Which course for Solo certification?

[Wibble]

Wibble's description of his SDI Solo course in the UK was similar to my SDI Solo course in Michigan. I also had to do gas shutdowns, reg replacements multiple times (often with simulated OOA situations), navigation exercise, mask removal and replacement, cylinder removal and replacement, resolving entanglement, loss of a fin, SMB deployment, and a 500m surface swim. I did not have the blind ascent. My skills were done in 39°F water using dry gloves with thick winter insulation which added to the challenge. But of course we train for the type of diving we do. I believe that SDI/TDI gives its instructors a set of mandatory skills that students must complete and then allows the instructor to build on those to further challenge the student.

Excellent. That is a proper solo assessment -- you absolutely have to be competent to dive alone and not be phased by anything that gets thrown at you. When diving in the sea nature's not going to care one iota about your skills; you either survive or you're part of the food chain.

 

[happy-diver]

Another silly response.

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Divemanship is where it's at no matter the gear

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I went with SDI because of the straight-forward nature of the course, course standards, course content, and the availability of quality instructors. It was a very fun course. I was already technically trained so much of the course wasn't that hard as I was simply practicing skills I had already learned and been using. But the focus on diving solo vs within a team and using the skills for self rescue was still of value. I found the course fun, educational, and I did end up with a certification card that was of actual value. The Solo Card regardless of your opinion allows me to dive solo at dive sites and on dive boats that are open to it. My Divemaster and Technical cards did not afford me that benefit.

 

[scubadada]

I’d argue that the SDI Solo Diver course isn’t actually a course, it’s a workshop where you bring all the skills required and receive minimal training in common sense. You’re assessed according to how you handle "challenges" during the dives.

I found mine was one of the most fun workshops I’ve ever done. The assessment was quite brutal— as it damn well should be — as there’s no backup except yourself when you dive solo.

Thus if you think you might do a solo course to learn how to dive solo, by definition you’re not ready. This is why the entry requirements are so much higher— min 100 dives compared with a DiveMaster's meagre 50.

I did my Solo mainly to get the ticket which would enable me to dive in some diving lakes. I’ve used it many times to sort out kit and skills, or even for a dive when nothing else is available. Most of my diving is solo when I dive off boats, whether or not I jump in with others, I’m always self sufficient.

My assessment dives were brutal and included multiple gas shutdowns, navigation test, core skills monitoring, mask removals and spare mask swaps, etc. The last dive had me blindfolded and I had to follow a course around a couple of containers in trim and touching the edge whilst "things happened". These included loosing a fin, having a load of rope dropped on me, several gas-gunning shutdowns — one whilst still entangled. Had to clear the rope, which seemed to come back later, and swim the whole course to the start. I was tapped twice on shoulder, the pre-arranged signal to do an ascent whilst still blindfolded and launch an SMB with the instruction to do a safety stop at 5 metres (the top of the container was 9m). That’s fun when you can’t see your computer for the depth! Had to use the SMB spool to measure the ascent, guessing the number of turns per metre. Then hold the stop for 3 mins, counting in my head,

A brilliant assessment which was about the most fun I’ve ever had in the water.

I learned some things, such as how to create a dive plan which my solo lake requires. Most of the kit and planning was just standard info any technical diver would know. I’ve used the ticket many times there, but never on a dive boat.

My real point is only you are responsible for yourself. Nobody else cares a jot what you do. Only you can tell if you’re ready for that beasting.

I was on a dive boat having a wonderful solo dive. When I ascended there were several lifeboats searching for a person who was solo diving but didn’t have the right skills and kit. They never recovered the body.

Wibble's description of his SDI Solo course in the UK was similar to my SDI Solo course in Michigan. I also had to do gas shutdowns, reg replacements multiple times (often with simulated OOA situations), navigation exercise, mask removal and replacement, cylinder removal and replacement, resolving entanglement, loss of a fin, SMB deployment, and a 500m surface swim. I did not have the blind ascent. My skills were done in 39°F water using dry gloves with thick winter insulation which added to the challenge. But of course we train for the type of diving we do. I believe that SDI/TDI gives its instructors a set of mandatory skills that students must complete and then allows the instructor to build on those to further challenge the student.

Both these SDI Solo Diver courses were more intense than my SDI course in Florida in 2013, particulary the one described by @Wibble Course standadards and procedures are here 24_Solo_Diver.pdf (tdisdi.com) We did several things not listed in the scuba skills, doff and don on the bottom, doff and don mid-water, maskless swim, one fin swim, deploy and ascend on SMB using main cylinder and again, using pony.

 

[Marie13]

Some of the skills will obviously be tailored for local conditions as well as the diver’s equipment. My classmate and I were both diving sidemount. We switch regs throughout the dive. If you’re diving doubles, there’s going to be a shutdown drill. My class had a longer surface swim than standards required. Instructor also took both our fins when we were underwater.

 

[Wibble]

The main thing is that the solo diver's competent in the water and can resolve the myriad issues that face them alone.

Kit is a big part of that, but mostly skills and experience.

[I do draw the line at a Spare Air as a backup device (as is listed in the Solo Diver spec above). Small pony bottles are dubious enough -- as people don't tend to check them on every dive -- but a Spare Air has very little volume and certainly not enough to get from 20m AND do a safety stop]

 

[scubadada]

The main thing is that the solo diver's competent in the water and can resolve the myriad issues that face them alone.

Kit is a big part of that, but mostly skills and experience.

[I do draw the line at a Spare Air as a backup device (as is listed in the Solo Diver spec above). Small pony bottles are dubious enough -- as people don't tend to check them on every dive -- but a Spare Air has very little volume and certainly not enough to get from 20m AND do a safety stop]

Yes, I dive a back mounted single in temperate waters. My kit is very different than yours, as are the skills. Many of us have carefully calculated the redundant air supply we use for our diving, I am one.

 

[Wibble]

Have always had conceptual issues with Pony bottles. My concern is that people don't regularly breathe from them underwater in order to build the 'muscle memory' for when the chips are down and Mr Panic comes running at you. Worse than that I've seen Pony regulators bungeed back, meaning that they're clearly for emergency use only as once pulled out, it is impossible to re-stow the regulator, thus it's very unlikely to be regularly 'tested' in the water.

I'm also not a fan of having 3 regulators (primary, octopus and pony). Again for reasons of confusion when a 'panic' arises. I guess it could be made much more obvious if the pony regulator was on a short hose with necklace - making it abundantly clear that this is for the diver only and that the octopus is stored in a clearly accessible area to other divers. The necklace makes it trivial to test and build muscle memory and there's no effort to grab or stow it.


The benefits of a twinset or sidemount for solo diving, or any diving for that matter, is the simplicity of the rig; there's just two regulators and loads of gas, normally way more gas than you need for a dive.

Agreed that twinsets are big and cumbersome and singles are much smaller. However, if diving the classic 15 litre single + 3 litre pony, there's not much difference in weight with a twinset but there are all the restrictions associated with a pony. A bit of an 'old school' solution.

 

[happy-diver]

However, if diving the classic 15 litre single + 3 litre pony, there's not much difference in weight with a twinset but there are all the restrictions associated with a pony.

Piffle, go diving Wibble

 

[Wibble]

If only :-(