Thinking to solo dive ???

[dumpsterDiver]

Wow, what did I do? I am a "retired" instructor, and have not taught in many years... There is no category for retired instructor. If you think my avatar designation is inapprorpriate, then I am open to suggestions. Would "incompetant solo diver" suffice?

Personally I have VERY little respect for the classification of PADI instructor, and I hope other people are not overly influenced by that certification level either.

As for my competence, I am the absolute BEST internet diver I know!

I can accept that my failure to use a pony all the time is inconsistent. If people want to solo dive with a pony bottle in a pool that is fine with me. I never received ANY technical or solo training, but the suggestion that a redundant air supply is REQUIRED for all solo dives is overkill; but it is really not a big deal. I thought the orginal post was excellent and that was the only point in which I was not in complete agreement.

I have made many, many mistakes diving and I have even reported some of them in various posts made on this board. I very nearly killed myself on a solo, salvage dive to 185 feet in strong current not too long ago. So I certainly have provided sufficient cause to make people wonder.

If you feel that my attitude toward redundancy (in shallow water) makes me incompetent then I guess I can understand that. As for myself, I try to judge personalities on this board by what they say, rather than what certification they claim to have.

I often freedive to 60 feet or so, chase a fish around and then shoot it and try to get to the surface before I die. My only redundancy, is a hopefully attentive buddy. Maybe that will help put my personal opinion in perspective.

I feel very confident that a solo diver should be comfortable ascending from around 40 feet with zero air in their tank. If not, then they should have a pony (and probably should not be diving solo, in my opinion).

Is my comment about no redundancy so offensive because the solo dive training manual says otherwise? Is it simply that? I probably should read one of those solo dive texts.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Is my comment about no redundancy so offensive because the solo dive training manual says otherwise? Is it simply that? I probably should read one of those solo dive texts.

It's not offensive to me. We're all unique, in our skills, goals, and proficiencies. I posted this thread to get differing perspectives. That's how we learn.

To be clear ... I didn't start this thread to advocate solo diving. I do occasional solo dives, but my preferred method of diving is with a competent dive buddy. I teach for an agency that mandates diving with a buddy ... on another board, one fellow NAUI instructor decided to make an issue out of the fact that I'm even talking about solo diving. He's "appalled" at my lack of professionalism.

But what's the reality? Isn't it that people are out there, diving alone, completely unprepared for even the least thing to go wrong? That's how a young man died here a few days ago ... diving alone in shallow water with no plan, no preparation, and no redundancy.

Isn't it better to talk about it? To discuss ... and even argue ... what the competencies are, or what they should be?

Might that young man be alive today if someone had told him that there's more to solo diving than just jumping in the water in a recreational rig and swimming around by himself? Isn't making people think preferable to just telling them they shouldn't do it?

This has been a good thread so far ... thank you all for keeping it on track and constructive. Hopefully it'll help someone make better choices, and not put their lives in danger out of ignorance ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[GDI]

Wow, what did I do? I am a "retired" instructor, and have not taught in many years... .

First of all thank you for coming back and making the above statements. What did you do?
Nothing anyone else here has not done. You were just the fish I happen to key up on and again I hope no offense is taken.

As instructors retired or otherwise I find myself more and more looking for peer accountability in our actions and our words. My bad and my fault because I have not the right to be the scuba cop. Maybe I'm just getting older and crankier

More and more I have seen ill prepared and equipped divers going out and conduct solo dives. I have had divers come up to me because they were not allowed to dive solo off a boat without THAT card. They're looking for THAT card, but not having any truthful desire to actually review and learn what one would think is common sense toward this type of diving. Many of these divers do not see in fact that ANY form of diving has risks. To them it is a simple process of just putting a reg in their mouth and breath the air until they need to surface. This process they have successfully repeated in their history of past dives and are hedging on the future that their luck will continue and Thank GOD it usually does. Diving has risks - Physiological, Environmental, Equipment risks, etc etc etc. Every dive ever made is an acceptance of those risks as a personal decision. This point is now entrenched throughout this thread.
There are standards agencies have for doing this type by choice of diving. In this legal cya society we live in these standards have come to act as a governing guideline. Yet as people, divers still and always will continue to do things that are beyond their competent level. There is an adage out there which states: A superior diver never puts themselves in a position which requires the demonstration of their superior skill and knowledge of which they practice at each and every opportunity

A solo diver needs to be a superior diver, every diver needs to be a solo diver in practice.

I stated I am getting older. While I may agree or disagree with dumpsterDiver's posts I respect the fact that he has pointed out that he has made a choice and I believe accepts the risks that go along with that choice. (I could of just as easily jumped on the individual who commented about solo diving and having repeated reg freeflows because of cold water conditions,who could do himself a favor and get some other better performing cold-water regs.But I'm not the scuba cop) Equipment is a pillar factor to safer solo diving, it is the diver's choice to carry or not carry redundancy. At any depth anything can happen to anybody. If I can make some suggestions here for those fathoming solo diving it would be this.

1. Don't even consider it until you have close to 100 logged dives in varying conditions. Divers really begin to learn at the 100 dive mark. A point to note is that 100 dives is what it takes before you can become a instructor by most agencies.

2. Assess yourself truthfully, your stress levels and the ability to handle stress under varying conditions. Are you in fact a GOOD buddy diver when diving with a buddy? Are you always aware of your:

Depth and Self Dependency levels
Equipment status and location and Environmental factors
Air/Gas limits and amounts and Attitude/Mental state
Time Limts and constraints and Training/Experience
Health State Physically and Habits are they consistent

3. Assess your equipment. IS it the right stuff for the dive?

4. Plan the dive and Dive the Plan, What-if yourself regarding any possiblility you can think of before you get into the water. look at some worst case scenarios and see if you have factored those into the dive plan, can you resolve them quickly and efficiently?

 

[Rick Inman]

Isn't it better to talk about it? To discuss ... and even argue ... what the competencies are, or what they should be?

Yes, Bob it is. And thank you for doing so.

 

[nereas]

...

A solo diver needs to be a superior diver, [and] every diver needs to be a solo diver in practice...

EXactly!:14:

 

[SparticleBrane]

I've heard stories of people becoming paralyzed whie diving, or typically as they surface from an AGE or DCS. I try to minimize that possibility by doing very slow ascents and not going into deco when alone.

Other than that, I guess the risk is having a heart attack? But I'm only 36.

Entanglement...

I can't imagine a worse death on scuba than being entangled within reach of the surface.

 

[captain]

I seems every few months we beat this horse. My view is dive any way you want as long you fully realize diving itself is risky either solo or buddy.

Myself I am somewhat like Dumpster diver, I don't carry breathing system redundancy for any NDL open overhead dives. Frankly I believe that the chance of failure of a simple well maintained scuba system is probably near zero. That is my experience over 50 years of diving.

That leaves only two other reasons,
1, failure to monitor gas supply, time and depth, if you can't keep tract of those three things than maybe any type of diving is not your game.

2, entrapment, how much redundant gas is enough, 20 cu/ft? 50, 100, you could get entangled to the point that only a unlimited supply and time necessary required to get a rescue diver to cut you out will save you.

I tend to agree with Cathrine that some might get a false sense of security from having that mechanical buddy by their side.

So if I elimiate equipment failure and I keep tract of gas, time and depth I'm left with entrapment, my biggest fear, to prepare for with redundant cutting tools, knife, shears and wire cutters. Also the ability to remove my rig if I have to, to be able to cut it free. This means a balance rig so you don't have to fight to keep from rising or sinking in the process.

This is the opinion of the management, others may not agree.

 

[Tigerman]

The insta-buddy thing is only "reality" if you allow it to be. It's a non-issue for me. In any case, I think the agencies are demonstrably wrong about a lot of things.

However, I don't think that anyone should do any dive that they don't feel they could complete alone if necessary. IME, finishing a dive by rescuing another is a lot more difficult than finishing a dive alone.

In that regard, I don't understand all this talk about "increased anxiety" when diving alone. If you are anxious when alone just imagine how you will be in a situation where you are called on to do the diving for two. Simply put, I don't think that divers who aren't self sufficient should be in the water and sure shouldn't take on the responsibility of being a "buddy".

A diver who doesn't feel capable of completing a dive alone needs supervision rather than a buddy.

And this is one of the exact things that started worrying me after I started doing frequent solo dives. I quickly realized that when I dive solo I was much more careful with planning and how I executed my dives. Then I started thinking of why I would trust someone that I never met before to rescue me in a situation I wouldnt enter solo, or even worse, end up having to rescue him or her in that situation. The only logical answer I could come up with was that I shouldnt. If I cant save myself, I cant save anyone else and I wouldnt have any first hand knowlede of wether or not someone unknown to me would be able to save me.
I have to say that my buddied diving have gained certain benefits as far as planning and executing dives goes after I started going solo, simply because it was a wakeup call with regards to how much more "relaxed and sloppy" I got when I had someone with me than I would be when I dive alone.

 

[nereas]

...So if I elimiate equipment failure and I keep tract of gas, time and depth I'm left with entrapment, my biggest fear, to prepare for with redundant cutting tools, knife, shears and wire cutters. Also the ability to remove my rig if I have to, to be able to cut it free. ...

I did not think of wire cutters! Very interesting thought.

Entrapment is also my own biggest caution, whether solo or buddied, because often your buddy just swims away oblivious.

 

[captain]

I did not think of wire cutters! Very interesting thought.

Entrapment is also my own biggest caution, whether solo or buddied, because often your buddy just swims away oblivious.

Here in Louisiana we use 3/32 stainless steel cable rather than regular line on spearguns. If a fish wraps you up in it a knife or shears won't cut it very quickly if at all.