Thinking to solo dive ???
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PvtStash
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hubert
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This is a very useful discussion indeed - the kind one cannot really have on a dive boat...
After points of view, how about facts? I am not sure it would mean much, but I would like to know what PERCENTAGE OF SCUBA DEATHS CONCERNS SOLO DIVERS? Is it like 95% or 5% (my guess is the latter)? Anyone knows?
After points of view, how about facts? I am not sure it would mean much, but I would like to know what PERCENTAGE OF SCUBA DEATHS CONCERNS SOLO DIVERS? Is it like 95% or 5% (my guess is the latter)? Anyone knows?
My philosophy is that I won´t do a dive with a buddy that I wouldn´t be prepared to do solo. That is how I try to avoid the "herd mentality" in team diving. Since I´m prepared to do recreational dives with buddies without a redundant airsource, I do the same when I solo recreationally. I still feel more focused and riskaverse when I solo than when I buddy dive but I´d like to believe that to be rational in light of the "one brain"/"one airsource" limitation...
As to the statistics, the only statistic that interests me, is me...
Most statistics of solo-deaths seem to include those who started the dive with a buddy which sort of invalidates their usefulness for "true" solodivers...
ymmv
As to the statistics, the only statistic that interests me, is me...
Most statistics of solo-deaths seem to include those who started the dive with a buddy which sort of invalidates their usefulness for "true" solodivers...
ymmv
I don't think there are any stats on that... however, my impression is that probably four out of five fatalaties are solo, and of those, four out of five are unintentionally solo. IOW, about 85% of fatalaties begin their dives with buddies, but of those, about two thirds die alone.
Rick
Solo diving is a marvelous experience, so long as nothing goes wrong.
And for the guy who responds 'pshaw, I'm prepared', thats bull.
You've simply not yet had a heart attack at 110'.
Life remains a gamble. To each their own.
And for the guy who responds 'pshaw, I'm prepared', thats bull.
You've simply not yet had a heart attack at 110'.
Life remains a gamble. To each their own.
raymond phule
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How many people survive a heart attack at 110' when they dive with a buddy?
Over the past five years the archives of this board recount numerous instances where individuals had medical issues while submerged. Primarily, though not always, on vacation.
Their buddies returned them to the surface and/or the boat. Some survived. Some did not.
The point is that it was through their buddies efforts that they were 'escorted' to the surface and/or the boat. In the absence of a buddy, it is unlikely that this service would have been performed - unless another diver happened along. Actually, in a number of cases this also occurred - divers have been spotted motionless on the bottom by another random diver off the same charter boat. Their survival rate is not impressive.
All too often when divers have been alone - and these cases are also in the archives, primarily divers who were spearfishing - if something goes wrong it remains a mystery. They simply don't reappear. One can speculate as to their fate, however, as others in this thread have noted, generally speaking any diver on an NDL dive with no obstructions to the suface and adequate gas can make it to the surface if neither entrapped nor entangled.
This leaves medical issues as one potential causal factor.
Rare, true. But the evidence tends to suggest that IF a medical issue occurs, with a buddy there is some chance of survival. Without a buddy that chance diminishes significantly.
Random Example:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/216268-canadian-tourist-dies-st-maartin.html
YMMV.
Their buddies returned them to the surface and/or the boat. Some survived. Some did not.
The point is that it was through their buddies efforts that they were 'escorted' to the surface and/or the boat. In the absence of a buddy, it is unlikely that this service would have been performed - unless another diver happened along. Actually, in a number of cases this also occurred - divers have been spotted motionless on the bottom by another random diver off the same charter boat. Their survival rate is not impressive.
All too often when divers have been alone - and these cases are also in the archives, primarily divers who were spearfishing - if something goes wrong it remains a mystery. They simply don't reappear. One can speculate as to their fate, however, as others in this thread have noted, generally speaking any diver on an NDL dive with no obstructions to the suface and adequate gas can make it to the surface if neither entrapped nor entangled.
This leaves medical issues as one potential causal factor.
Rare, true. But the evidence tends to suggest that IF a medical issue occurs, with a buddy there is some chance of survival. Without a buddy that chance diminishes significantly.
Random Example:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/216268-canadian-tourist-dies-st-maartin.html
YMMV.
raymond phule
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I agree with some things in your post but it also show the problem with risk and probabilities.
This is a statistic for the population of untrained cave divers. It could definitely be useful and interesting. The problem is still that the population of untrained cave divers are diverse. We have divers with 10 dives with no clue about diving or caves and we have divers with 1000 dives that have tried to aquire as much information as possibly about cave diving before they venture into a cave.
The risk for these two divers are not the same even though they are members of the same group.
People are different and it is very difficult to put people toghether in groups so we are able to determine a statistic. We would need to use groups with one member each and we cant get any statistics from that.
Statistics and probabilities cant really say anything about a specifik person. It can only say things about the whole population.
It is possibly to be a formaly untrained cave diver and still avoid some of the risks.
This is a statistic for the population of untrained cave divers. It could definitely be useful and interesting. The problem is still that the population of untrained cave divers are diverse. We have divers with 10 dives with no clue about diving or caves and we have divers with 1000 dives that have tried to aquire as much information as possibly about cave diving before they venture into a cave.
The risk for these two divers are not the same even though they are members of the same group.
People are different and it is very difficult to put people toghether in groups so we are able to determine a statistic. We would need to use groups with one member each and we cant get any statistics from that.
Statistics and probabilities cant really say anything about a specifik person. It can only say things about the whole population.
It is possibly to be a formaly untrained cave diver and still avoid some of the risks.
Rick, I put those D rings on that harness as a joke to mess with a friend and just never got around to taking them off. They are really ruining my trim---lol.
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