Yes, I have been told that. It’s probably easy for some people to agree, some people it’s a showstopper.
I have been asked by GUE instructors to teach solo classes to their students who needed the card to satisfy GUE standards because their jobs required them to dive alone such as golf ball diving. Sure. The guy could have a buddy, but do you really need to cut your income by 1/2 to have a buddy on the off chance you get attacked by an alligator or bitten by a water moccasin? Some golf ball divers have a "ball b*tch" with them to dump the catch bags into larger bags or containers. While that helper isn't in the water, your chance of dying if you run out of air in a 2 foot deep water hazard is far less than getting cancer from the pesticides.