Thinking to solo dive ???

[Buoyant1]

I think people who dives with "instantbuddies" should read as much as they can on solo diving, and be equipped as solo-diver also. In reality, half of all divers are really already solo divers, with the style and the environment they dive in. All that training is worthless, if you can't reach your buddy or surface in one breath of air.

I totally agree, and the fact that any given agency doesn't even consider that THIS CAN HAPPEN is wrong! Sure that's the optimum scenario...BUT the whole insta-buddy thing is reality, and the need to be aware and self sufficient is key!

 

[texdiveguy]

I very much enjoy 'solo' diving...it is a great way to dive...though I never recommend it to anyone--its a persl. choice for each diver to decide.

You must be always on top of your game mentally-physically-and gear/skill wise.

I also diving with good buddies or a familiar team of divers.

Solo is fun and challenging....not for everyone but its a cool form of scuba for many of us!

 

[hubert]

Very good post! It is particularly useful to stress the importance of spreading weight
between one self and the BC...

I came to solo diving entirely because of my bad experiences with insta-buddies. Most anywhere I have been, single divers like myself are paired randomly with other single divers - or maybe even worse, with pairs of buddies familiar with each other - and get in the water with no opportunity to seriously review safety procedures, or make sure they share similar goals. My first ever dive after certification was like this: I was paired with an experienced fellow who went straight down to 120 feet after having said
we would ``take it easy'', let me struggle with my beginner's buoyancy problems, and sent me up on my own when I reached 500 psi. On the way up, I got confused by green stuff in my mask - only later did I understand that my nose had started bleeding - but managed to make a safety stop, and came out mad and scared as hell, almost ready to stop diving...

Alas I had mostly bad experiences of this kind, and concluded that I was safer alone when not with a competent buddy I knew well. I feel if agencies want to stress buddy diving as the root of their safe dive education, they have to find, in conjunction with boat operators and dive masters, some sort of answer to the insta-buddy problem. Which anyway would involve more training!

Solo diving of course it attractive by itself as well, irrespective of the buddy issue - you can do whatever you want whenever and however you want - and still chat with people on the dive boat when you're back on board.

Happy new year to all

H

 

[MikeFerrara]

I totally agree, and the fact that any given agency doesn't even consider that THIS CAN HAPPEN is wrong! Sure that's the optimum scenario...BUT the whole insta-buddy thing is reality, and the need to be aware and self sufficient is key!

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.

 

[emcbride81]

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.

Well put! I think there is a need to teach OW students to be self-sufficient.

 

[underwasser bolt]

I dive solo on occassion simply because I don't want to have to supervise as muchless skilled buddy, which is what usually happens with insta buddies. I dont mind supervising, but i like a break. I too think most dives are in reality solo dives. two new divers or holiday divers are not likely to be able to help each other in an emergency.

 

[RonFrank]

Nice topic Bob, and article as well.

I generally dive with buddies, and prefer to do so. However I have found that while I may want to dive with a buddy, over the past year I have been doing more solo diving.

This is not as much by choice, but because of activities I enjoy (photography), and current (very difficult to stay close enough to a buddy in ripping current unless you tie off to one another), or because of the lack of experienced divers on board a boat.

Case in point, last summer I was diving with Gary (Conch Republic). Gary knows me. I was on a boat with a party of relatively inexperienced divers doing shallow reefs. I had my camera, and once we were in position, Gary (our Captain that day) walked up, and asked if I was ready to go well before anyone else on the boat was set. Sure, I said!

He had me drop off the side, and that was that. I was on an easy reef in 30~50' of water. I had my pony, vis was good, current was mild, and I really enjoyed the dive. I dove in this fashion most of the time we were doing shallow reefs that week and discovered I enjoyed it very much.

So why was I comfortable with this? First, I had redundant air. Second I was focused on photography, and would not make a great buddy with an inexperienced stranger. Third, as the group on the boat were inexperienced, I doubt if I had issues that any one of them would be in a position to help me.

I had a similar experience diving with Brent with Blue Waters, first in, last out, and diving the shallow reefs solo. So another benefit is extended BT.

Upon reflection of these dives, I have come to realize that in the absence of a good dive partner, I maybe better off diving solo at least under less than challenging conditions.

I did partner with a few divers on that trip on shallow reefs, but I think it was more for the comfort of the DiveOP, and my buddy rather than because I really would benefit. OTOH, on the Deep wrecks, I had the pleasure of diving with some very experienced locals, and was much more comfortable knowing I had experienced divers keeping an eye on me. In fact while doing light penetration in the Grove, I had to cut one of my insta-buddy free from a nasty monofilament entanglement. Maybe he would have freed himself on his own, but I think having others to help was a huge benefit at 110', and likely helped keep him calm knowing someone had his back.

I think solo diving needs to be examined on a dive by dive, and dive site basis. I don't consider myself a *solo* diver, but rather an opportunistic diver. If I am comfortable doing a site solo due to the conditions and a familiarity with the dive site, I no longer hesitate to do so. OTOH, I would NOT solo a site where I had any reservations and prefer to have good friends in the water sharing the experience.

 

[drbill]

LOL, does anyone here remember life before cell phones?

Ha, I still don't use one (although I think my days without one are numbered)!

Bob, good advice in your piece. Many of you know that I dive solo about 85-90% of the time. However, it is not something I advocate, and I hope I never tell another diver it is a good thing for them to do unless I have considerable personal knowledge of their diving skills, their reaction to unforeseen problems, etc.

Often the really critical factors (IMHO) are ones we don't know whether the diver has 50 dives or 1,000. How has that diver reacted when confronted with a situation such as a lost mask (which you pointed out), a failed piece of equipment or an unexpected OOA. Of course it is my opinion that anyone who experiences an unexpected OOA situation, speaking of one in which their tank has emptied, is not one who is paying attention and employing good gas management skills.

I know I have "lost" masks in the past (broken straps) but was even able to continue filming by pressing my camera housing up against the mask to hold it in place. Other divers I know actually dive occasionally without a mask just to acclimate to that future possibility.

I have had equipment failures on several occasions (all reg problems). Fortunately none resulted in a total cut off of my air supply, but did require action on my part.

Over 46 years I have never run out of air through a failure to monitor my gas supply. I have drained tanks twice to get footage I wanted, but those times were intentional. However, I did have one tank end up empty in the late 60's because we had no SPG's and the tank had mistakenly been put on the filled rack (and the surface gauge was nowhere to be seen). I've also had the dip tube clog on a full tank, which resulted in the emergency ascent I've described elsewhere on the Board.

As a solo diver, I try to frequently reassess my gear configuration and make changes based on experiences I have:

I feel Bob's suggestion about distributing weights is a good one that I have yet to effect. My BCD (harness/wing) has no pockets, so I intend to buy the weight pockets (if I can find them, they're no longer made) or an alternate type to place some of the weight in a ditchable location.

Having had a dive computer fail unexpectedly on a long deco dive, I have finally acquired backup computers. In fact, I've been diving with three of them lately.

I have had minor wing punctures on deep dives in the past. Nothing serious, but it has made me consider wings with redundant cells. No action taken yet.

Again, thanks Bob for posting your piece.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

In my humble opinion, diving in general and higher risk diving in particular - such as mixed gas diving on deep wrecks and/or in caves, or solo diving in this case - can be analagous to mountain climbing. One similarity, among many, is that both activities are not done for any reason other than that they represent challenges to the participants - both mental and physical as well as psychological, logistical, and skills-attainment, etc.

Why do people solo dive?

Why do people want to climb Mt. Everest?

At least one reason is that they wish to experience the sensations of preparing for and then accomplishing a goal, with all the ancillary tasks and objectives that achieving the goal requires.

Statistically, summiting Mt. Everest is more dangerous than solo diving. Yet people continue to test themselves and their skills against the mountain.

"To date, there have been 1,924 ascents of Mount Everest (more than 1,300 different climbers), and 179 people have died. The overall fatality rate is thus about 9% (fatality rate is defined as successful summits compared to fatalities). However, since 1990 there has been an explosion of summiteers and fatality statistics have changed. Up to 1990, the Everest fatality rate is a whopping 37%, with 106 deaths and only 284 summits."

"Yet from 1990 until today, the rate has dropped to 4.4%; 73 people have died, and 1,640 have summited."

It would seem that with modern training and equipment, developed techniques, better technology, and a developed system of logistical support, extreme mountaineering has become safer over the past twenty years or so.

Mount Everest news - Mount Everest by climbers

I suspect the same things could be said for "extreme diving". Like all analogies, this one only carries so far. But when you ask the question "why do people do ______ (fill in your favorite dangerous activity)??", I suspect that the answers - even today - will begin to sound suspiciously similar.

Just MHO.

Doc

 

[RonFrank]

Unfortunately, there are too many divers who don't see the difference between being prepared to dive solo and swimming around by yourself while hoping that nothing bad happens.
Rich

Hey Buddy!

Well said, and Great Point!

I'd dive solo with you any day!

In fact tying to figure you how to make that happen this summer!