To cert or not to cert...

[Nemrod]

Dearman,
wow, sleep two couples, big boat. I have to size my boat to be able to tow it long distance. My wife no longer is big in diving. She still dives in "pretty" places. I have found boats in the 17 to 22 foot range ideal for running out to dive sites. I prefer to sleep in a hotel or camp out. Not much into sleeping on small boats--get's real crowded. We have a Mills forward tent for our Whaler and can overnight on it.
A typical mission for my Whaler is to run out to the site, I anchor, my wife reads a book and I dive a couple of tanks and then we fish a bit and then head in and maybe find a resturant to stop at etc. No interest in sleeping out on the dive site. My boat is fast enough to get way out there and back in reasonable time frames and can if need be carry six divers. A lot of how a boat is used depends on where it is being used as much as how it is being used. I guess that is why I have a kayak, an inflatible and a BW, one size does not fit all--lol.

 

[Tod]

It sure can't hurt but I'm inclined to say that anyone with enough experience and knowledge to solo probably won't benefit much from the class. This is definitely a "do as I say, not as I do" situation, since I started diving as a solo diver back when the moon was made of cream cheese.

I started solo diving early on in my dive career - within a few months of being certified. At first the reasoning was no different than many other interests I've had in my life (off-road motorcycling, backpacking, mountain biking, Jeeping, back country skiing) and I've always had an understanding of the obvious risks and plenty of self-confidence in my own abilities. I did do a lot of research on the topic (solo diving) and discovered things I had not (at that time) considered. Over time, I added things to my regular diving (solo or in groups) just to make myself a better prepared diver. Finally, SDI was one of those "pioneering" agencies that was willing to go for it and provide a certification for solo diving and I went through their program.

I agree that "it can't hurt" to take the course, and if one is new to the concept of being self-suffient I would think it should be a must to take the course. For those who are with experience and knowledge, I still feel the course is beneficial because it provides an opportunity to "show your stuff" to an instructor and have an independent person evaluate your skills. Some may come through with perfection and have no recommendation for improvement, the rest of us may still learn something new. This is not to say we are not already competent, it just means that there are lots of ideas out there and this is a good opportunity to find out other opionions.

Ultimately, solo diving is going to be a personal choice. Yes there are added risks and some people are quite capible of accepting them. Don't be afraid to admit you might still be able to learn something.

Whether or not a dive boat will honor your solo certification remains to be seen. I also know of dive boats in the California side of the world that allow solo diving with or without any type of certification. (And we have far too many attornies on this side of the world.) The Solo Cert for me was just something personal I wanted and may never have to show it. And even though I have it now, it doesn't mean I may still learn a thing or two in the future about solo diving.

Short version: it's entirely something personal, and it won't hurt to take it if you're interested in (or already) diving solo.

 

[Nemrod]

The only problem I see with a cert course is who decides what is acceptable. Some of us are very independent. I dive mostly vintage gear, I rarely use a BC, I don't have any scissors or octapus or funky fins or stage bottles or spare air or any of that and don't need it either and I can see that I would be "non acceptable" so why bother, I just go ahead and do what I want anyways. N

 

[Tod]

The only problem I see with a cert course is who decides what is acceptable. Some of us are very independent. I dive mostly vintage gear, I rarely use a BC, I don't have any scissors or octapus or funky fins or stage bottles or spare air or any of that and don't need it either and I can see that I would be "non acceptable" so why bother, I just go ahead and do what I want anyways. N

At least you'll be easy to identify if you're ever missing: "Just look for something like Lloyd Bridges, only younger..."

 

[Goose75]

Nemrod,
I currently have a 19ft inboard but I'm thinking of moving into sail now. I'm also trying to merge hobbies. I grow tired of the daily grind and disapearing into the horizon from time to time sounds like a good change.

 

[Goose75]

It sounds to me that the biggest benifit that a cert course can offer is gear setup.

Has anyone here taken the solo course? Did you find useful or not?

 

[Tod]

It sounds to me that the biggest benifit that a cert course can offer is gear setup.

Has anyone here taken the solo course? Did you find useful or not?

Maybe it wasn't so clear in my first reply to this post (I just re-read it myself), but yes I have taken the Solo Diving course.

The primary focus of the classroom portion of the course was on equipment set-up (redundancy) and knowing/understanding your own personal limits. Everyone's limits are different, based on their past experiences and personal abilities - so there was no single bright line rule about what you should or should not do on your own. The course I took covered that understanding.

The primary focus of pool/open water portion of the course was to demonstrate your abilities to deal with issues that could possibly come up. Basically, our instructor went around with a series of slates with "problems/situations" written on them (e.g., runaway inflator hose on the BC, or broken mask strap, or free flowing second stage on your primary air source, etc.) and you would then show what you could do to solve those problems. That was a lot of fun. In the ocean, we basically did some valve drills showing that we could turn on or off the tank valves under water (switching back and forth between your two air sources). After that, we went off on our own with a DM shadowing us just to watch us. The final "test" was a long surface swim with all your gear on, not very challenging.

To repeat myself: It is not so much of a learning experience (for most, by the time they get to the point where they qualify to take the course) as it is a chance to essentially document you are reasonably proficient enough to take care of yourself.

 

[Goose75]

Tod,
The course sounds like good practice if nothing else. I'll have to consider it.

 

[Tod]

You may have seen this list in another thread under Solo Diving, but here's what is required for the course:

Perequisites:

Must be 21 years old.
Candidates must be certified as Advanced Open Water Diver.
Have a current medical examination and a complete Medical Diving Release.
Have a minimum of 100 logged dives.

Required Equipment:

Mask, fins & snorkel
BC with low-pressure power inflator
Regulator with submersible pressure gauge or air integrated hoseless computer.
Redundant air source (pony bottle, twin cylinders w/isolation, independent doubles.)
Weight system
Personal dive computer
Exposure suit adequate for the training conditions.
Compressed air cylinder
Compass
Knife
Surface audible signaling device.
Visual rescue signal

Subject Areas Covered:

Why should we dive Solo?
Who should Solo dive?
Solo Diving Mentality
When not to dive solo.
Equipment for solo diving.
Planning and conducting a solo dive.
Navigation
Skill Performance

 

[Diver0001]

My question is whether the solo cert is worth getting or not. Assuming someone has decided to dive solo, should they step out on their own or take the course? What advantages does it provide? What other paths are commonly taken without inviting disater?

What would expect to get from such a course that you don't have now?

R..