Thinking back, what caused you to go solo?

[Rollin Bonz]

Poor Christopher Griffin's first post just had to be in the solo diver's forum.

A crotchety bunch, at best, live here.

Right???

First post and he gets the old "Welcome to Scubaboard" greeting... Hopefully it doesn't scare @Christopher Griffin away. Hell, he might even give up the sport after that howdy do.

 

[lowviz]

Have some faith, he is a diver.

 

[Christopher Griffin]

I don't normally post just read the threads, but having read peoples responses, I thought it was safe to agree with them that there is nothing wrong with solo diving, and is generally caused by all the comments listed on the last 6 pages.

I have dived solo for more than ten years and heard all the reasons why not to. I personally like to dive solo, I get better photos and videos, and tend to enjoy the dive more than diving with a buddy. In the same breath I do have a buddy that Ive dive with on and off for the last 20 years, but we are so comfortable with each other we might as well be diving alone, unfortunately he's not always available and sometimes a little out of his comfort zone and vies versa.

I don't personally think there's a diving agency or instructor that would commission solo training, but I personally wouldn't recommend that someone who has just passed there open water course to move straight into solo diving, it would be reckless and irresponsible, Yes I have done a fair amount of training over the years with PADI and IANTD but this has been for my benefit and no ones else's. We as solo divers need to be a little more thoughtful as new divers read these pages, and where I am quit sure that all the divers posting have numerous dives under their belts, and hold a verity of formal training at a more advanced levels which makes them more than capable of planning and performing solo dives, I only wanted gift a little more incite than just trying to state why I like to solo dive and what made me decide to.

We all dive at the cutting edge, and solo divers tend to be very conscious about or dives, more so than buddy divers, as we have to rely on ourselves.

 

[letterboy]

@LetterBoy Yeah, good advice. Let's all welcome the new guy and try to wander back to the thread's topic.

I'm going back to like his post just to up his 'like-to-post' ratio. Which reminds me, why is your ratio higher than mine???

I'm far more warm and fuzzy than you are...

Because in the pub we all love each other.

Also, solo diving is an individual decision that shouldn't be so chastised.

 

[Christopher Griffin]

Because in the pub we all love each other.

Also, solo diving is an individual decision that shouldn't be so chastised.

I quite agree, and please forgive me if I seemed to stand on the pulpit, I think you should all give yourselves the credit where credit is due, and smile sweetly at the at the "you shouldn't dive alone" brigade and continue to ignore them.

 

[letterboy]

I quite agree, and please forgive me if I seemed to stand on the pulpit, I think you should all give yourselves the credit where credit is due, and smile sweetly at the at the "you shouldn't dive alone" brigade and continue to ignore them.

Sorry, did you say something...

 

[lowviz]

OMG...

 

[Wathdoc]

For me it was partially for video, availability of either of my two regular buddies and the need for independence when diving. The more I do of it the more I love it. I feel more tranquil when I dive alone and do not have to lead someone else.

 

[Wingy]

Insomnia and hot flushes ... Thanks menopause you suck.

 

[gbirch]

Controversial topic to be sure, and probably always will be (at least in my lifetime)
In the end, like anything in life, it is up to your own assessment of the risks vs. rewards as to whether or not you will dive solo. In my humble opinion, a solo certification is not to certify anyone to as a competent solo (or any other) diver, but to help inform you of the elevated risks and to provide strategies that include personal preparedness & equipment to deal with (not eliminate) the elevated risk.

Maybe we who solo dive should adopt a simple rule...
The first rule of solo diving is: you do not talk about solo diving.
The second rule of solo diving is: you DO NOT talk about solo diving!
Third rule of solo diving: if someone yells “stop!”, goes limp, or taps out, the dive is over.
Fourth rule: only one guy to a dive!

(tongue in cheek, of course, healthy discourse is good & encourages enlightened debate on the subject - so long as the debate is enlightened and not based on dogma)