What is your motivation to solo dive?

[NW Dive Dawg]

1) I can dictate the pace of the dive without concern for my buddy's enjoyment as well.
2) If I get part way through a dive and don't feel it anymore I can go home without ruining the dive for my buddy
3) If I see something mid dive I can pursue it without concern or much thought about the "plan"
4) I can change my dive plan at any point in time based solely on my air. If I want to tool around at 30 ft after a deep dive I can or stay longer and run into deco.
5) No trying to sync my time to kit up with someone else. When I'm ready I splash.
6) I'm not trying to keep up with someone else.


My normal buddy and I normally splash together and follow a similar plan. We often get separated in our low vis water and continue the dive until it's time to surface (we have near the same SAC). That is how we do it and have zero concern for issues as we're fully redundant except his lack of a pony.

I think Boarderguy pretty much nailed it for me...

To add a bit...... up here in the PAC NW most of my cold water drysuit dives are hunting / gathering dives with limited vis end up being SOLO dives anyway so I want to be mentally, physically and equipped to be SOLO.

Also, as an instructor for 20 years (retired now)......I felt that most of my OW class dives were essentially SOLO anyway.

Plus, when diving warm water I am always rock'n my video system and focused on my subjects so I'm a lousy buddy if someone else needed me.

But the main reason I wanted the SDI SOLO cert is now that I'm 68 and still an active diver, my wife and I love our annual trip to Bonaire and she (also 68) is more into doing just one or maybe two dives a day max and I'm more into three to four.... So the SOLO cert allows me to be able to take the truck and go off on my own. Plus I love dusky and night dives on Bonaire and she does not. We always stay up in Sabadeco in a waterfront villa that's basically a 12 step staircase right down the the Andrea 2 site and SOLO gives me the option of just say'n..... "I'll be back in 90 minutes or less" and she can sit with a cocktail and watch my bubbles and or lights..

Last but not least.....I can think of no disadvantage of being 100 % trained and equipped to be self reliant even in a required buddy scenario (like in the Caymans where SOLO is prohibited. If my assigned buddy is either unwilling, unequipped or otherwise incapable of assisting me, then as a trained and equipped SOLO diver I am better able to survive.

 

[shoredivr]

I do dive with buddies from time to time.

But solo? It’s relaxing, and I can do it without faffing around organizing schedules with another diver.

20 years of solo diving and not tired of it yet.

 

[34109411]

I start solo dining in august and dive solo until the of the season in october, so i put down about 10 solo dive (2 tanks..).

Anyway solo diving bring to me a complete new vision of the sport i am not interested to go back with a buddy.

Being a solo diver you become in my opinion a better diver and more aware of the do and don't and try to avoid the Oh S, situation.

Over the course of these 10 dive i learn to use a compass find and keep a heading and reciprocal course. I also learn to use a pony and how to set it up.

More importantly i learn to plan my dive and dive my plan i don't do improvisation. I am using the 1/3 rule, at about 1200 psi i turn around end start to slowly ascent to my entry point. I am really conservative in my dive.

What i notice when i talk to non diver or diver that don't solo dive they say omg don't do that, how come, your gonna die...oh i don't talk about it anymore! I keep this secret relation with solo diving just for me .

Beside i agree with all the post before.

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

I start solo dining in august and dive solo until the of the season in october, so i put down about 10 solo dive (2 tanks..).

Anyway solo diving bring to me a complete new vision of the sport i am not interested to go back with a buddy.

Being a solo diver you become in my opinion a better diver and more aware of the do and don't and try to avoid the Oh S, situation.

Over the course of these 10 dive i learn to use a compass find and keep a heading and reciprocal course. I also learn to use a pony and how to set it up.

More importantly i learn to plan my dive and dive my plan i don't do improvisation. I am using the 1/3 rule, at about 1200 psi i turn around end start to slowly ascent to my entry point. I am really conservative in my dive.

What i notice when i talk to non diver or diver that don't solo dive they say omg don't do that, how come, your gonna die...oh i don't talk about it anymore! I keep this secret relation with solo diving just for me .

Beside i agree with all the post before.

Where in Canada are you diving?

 

[34109411]

I am a pretty independent person. I don't like to be lead around a dive site by someone else. I like to discover on my own. I like doing my own research. I like knowing exactly how my gear works. I like to service my own gear.

After spending more than 50% of my time chasing after a buddy that just ignored me for an entire dive, and realizing they would be no help to me if I had a problem, I started thinking about getting solo certified. I have also been on dives where my buddy used up their air before I got to half my tank.

When solo, I spend 100% of my time underwater doing what I want to do. I also spend more time paying attention to my location, depth, dive time, and air pressure than I did when having to keep track of a buddy location and his air pressure. When I meet other animals, there is nobody around to scare them away.

The extra benefit is not having to find a buddy to go diving with. If I want to do a shore dive today, I can just pack up and go. Another benefit is not being responsible for another diver that makes poor decisions that endanger themselves (or even a good diver whose body decides it's time to have a heart attack or stroke while diving).

Most of the boats I have been on don't insist I pair up with anyone. Once in a while a boat will require that I do buddy with another diver but I try to avoid that. If I know I will have to be with a buddy, I still carry all my solo gear.

totally agree with you.

 

[34109411]

Where in Canada are you diving?

centeen park brockville ontario, canada

 

[SlugLife]

What i notice when i talk to non diver or diver that don't solo dive they say omg don't do that, how come, your gonna die...oh i don't talk about it anymore! I keep this secret relation with solo diving just for me .

In my opinion, a solo (or "self reliant") diver, when done properly is generally safer than an average buddy team. For example, your redundant air stays with you, it doesn't swim away to look at some pretty fish.

 

[34109411]

In my opinion, a solo (or "self reliant") diver, when done properly is generally safer than an average buddy team. For example, your redundant air stays with you, it doesn't swim away to look at some pretty fish.

i agree with you. Being alone you pay much more attention to details and your surrounding.

 

[Wibble]

i agree with you. Being alone you pay much more attention to details and your surrounding.

Absolutely. There’s nowhere to hide, nobody to follow, you have to think what you’re doing and plan your options.

 

[aport68]

I enjoy diving with friends. But prefer solo when trying to do photography. If you do go solo and deeper than 20 feet or so, I recommend taking redundant air, mask, etc.