now..

He's a smart guy, he doesn't need me telling him that tough guy solo artifact hounds are part of a "dying" breed.

 

[Soggy]

That's a very good question about the solo course. The course prerequisites for solo are the same as the course prerequisites for tech. 100 logged dives,advanced open water, rescue certification are required, I would never advise anyone to exceed their capabilities, only improve them.and yes, The the course was sufficent to allow ME to solo dive safely.Thanks for the questions

Why would you need rescue certification if you are diving alone? You can't really drag your own ass up when you tox or if you drown, now can you? LOL

 

[novadiver]

Why would you need rescue certification if you are diving alone? You can't really drag your own ass up when you tox or if you drown, now can you? LOL

It's just a prerequisite, and part of the course deals with self rescue. that might be why.

 

[Soggy]

It's just a prerequisite, and part of the course deals with self rescue. that might be why.

How does one rescue themselves if they Oxtox or get bad gas?

 

[wedivebc]

How does one rescue themselves if they Oxtox or get bad gas?

I thought this thread was about recreational, non-penetration, NDL, recreational dives. Whats OXTOX have to do with that?
Solo diving is no more dangerous when properly trained and executed than any other extreme form of diving, cave, wreck, deco etc. Someone have some stats? How many solo diver accidents from people who are trained equipped for the dive?
Lumping all solo accidents together is like saying how dangerous cave diving is. Yes many have perished when not properly prepared. But the incidents of cave fatalities still occur no matter how trained prepared the divers are. So what's so different?

cheers,

 

[O-ring]

How does one rescue themselves if they Oxtox or get bad gas?

You missed that part of the thread..or maybe it was the other one.. You bang on the hull 4 times.

I know what you're thinking, sure, 98% of the time you will find some trash collector with a mallet beating a gauge or porthole off the wreck, but the other 2% of the time it just might be a solo diver in trouble. Probably worth checking out just the same..