That's good to know. I've thought of taking the solo class and coupling that with a visit to Mammoth Lake would be doubly productive.
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That's good to know. I've thought of taking the solo class and coupling that with a visit to Mammoth Lake would be doubly productive.
"coupling"? "doubly"? You've got to work on that single thinking! 
Seriously, though, the SDI Solo course was really rather nice when I took it. If you've spent much time thinking deeply about solo diving, quite a bit of it may seem readily apparent, but it's a good reinforcement of the ideas, and it can fill in any gaps you may have missed while considering solo diving. It's more about thinking than citing. The workbook, for example, does not just ask you to fill in blanks from quoted sentences.
(For one of the workbook questions, I gave a different answer than the one suggested by the book. I also included reasoning supporting my position. When we went over it, not only was my answer not considered wrong, but it was apparently even included as a possibility in the correct answers, and we discussed the reasoning behind the question and answers.)
Anyway, if Mammoth Lake honors the SDI Solo card as evidence of having placed proper consideration on solo diving, I suppose I can be happy that I drove over to Atlanta to take the class.
Incidentally, cruiser, if you're still in the 50-99 logged dives range, be aware there is a 100-logged-dives prerequisite for the SDI Solo course. If you've got 100, congrats and enjoy updating your profile. (I love it when I get to edit mine.)
Seriously, though, the SDI Solo course was really rather nice when I took it. If you've spent much time thinking deeply about solo diving, quite a bit of it may seem readily apparent, but it's a good reinforcement of the ideas, and it can fill in any gaps you may have missed while considering solo diving. It's more about thinking than citing. The workbook, for example, does not just ask you to fill in blanks from quoted sentences.
(For one of the workbook questions, I gave a different answer than the one suggested by the book. I also included reasoning supporting my position. When we went over it, not only was my answer not considered wrong, but it was apparently even included as a possibility in the correct answers, and we discussed the reasoning behind the question and answers.)
Anyway, if Mammoth Lake honors the SDI Solo card as evidence of having placed proper consideration on solo diving, I suppose I can be happy that I drove over to Atlanta to take the class.
Incidentally, cruiser, if you're still in the 50-99 logged dives range, be aware there is a 100-logged-dives prerequisite for the SDI Solo course. If you've got 100, congrats and enjoy updating your profile. (I love it when I get to edit mine.
)
scubashawn123
Contributor
scubashawn123
Contributor
100-logged-dives prerequisite for the SDI Solo course. If you've got 100, congrats and enjoy updating your profile. (I love it when I get to edit mine.
This is an important requirement. Glad to hear it. If you have ever done work dives (professionally) you know your SOLO with topside support. At least that has been my experience in the US NAVY diving black water and commercially afterwards.
Shawn O.
ClayJar--I think I made up the word "doubly" (hehe)
I emailed Mike at Hydrosports. He said I need a redundant air supply and "spare air" doesn't count. Minimum of 13cf tank.
Currently I've got about 96-97 dives so will have the 100 by this summer.
ClayJar--Did you get your materials ahead of time to study and fill out the workbook? Was it a 1-day course when you met with the instructor?
I emailed Mike at Hydrosports. He said I need a redundant air supply and "spare air" doesn't count. Minimum of 13cf tank.
Currently I've got about 96-97 dives so will have the 100 by this summer.
ClayJar--Did you get your materials ahead of time to study and fill out the workbook? Was it a 1-day course when you met with the instructor?
Nope. Too late. It's been used for much longer than you've been around. (Triply, pronounced like Tripoli without the "o", is also a fun one.
)
Yep, redundant scuba is also a requirement. I've been diving an AL19 since about dive ten or so, so that was an easy one for me. (I also have an AL30, but I rarely use it. If I'm deeper, or if I'm diving with someone I've loaned the AL19 to, I can use it.) For most Texas freshwater diving, an AL13 is probably sufficient, but frankly, the bit of extra length you get in an AL19 can even make it easier to sling, especially on a jacket BC (where the D-rings are often placed differently), and you get 50% more air for the trouble.
I got the materials ahead of time, read the book, and completed the workbook. The actual class was a day (well, a few hours) of basically reviewing everything I already knew from the materials. It felt like a cross between a seminar (i.e. small-group high-participation class) and a job interview, since the instructor spent quite a bit of time discussing my diving, why I want a solo cert, and so on. (He treated the Solo cert about like a DM or Instructor rating. It wasn't just knowing the material and taking a test; it was whether he believed you were cut out to be capable of safe solo diving and qualified to have him vouch for you.)
We did the class time on Saturday and then went to Dive Haven GA to do the required dive time on Sunday morning. If the shop and quarry were on the same site, it wouldn't have been too much work to fill the dive requirements the same day. With all the materials read and the workbook complete, the class itself was quite straightforward. Obviously, it depends on the divers and instructors involved, but the whole point of the prerequisites is that they only want people taking the course who are already capable and experienced enough to understand the solo-specific details. Other than verifying you're capable and experienced, the details of the course shouldn't be long or difficult.
I've booked the solo class for later this summer. Thanks for all the info
We just had a Dixieland Divers meeting last night at the library; the new shop near town was presenting. They mentioned "that new place south of Houston" while we were talking, which I confirmed was Mammoth Lake, so they at least know that there's somewhere out there.
They hadn't heard that the opening was delayed, but I've now been assigned the task of listening and letting them know when it will open. Apparently, I'm one of those internet computer people. :biggrin:
Anyway, just figured I'd mention that it came up. (And now, back to studying for tonight's DM class... and the rest of the basic class... and... and... *aaaargh!*)
They hadn't heard that the opening was delayed, but I've now been assigned the task of listening and letting them know when it will open. Apparently, I'm one of those internet computer people. :biggrin:
Anyway, just figured I'd mention that it came up. (And now, back to studying for tonight's DM class... and the rest of the basic class... and... and... *aaaargh!*
)
scubashawn123
Contributor
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