What changed?

[Divin'Papaw]

You want to see someone freaking out? I could post the last solo dives my husband and I took turns to do, few weeks ago.
We took zero redundant gear, we went as deep as the reef took us, and came back up when we were good and ready within no deco. No rule of 3rds, just came back with the amount of air we felt was safe.


There's an illusion of solo being ok, but only if you take 10 tons of gear, get hours upon hours of solo training and make sure you only go 11.37 feet deep under x, y and definitely Z conditions.

oh yeah I forgot, you also have to warn others not to do what you just did, on your posts.

One of the times I was denied the ability to solo dive was because I had no pony bottle nor doubles. The site was the Copenhagen. For those that don't know the site it's max depth is at safety stop depth.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I believe the training agencies embracing it is what changed, just like with Nitrox. For charters & dive facilities having a card behind it reduces their liability I think.

 

[tarponchik]

Rule number one of solo diving is you do not talk about solo diving.

 

[Celt]

There’s always been divers who know there capable of diving alone and always will be. There’s always people who like to control and call the shots and they now call it solo diving.

 

[agilis]

I started scuba diving in the 1960s, uncertified, simply expanding my many years of snorkeling by buying a regulator and tank. I did carefully study 'The New Science of Skin and Scuba Diving', and began slowly, in shallow water. It was always solo, though. The idea of 'buddy diving' was foreign to me, something I really didn't consider until I had to get certified in 1972 because the local shops began requiring a C card to fill your tank. The cert training pushed buddy diving and taught things like buddy breathing, but I didn't take any of it too seriously. I've always resented being paired with a stranger on various headboats in Florida and the Caribbean. I always tell the new 'buddy' to ignore me, as I will certainly be ignoring him (I made exceptions for the rare female). All diving is basically solo. I still do almost all of my diving solo, always have and always will. As a general rule, don't listen to other people's bullshot opinions. Do what feels right.

 

[Akimbo]

I believe the training agencies embracing it is what changed, just like with Nitrox.

That seems to be the consensus but aren't you a little surprised that it happen so quickly? My impression is it went from taboo to acceptable in 3-5 years. Did the PADI Self-Reliant Diver program muzzle their instructors? Perhaps unfairly, but my impression is that self-identified instructors were the most vociferous opponents of solo diving on ScubaBoard — followed by relatively new divers. Maybe it just opened the gates for solo divers to come out of the closet? In any case, it is an interesting social phenomenon.

For charters & dive facilities having a card behind it reduces their liability I think.

Letting dive boat operators off the liability hook is the only reason I bothered to get one. Of course the same is true of Nitrox and Advanced Nitrox considering my Navy training.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

That seems to be the consensus but aren't you a little surprised that it happen so quickly? My impression is it went from taboo to acceptable in 3-5 years. Did the PADI Self-Reliant Diver program muzzle their instructors? Perhaps unfairly, but my impression is that self-identified instructors were the most vociferous opponents of solo diving on ScubaBoard — followed by relatively new divers. Maybe it just opened the gates for solo divers to come out of the closet? In any case, it is an interesting social phenomenon.

When the leading agencies get behind something it changes rapidly. Look at the whole mermaid training phenomenon. I still think it’s one of the most laughable things I’ve seen come out of the agencies but when I shared those views I got ripped a new one. I should have known better than to voice an opinion against something backed by SSI, NAUI & PADI. Silly me.