The solo diving movement, a good idea?

[NAM001]

To the OP

You can see that there iare a few common concepts in the replys
Experience. Takes 100 + dives to see the problems that can arrise to take serously just what can happen to you alone.
Solo skills are no substitution for a buddy. It greatly reduces the odds for needing a buddy and CAN increase your odds of survival WHEN USED PROPERLY
If you have to ask if you are ready,,,, you probably are not.. Most of us just fell into it after years of diving, whether we were ready or not
Confidence in your skills. This includes being profiecent also.

All these things make up the solo candadate, Once again this does not happen overnight It takes a wide range of diving exposure not a collection of cert cards.
It means understanding the buddy including its benifits and potential shortcomings.
Knowing the surroundings and what COULD lay instore for you.
And to me , most inportant..... complying with your self imposed predive limits. You dont rewrite rules on the fly.

Some things that have not been addressed perhaps is:
that those who have recieved techical training ect have also got the skills to be independant divers. They just dont. Its a crede thing. kinda like being a nun... you have the equipment and knowledge but refuse to use them.

 

[drrich2]

There are a number of reasons to dive solo. Mine go something like this.

1.) I still buddy dive at times. I'm not strongly preferential of one over the other. Solo lets me do dives I wouldn't otherwise do, so I get more diving.

2.) I'm a weirdo. Eccentric, unique, strange, 'takes some getting used to,' etc... I'm also an introvert and don't readily bond with most people. I can be friendly if approached, but 'buddying up' with random strangers is hardly my idea of fun. Experience has taught me that I contrast with other peoples' expectations.

3.) My wife hates quarry diving, I live near a quarry, and my favorite dive buddy is in medical school in another state.

4.) I like to dive without having to keep up with a buddy, factor in what the buddy wants to do, etc...sometimes. Other times, I'm in a 'yeah, sure, whatever' mood.

On the issue of buddy quality, when TS&M posted, I thought about the DIR approach used by GUE. See, that's a good example of why having the solo option is a nice alternative. From what I've read, DIR is a well-thought out effort to optimize diving, and thus somewhat rigid in some ways (I'm thinking). Not everyone wants to think & dive like that. So the very training (DIR) that makes GUE divers exceptional buddies could be off-putting to some.

After all, how many serious divers who sought out, paid for & endured a GUE Fundamentals course, and thus value highly trained team work and a particular diving philosophy, want to dive with people who don't share any of that?

Richard.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

those who have recieved techical training ect have also got the skills to be independant divers. They just dont. Its a crede thing. kinda like being a nun... you have the equipment and knowledge but refuse to use them.

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.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

On the issue of buddy quality, when TS&M posted, I thought about the DIR approach used by GUE. See, that's a good example of why having the solo option is a nice alternative. From what I've read, DIR is a well-thought out effort to optimize diving, and thus somewhat rigid in some ways (I'm thinking). Not everyone wants to think & dive like that. So the very training (DIR) that makes GUE divers exceptional buddies could be off-putting to some.

After all, how many serious divers who sought out, paid for & endured a GUE Fundamentals course, and thus value highly trained team work and a particular diving philosophy, want to dive with people who don't share any of that?

Several that I know of, including myself.

Fundies is really an introductory-level class that helps you develop a solid basic diving platform. What you do with those skills after class is really up to you. I decided that continuing in the GUE regimen wasn't for me, and have taken my diving in other directions. It doesn't in any way reduce the benefit I derived from having taken the class ... nor did taking the class make me any less inclined to dive with non-GUE trained divers.

I don't always dive with a buddy. But when I do, I look for certain things ... none of which are unique to the GUE way of diving. I want someone who either knows how to be a good buddy, or is willing to learn ... someone who understands that it's not "my" dive, but "our" dive, and somebody who's generally just fun to be around. I can be pretty accommodating as long as there's a reasonable attitude toward safe diving practices and we're on the same page in terms of what to expect from each other.

You don't need GUE training to be a great dive buddy ... you do need to be committed to the basic principles of diving with another person. That involves some ability to pay attention, communicate, position yourself to be seen, and do what you agreed to do before getting in the water.

Buddy diving isn't about specific skill sets or equipment ... it's all about predictable behavior ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

---------- Post added August 19th, 2013 at 02:45 PM ----------

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.

I dunno ... I just spent a week in the Great Lakes diving with a couple guys I'd never met before. We did dives down to nearly 250 feet together, and diving as a 3-person team. Everybody had a great time. I also chose to hare off on my own a couple times and go solo ... letting those two guys go enjoy diving on their own without me along. Those dives were enjoyable too.

Whatever floats your boat, I suppose ... I'm happy to go either way.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[herr2720]

I equate it to pretty much any other activity that can carry the same risks (death or severe disability) and think that teaching self reliance should be taught early on. You make sure that you know the risks and are able to accept them. I think that the instructors hard stance on "Never Dive without a buddy" and not teaching self reliance is like trying to teach teens abstinence and not teaching them about birth control. There will still be a population that is going to do it no matter what, so rather than condone it shouldn't we emphasize the dangers and give them reason not to do it while still teaching the principals of self reliance in the early phase. I would say that 90% of the people that would take a specialty class on self reliance probably already solo dive and the other 10% probably shouldn't dive alone even after taking the course.

I dive with a buddy at times and I dive solo at times. I find it no different than when I back-country hike solo, kaykak solo, or pilot solo. I make a plan ahead of time, make a backup plan ahead of time, have multiple safety options, make sure my gear is in peak condition and performance, and learn to trust my gut on conditions. Sometimes I just like to be alone, I find it therapeutic.

 

[4dawgma]

I'm not going back to read the pros and cons. Just saw the headline and figured I toss in my 2 cents.

I like to have someone around when diving. Yes I wander about and away but I'm comforted by the fact that if TSHTF someone is around to help or either watch me die and tell my momma I went peacefully. Even if I got ate by a great white. Furthermore, who will back up the story about the hammerheads that swam through while you were fiddling with your camera? Who will you chat with about all the cool sh!t on your SI? Do you not have any friends? I'd take a crappy dive buddy over nilo any day.

It reminds me of a time when I was a younger man, duck hunting. If i couldnt find anyone willing, I'd head off in the black of morning, across many a frozen swamp, with nothing more than a shotgun, a handful of shells and a few deks. Sure I could fill a strap with ducks, maybe come close to drowning or freezing to death a few times. Was it worth it? At the time, yes. As I got older though, I realized I enjoyed the social aspect just as much as the actually event. Nowadays I hardly raise my gun as I have found more pleasure in calling in the ducks for the younger guys and listening to their stories about that morning.

Should you solo dive? If you're good with it, so am I. We'll always remember "that guy" with the nice gear and the fancy truck while we're having post dive margaritas......what was that guys name anyway?

 

[chrpai]

You might not have taken GUE training and have a false impression of what it involves or perhaps you've have but taken it to the rather old-fashioned "everyone else is a stroke" extreme but the attitude I detect in your post doesn't chime with the GUE instructors and divers who I've dived with and been instructed by. None of them has ever suggested that DIR was the only way I could ever dive again.

See the words written below. They were you're words, not mine.

I've got a Tech pass at GUE-F and would love to dive with more GUE divers because they are better buddies. However, I'm not prepared to make such long journeys so, in the absence of better buddies, I'd rather dive alone. Then I'm under no illusions as to what I can or cannot expect from a non-GUE buddy.

I dive with many kinds of divers. Yes, even GUE divers.

 

[drrich2]

4dawgma:

That's another issue; some people are 'people people.' A friend of mine was a youngest child with 4 older sisters; he's social. I'm told when he's at home (in a fairly large house), if there are other family members in the home he seeks them out. Doesn't seem to willingly tolerate solitude much.

I was an only child & spent the majority of my childhood in a very rural setting; I had no interest in hunting or school sports and gardening was a despised chore. Friends were few & often far between. I got used to solitude.

Some people want to dive, duck hunt, deer hunt, fish, etc...socially.

And some people can have a good time doing any of the above alone.

I suspect the happiest people are the people who can & do do both.

Richard.

 

[acteg]

Always dive with a buddy if possible, but don't rely on your buddy to save you.

 

[brnt999]

I started diving last winter and got in 25 dives before I had to head back to Northern Canada to work.On 3 or 4 of my dives I burned through my air before everyone else and I surfaced alone. Those moments were the most blissful and enjoyable. I could relax and get in the moment and just enjoy the experience. I dove in Thailand and Mexico where there was a divemaster/ tour leader who everyone followed.Its hard to get in the moment when you have to follow someone or constantly be looking around being aware of your buddy. My goal is to be self reliant so I can dive alone.