Training for Solo diving?

[beejw]

thanks everyone.

according to walter, i have in that case been solo diving, tagging along with another pair of divers, but with no specific buddy. Looking back the experience wasnt harrasing or scary.

 

[grazie42]

I´d suggest that the reason it wasn´t scary is because nothing bad happend.

Ignorance may be bliss in some cases but solo-diving is not one of them. Think about possible failiures, decide which you want to be survivable and make sure that they are, do it before your next solo dive...

ymmv

 

[Walter]

You can also dive to 200 feet on air and have a wonderful time. It probably won't be scary either. You can do it several times with no problems, but it only takes one bad experience to end a life.

 

[pir8]

I don't think getting training in anything ever hurts. It doesn't always help though.

 

[divemaster_jim]

After reading all this i'm thinking of hanging up the tanks, whew, :shakehead
My opinion is there's nothing wrong with training, BUT, as that and other statements made, you need to be experienced and comfortable enough in your abilities to handle things if events ever go south on you, I use doubles to solo in too.

 

[ApexLongimanus]

I don't understand that some people in this thread are so adverse to solo training...
What is wrong if someone gives you guidance on streamlining your equipment, what is wrong if you get additional confidence on dive planning, getting an honest opinion on fitness (I had to prove minimum USN fitness requitements for this course), etc.
I absolutely agree that if you are not ready to dive solo, don't do it and you should be ready to dive solo before you start the course....but honestly, I think some kind of reality check from someone other than youself is not always a bad thing....

 

[DeepBound]

I think the training is good in some ways. First, you should know a tried and true way of using your redundant gas.
Second, you should be faced with questions you might not have considered, like, "what will happen if my mask falls off when I'm ni the middle of a blue water no-line free ascent. Will I be able to make a controlled safe ascent? Then you can practice it to see. THat's just one example of the situation you might not have thought of.

 

[Walter]

I don't understand that some people in this thread are so adverse to solo training...
What is wrong if someone gives you guidance on streamlining your equipment, what is wrong if you get additional confidence on dive planning, getting an honest opinion on fitness (I had to prove minimum USN fitness requitements for this course), etc.

If you haven't already done these things on your own, you don't have the necessary experience to be diving solo.

 

[beejw]

thats what i was thinking, but i was a little put off by the somewhat elitest attitudes and the "dont ask, dont tell" motto that some solo divers adopt.

 

[JessH]

thats what i was thinking, but i was a little put off by the somewhat elitest attitudes and the "dont ask, dont tell" motto that some solo divers adopt.

This is intentional. Most people don't want to promote solo diving because it is not something that inexperienced divers should be doing. There is also a stigma around solo diving and most solo divers have come to realize that simply not talking about it is the best way to keep from being criticized as well as to minimize possible liability. Solo diving goes against community standards so if someone were to promote it to someone who then got hurt it would be much easier to make a winable lawsuit out of it than it would be with a lot of other issues.

While there are a lot of things about solo diving that I feel should be discussed, if you need advice on how to solo dive safely or you need to talk to someone about it to be comfortable with it then you are not ready to solo dive.

You stated yourself that you do not feel that you are ready to solo dive. This gives me a lot more respect for you than I would have if you thought you were. I agree that you are not ready, but also think that solo diving is not for everyone and you may never be ready.

~Jess