The solo diving movement, a good idea?

[GrandpaScuba]

Solo Diving or Self Reliant Diving is not a topic for the Basic Scuba Discussions forum. This is most definitely an advanced topic. And by advanced, I don't mean you've made your 6 or 8 dive and got your Advance Scuba ticket. I mean for someone with at least 100 dives. If you have 100 dives and still can't wrap your head around the concept of solo diving, then it's not for you. Not everyone is suited to Solo/Self Reliant Diving.

 

[Hatul]

Many auto malfunctions can be solved by simply coasting to the side of the road. Very few situations in driving would require or benefit from the assistance of a second person. And the act of driving itself does not impair your ability to think. I do not think the two situations are comparable at all.

They're not identical but there are some similarities between driving and diving, and of the two driving is much more dangerous, at least comparing with the usual recreational dive. Assuming the solo diver carries a redundant air supply, the main issue is a medical problem that can make self rescue difficult. Entrapment is another but much less likely for most recreational dives and most can be self corrected.

A medical issue such as loss of control or unconsciousness is also a hazard in driving and one where a second driver may be able to help. Even brief loss of control at highway speeds can be fatal, not just to the driver but also to others. At least in diving you're mostly a hazard to yourself when something goes wrong.

 

[nimoh]

They're not identical but there are some similarities between driving and diving, and of the two driving is much more dangerous, at least comparing with the usual recreational dive. Assuming the solo diver carries a redundant air supply, the main issue is a medical problem that can make self rescue difficult. Entrapment is another but much less likely for most recreational dives and most can be self corrected.

A medical issue such as loss of control or unconsciousness is also a hazard in driving and one where a second driver may be able to help. Even brief loss of control at highway speeds can be fatal, not just to the driver but also to others. At least in diving you're mostly a hazard to yourself when something goes wrong.

I have seen that said before that driving is more dangerous, however I have yet to see something to back it up. I have seen articles quoting number of deaths each year in driving vs diving, but they never seem to factor in the number of participants.

 

[TSandM]

I can't count the number of times a buddy has been handy during a dive. Not, perhaps, essential for survival, but handy. Many difficult entries and exits are rendered much easier if you help one another. Getting back on a pitching boat can be much easier if there is someone to haul on a tank valve or manifold. Navigational confusion can sometimes be resolved if two people confer. Minor gear issues can be challenging to handle yourself, but easy for a buddy (she says, remember NWGratefulDiver refastening the cambands on her tank at 100 feet one afternoon). A couple of my narcosis-induced navigational errors in caves have been caught and corrected by my team.

Loss of consciousness, while driving or diving, is a bad thing. Yes, a passenger may be able to get the car to the side of the road, and prevent an accident (although it often doesn't happen that way -- I know, because I see those accidents in the ER). A dive buddy MAY be able to get an unconscious diver to the surface. But I don't plan my dives or my drives around such a rare and unforeseeable event -- if it IS foreseeable, most people would say that such a person should not be either driving OR diving. I plan my dives around the foreseeable problems, which range from getting my light cord tangled up to violent freeflows, and in all the cases I can foresee and plan for, a buddy would either be handy or necessary.

 

[NAM001]

The point of my post was that solo training is not something new or a skill set unknown to other diveing groups. Thre was no slam intended to the dedicated buddie divers that i assume you allude to. Its nothing to take personal. My point was that the techies, DIR's and the many flavors have chose to adopt skills that are similar tr the same as self relient skills not for diving without a buddy but to enhance buddy diving.

Then again, there are those of us that have technical training and while willing to entertain a buddy for a low-risk rec dive, would not think of having a buddy for a serious technical dive. I suppose one could call it a creed thing.

 

[oldflounder]

Solo Diving or Self Reliant Diving is not a topic for the Basic Scuba Discussions forum. This is most definitely an advanced topic. And by advanced, I don't mean you've made your 6 or 8 dive and got your Advance Scuba ticket. I mean for someone with at least 100 dives. If you have 100 dives and still can't wrap your head around the concept of solo diving, then it's not for you. Not everyone is suited to Solo/Self Reliant Diving.

This raises a couple questions " is a person with 100 dives a better diver than an AOW diver that has done the requirements for that cert. and only has 9 dives? Is the person w/100 better qualified to start doing solo?" If I have done 100 shore dives for shark's teeth in Venice at 20', am I a better diver than one that has an AOW and has done 4 of those 9 as wreck dives at 120' in Key Largo. One has more experience underwater while the other may have more experience dealing with a diversity of skills that may be called upon in a different scenario. Like others say, solo is a mindset, either you get comfortable doing it or you don't. The 100 limit set by some agencies is just an arbitrary benchmark that someone decided to use. It is not a qualifier that automatically makes you comfortable and competent to do it.

 

[CT Sean]

I have seen that said before that driving is more dangerous, however I have yet to see something to back it up. I have seen articles quoting number of deaths each year in driving vs diving, but they never seem to factor in the number of participants.

According to census.gov, for 2009 there were 23 deaths per 100,000 licensed drivers and 8 accidents per 100 drivers (8% is a lot). Source: (table 1114): http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1114.pdf

The DAN data is not quite as well "packaged". Perhaps someone else has derived the # of deaths and accidents compared to # of certified divers (which I realize isn't the same as active divers, but neither is licensed drivers vs driving drivers)

 

[nimoh]

According to census.gov, for 2009 there were 23 deaths per 100,000 licensed drivers and 8 accidents per 100 drivers (8% is a lot). Source: (table 1114): http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1114.pdf

The DAN data is not quite as well "packaged". Perhaps someone else has derived the # of deaths and accidents compared to # of certified divers (which I realize isn't the same as active divers, but neither is licensed drivers vs driving drivers)

the problem is that most of those drivers are driving every day while the divers are diving much less than that (personally, I have about 30 dives in this year in 7 months and would consider myself above the average and have over 300 drives in for the same time frame). I suppose one could argue that if divers were diving more they would be more safe, but that's not really all that relevant.

My point is that any reports cited like you just did, are not really all that comparable.

 

[uncfnp]

This raises a couple questions " is a person with 100 dives a better diver than an AOW diver that has done the requirements for that cert. and only has 9 dives? Is the person w/100 better qualified to start doing solo?" If I have done 100 shore dives for shark's teeth in Venice at 20', am I a better diver than one that has an AOW and has done 4 of those 9 as wreck dives at 120' in Key Largo. One has more experience underwater while the other may have more experience dealing with a diversity of skills that may be called upon in a different scenario. Like others say, solo is a mindset, either you get comfortable doing it or you don't. The 100 limit set by some agencies is just an arbitrary benchmark that someone decided to use. It is not a qualifier that automatically makes you comfortable and competent to do it.

This is true of standards set by any agency or licensing organization. If you pass the drivers exam are you a competent driver? If you pass the bar are you a competent lawyer? A good doctor if you passed boards? And so forth. In each of these examples, including diving, the "card" is just the beginning. Would you prefer the nurse fresh out of school or the one with a years experience? I think most of us would prefer the experienced individual. In fact many profession require real world experience before they are allowed to "solo."

Sure "experience" can vary widely between individuals but there is some commonalty between all dives; the need to know your gear, comfort with that gear, comfort in the water, learning how to deal with issues as they arise... Remember that one "solos" in the dive conditions that they have experience in.

It's a generality and these are never 100% true for all individuals. Some individuals should never solo despite certification and experience, they may lack the mind set that has been frequently mentioned, but yes I feel that experience is a necessary prerequisite to solo diving.

 

[maniago]

Like others say, solo is a mindset, either you get comfortable doing it or you don't.

Maybe another way to approach solo thinking is, do you think or better yet, actively prepare your-solo-self in other things you do in life? Hiking, boating, skiing, walking, winterstorms, tornados? If you think this way, then you might make a good solo diver no matter what youre dive count is. If you don't, then maybe the 100 dive count is a good measurement to experience the things you need to understand to start thinking in a solo way.

I soloed off a boat just the other week when my lovely wife dive buddy was having a very bad time with motion sickness. Wasn't necessarily planned, but the boat capt just looked at me and motioned if I was going. And off I went. Didn't phase me a bit. That said, my rig (and hers for that matter) have been solo standards since AOW, but I didn't know it. I just thought it a good idea to have back up stuff. Did I mention that we were the only two (including the diving crew and capt) to show up with pony bottles? Now if I can only figure out how to take my generator and LifeStraws with me.....!