I'm an instructor, tech diver and solo certified. I enjoy diving with a buddy for the social and safety aspects, but always have my 19CF pony clipped on. I especially enjoy a solo dive at our local quarry, just drop in and take a slow casual dive just enjoying the feeling of being in trim, all my issues and concerns left at the surface. It's my best therapy. I sure wouldn't recommend it for all divers, and have had some that I've had to gently let realize that solo diving (at least at their current skill / experience / judgement level isn't a good choice for them. It boils down to personal choice, making sure that gear / training and mindset are appropriate for the dive.
When I worked as an instructor in Thailand, I had some excellent DMs & videographers. After a while, once I reached MSDT and with a few years experience under my belt, I began to take a bit of time out after a full days instructing or training. My DMs looked after my divers once we were all back on the boat, doing the paperwork, debriefings etc and I began to use this time to just de-stress and at one particular site that we always went to, I got to gradually get to know this turtle and just swam with her for a bit, watching & listening to her munch the coral! After a while we had a little route established and as time went on she began to wait for me to go on our little excursion together. I found it so relaxing after being with students (or training other instructors) all day! She would never grab my reg out of my mouth, never bolt to the surface, disappear from sight, start doing the 1920s flapper girl/ running on the spot flippy flappy stuff or smash into coral and her buoyancy was superb! A dream to be with. I called her Jessie and she was just the sweetest; always recognised me and totally got that I didn't need to go up for air every so often and that she did... I would carry on and she'd always rejoin me. We'd always complete our little circuit and say goodbye at the end, when she swam round me twice and then went off and sure enough, she'd be there the next day. Don't know if you'd class this as 'solo' diving or not as I had Jess and it was usually only 20-30 mins at about 10-15 meters... By the time I got back to the boat, my DMs had de kitted all my students, stowed their kit and done all the paperwork! Then a nice relaxing boat ride home... A few years later it all went to shit and I got bent during a rather traumatic rescue that I was called in to assist with, but I will always cherish those moments of being 'alone' after hours of CESAs, mask removals. reg retrievals etc etc. and hanging out in the tranquility and peacefulness of Jessie's company.
@@AthinaHuntingTours Hi Athina and thanks for answering my post.... God I just cringe when I hear those words 'reverse block'!! So much more damaging than most people realise, especially for instructors made to dive 7 days a week, 3-4 dives a day and no off-gassing time. I have a fucking horrendous story regarding this when I was instructing on Koh Tao in Thailand which ultimately contributed to my retirement...
@@JustinColman-kz5fl I was the same. After a DM gave an inexperienced OW1 diver a BCD with a broken inflator hose in Cozumel, i had a 55m rescue when she went over the wall, lost bouancy and couldn't orally inflate. The bottom was 120m... And she wasn't my buddy. At that point I pretty much gave up recreational diving and stayed out for nearly 10 years. Now my son is growing up and keen so I decided to introoduce him and take charge of his diver training. he started at 8 years old and now at 12 is a great diver for his age. It got me back in the water and now I only get inot the water with people I know and the rules are that you are solo diving in a group. It works for us now. Most people could never understand what it means to have a few thousand logged dives, with all that deco experience, but solo is safer from my viewpoint.
I started solo diving in shallow water when I as 15. Didn't actually take a formal scuba course until I as 23. 56 now. A lot of my diving is done alone. I'm a recreational diver, not tek. I solo at night and will do limited deco alone. As a former instructor (NAUI, PADI and BSAC) I'd argue every diver should make a solo dive as part of basic training to prepare them for an unintended buddy separation.And self-sufficiency should be stressed more in basic scuba classes. I see the buddy system as a crutch for poor training standards. Maybe it's my wayward background, but I just don't get what the big deal is about solo diving.
I just did my first solo dive today. Saw white tips and had a turtle track me down and became my wing man for about 2 minutes. We were swimming wing tip to wing tip I think the turtle thought I was another turtle. I learned a lot from my solo dive. I had to fix problems I encountered on my own. Max depth 30ft
The other side of spectrum here :). Got OWD few months ago and living in "no dive buddy" area made me diving alone. I don't take it as a challenge to complete but as a next situation in my life when I must take care of myself. So I do it. Sailing alone prepared me for that as well - some kind of mindset of safety and prediction what can go wrong and not pushing limits ( solo dive is not good place for crosing borders, I think). No deeper then 10m for me in no current waters can be fun as well :) Maybe something more when I'll have second, independent air supply. Mindset and expirience.
Been solo diving around 30 years. I'm 73 years old now and going to die of something shortly so it may as well be drowning.If I remember the PADI course advises that if you have a problem with your air don't try and attract the attention of your buddy, surface. Solo??As a rescue diver I got sick of having to risk my life, rescuing someone else's butt that shouldn't have been given a certification in the first place.I'm more likely die in a car crash on the way home, I nodded off about 3 times on the way home today.
A friend told me they wanted to die peacefully in their sleep just like their Grandfather, and not like the screaming passengers that where in the back seat of his car.
Be it tech, caves, or rec, I usually dive solo as I prefer to be alone while I dive. Most of my buddy diving is instructing and therefore could still be considered solo in a way. I consider diving a solo sport that can be enjoyed in the company of others, both in terms of actuality as well as redundancy.
I dive solo - both free and scuba. Most organised and/or buddy dives follow a route….when solo I spent a lot of time just hanging out in the water watching the world happen around me. This is my primary reason to dive solo - I love the peace and ability to ‘do nothing’ in a dive.
I mostly dive in South Florida, thankful the keys have many permanent mooring buoys. This allows me or a buddy and I to take my boat out, moor up without the worry of your anchor coming lose. I would make sure you have a redundant air source also. If you can master these 2 things solo diving you be fine. Figure out how to keep the boat secured in place so its there when you surface. Learn how to properly navigate so you always return to the boat. Also pick your days wisely, weather down here in Florida changes FAST !
I start dive solo dive because was hard to find a buddy and really enjoy now. At the beginning was quite stressful and have some issue like a fail computers, yes, both, enter on area with visibility les that 1m , lost....but i learn a lot in 50 solo dive, more that in almost 400 dive with a body.where I use to relays on others in case of problems.
The safest way to solo dive is to stay within the 30ft or so. Deep enough to have a little fun, but shallow enough where you can get up to the surface without much worry about DCS, and safely fast (30ft per minute rule) if an emergency did occur!
Ive done about 70 dives maybe 15 of them were with partners and PADA trainers, never been below 130 feet. Had a few hiccups but nothing I couldn’t fix.
Been a diver for near 40 years. Too many dives to even start to count. I started solo diving about halfway thru my career. It became harder and harder to find a buddy with equivalent skill set. I found myself more often than not " baby sitting" a less experienced diver. This meant that my dives were cut short by my buddy's big SAC rate, or some other difficulty he was having. I became tired of always being the trainer. As far as safety goes, i think it's a wash. Having another diver with me might lessen some risks, but having a less experienced diver with me definitely a increases my risks.
Never found anyone to dive with after I got my certificate and was too scared to just go out alone. Luckily I did have a friend who owned a boat and we went out with my new gear to catch mussels, he's an amateur freediver, but he stayed in the boat while I was scuba diving. As a safety measure we tied a rope from my vest to the boat so he could recover me IF something should go wrong, but it all went completly fine. Modern scuba equipment are so well made and reliable that in a recreational dive in safe, shallow waters, the chances of something failing on you is next to zero. As long as you know the basics you've been taught, and know your exit plan (inflate your suit/bcd or drop your weights) if something were to happen, then i would think most amateur divers can handle solo dives in calm, shallow waters just fine
Been diving since 1991. With a group for a few years, mostly local shore dives, on one occasion we found a giant pacific octopus caught on fishing line,freed it up,then the group left unaware that the octopus came out to play. I stayed behind and played with that octopus. Been solo shore diving ever since. On another occasion with a group, a big octopus came out as my group just swam away and I spent the rest of a 45 minute dive with that octopus. Most of my group have stopped diving. I do have a dive buddy.We both have cameras and we often "solo dive" together. Sometimes we see each other at the beginning and at the end of the dive. After diving with a 19 cu.ft. pony bottle for years, I find it downright dangerous to dive without one. Last trip to Cozumel I skipped boat diving altogether,not wanting to pair up with an unknown buddy in a group and just did some shallow solo shore diving.Heck, I'm old now and one dive a day is enough. Did many shallow solo dives off the boat coming back to the resort at Coco View in Honduras and solo night dives out to the wreck. Never had equipment failure,but had a few tense moments I have to admit,but you have to be confident in your ability. Had many experiences with wolf eels and pacific giant octopus that would not happen in a group diver scenario. More often than not, a diver who dies, is with a buddy in a group.
I have invested thousands of dollars in equipment and training. If someone can not make it out to dive I go solo. That is always at the spot I am familiar with and can navigate without a compass. Only thing I worry about is fishing line , but I carry two knives and three lights. And I edit because I forgot to mention my trusted AL40 Pony bottle.
I actually find it frustrating to dive in the Caribbean. Usually there's a few newbs in the mix and I find myself caring too much about what they're doing to make sure they're safe than actually enjoying my own dive! Like watching them plop in the water without their BCD inflated, or without their tank even turned on. I mean....I sit and watch this stuff in awe!
@Michael Atherton I did a discover dive in Hawaii, but then got my certification in a lake in Illinois in November when the air temp was bellow freezing. Great instructor who had us assemble and disassemble our gear a ton. I heard one person describe him as using "Marine tactics". I learned my gear VERY well.
Diving solo: My best friend and fellow divemaster, and I love to lobster and spear fish. It is almost impossible to do this in the buddy system. We enter the water together and quickly get separated. Amazingly, our air consumption is so close that we often end up in the exact same place doing our safety stop. Don't solo dive until you can dive your gear with your eyes closed and in your sleep. Finding stuff has to become by reflex. Getting in and out of gear underwater has to be accomplished with little thought or effort. Having safety gear, i.e. dive reel and safety sausage, whistle, extra knives, (I carry two, leg and BC, titanium and razor sharp.) etc. In reality, I never truly dive "alone" as there is always at least a second person either in the water somewhere, or on the boat. The guy on the boat or other diver, has my dive plan and I don't vary too much from it. The guy in the water is typically withing 50- meters and in the Florida Keys, that often means we can pop up off of the reef and find each other. Dangerous solo diving is when you are totally alone. I.E. you are diving off a boat by yourself. You are doing a shore dive by yourself. This is how divers just disappear.
Robb Hawks i agree with your piece, however there are ways the mitigate risk with true solo diving. Adding redundant air, nautilus life life, running a line from the anchor the whole dive etc. But having an buddy is usually safer
i recommend solo diving…..it teaches you self reliance….being able to fix problems on your own….and you are more aware of potential problems and how you will solve them if that problems occurs….also its often much easier to do a simple dive say down to 50 or 60 feet without having to find a buddy…..and put up them
I was trained as a public service diver in very bad visibility. And to this day I still dive with independent doubles, multiple dive tools, hey Bella out bottle in addition to the doubles, and surface markers. Some other things I carry our spare mask and if I pocket and multiple torches. There are times when you were setting your gear up and people call you gung ho or asking for troubleWhen in reality when something goes bad downstairs they’re asking you for help. I think everybody should know how to get them selves out of trouble because your dive buddy who’s 5 feet away from you may not even notice you until it’s too late
The only time I EVER solo is when I am diving the shallow springs in Florida (Alexander Springs). Max depth of 25 feet (17-20 average), excellent visibility of 100+ feet, NO overheads, and then only if I cannot find a buddy. So, you could say that I am against solo diving.
I always dive solo in a team/buddy pair (except when instructing) and so does my buddy. The buddy is there to lend you a hand if necessary but push comes to shove, you got to be able to get yourself out of there. Why? Simply put, if it hits the fan, my buddy will be pretty darn task loaded himself, so he could really do better without me being a liability on top of everything else. Of course, not every situation ends up with both of us close to death simply because something goes wrong. I once had to swap my regulator off my back gas onto deco. My buddy was completely relaxed about a meter away from me having swapped to his secondary ready to donate. In the end, it wasn't necessary and all went well. I fixed the problem myself knowing that there is a worst case backup. However, would I want my buddy fumbling around on my life support equipment? Hell no! Be self-reliant but keep the safety net.
Excellent subject, glad you brought it up...I think solo diving should not be viewed as if you are breaking a law...I compare it to flying solo, if you are thoroughly trained and stay within acceptable parameters you should have no problem...I try to have a back up on a back up, go to well known sites, keep it 40 ft or less, check in with local police or fire department, I recently purchased a GPS PLB, use a diver's bouy and DSMB, use a pony secondary air source...test all your equipment and your being able to handle it in pool dives prior to actual open water excursions...All the Best on you next solo!
I have stoped scubadiving and got me a ROV instead. Now i can "solo dive" safe at dephs like 400m and still pick up things with the grabberarm. Try it and you will like it. No risk for bends and you can have a beer anytime,
I do, and I recommend if you do, only do it if you're comfortable with the site you're at. If I'm on a boat and I'm solo, I make sure I'm within swimming distance of someone in the group, just in case. If I'm shore diving, I make sure I'm never at the site alone and that I can get to the surface without harming myself.
Solo cert absolutely sharpens your skills and prepares you for the unexpected. Every serious diver should be certified. Technically, every dive IS a solo dive
I am a solo diver. I decided to do it because I am making underwater videos. Filming takes time and occasionally after taking another shot and looking around, I was alone. Now I do not have to rely and watch for anybody else and I have more time to concentrate on my camera. When I am solo diving, I am using sidemount. That solves air redundancy problem. I completely agree with the video statements about mental characteristics and knowledge of a solo diver. This kind of diving is definitely not for everybody.
Many years ago I lived in the Florida Keys. When I first moved there, a coworker lived on a boat and went out diving with his wife both days every weekend and they invited me along. First time I was on the boat with them we get to the dive site and they tell me to go ahead and get in and once I'm done they would go in. I was a bit puzzled to say the least and was far more novice of a diver than I am now (although I was still experienced with several years of diving). Their thinking was they had dogs on the boat and always wanted someone with the dogs so they normally dove solo, but my being there meant they could finally have a dive together. Long story short, I went an entire summer where most dives were solo. 4 per week. This was all in shallow water (15ft maybe) and always the exact same small reef with no caves or current. We were all into underwater photography so a lot of the dives were just sitting there waiting on fish to turn just right. Some of the best dives of my life. More recently, I did do some solo shore dives in Bonaire. I kept is shallow and easy. Most of those "solo" dives had my wife snorkeling overhead or other divers on the same site I would bump into. Still something I try to avoid where possible, but once experienced one can limit the risks.
Last charter boat I was on, the Captain was totally fine with me solo diving some purpose-sunk ship "wrecks" ... I had a blast!! If I never buddy dive again, I'm 100% fine with that.
I started Free Diving alone 30+ yrs ago. My First Gulf of Mexico Scuba Dive I was the ONLY ONE IN THE BOAT I was a Commercial Snapper Fisherman. Diving at Night for Flounder around the old Liberty Ships here in the Northern Gulf. I have Dove at night alone. But the night I ran out of Gas under the Liberty Ship Edwards 12:30 1 Fri Night 105 ft deep 20-25 back under it on the bottom my Great Dive Bud seen me Bolt for the Surface caught me at 70 FT I had already Stoped Kicking as I could only focus on pulling gas from my Regulator. NONE...if he hadn't seen me Bolt for the Surface I wouldn't be telling my story. I also own a 13 Qubic Ft Bailout tank but I Strongly Suggest a 19 cubic ft tank should be the Absolute Smallest Bailout tank to use because when you have any situation like this you CAN NOT Control your Heart Rate Nor your Breathing.... If you want to learn more about what happened & why I won't be offended if you ask. Don't let Life Pass you By. ~ DIVE....~
Indeed I love doing solo-diving with my side-mount rig... Also, I do it so I can explore wrecks in South Florida; very few people have the training, and I'm not going to go inside a wreck with a random person that they try to pair me with at the boat.
diving solo is something iv always been attracted to but I fully agree with you that in order to even think about doing so you need to have lived through the "problems"... The "problem" with that is that no one is going to put themselves in such a situation on purpose. I think one can start considering solo diving once you've finish your first couple TEC courses (this will oblige you to have redundancy equipment which is a huge leap forward in the right direction for self sustained diving) and rescue diver, since this implies you should have knowledge on how to asses an emergency situation for yourself and others .... the idea of being able to freely enjoy your dive/objective without having to focus on your "buddy" is something pretty appealing to me personally....but this also clearly depends on the dive buddy in question..... if its someone you are comfortable with diving, and have done so in the past multiple times then there really isnt a need to solo. as opposed to diving with rando Rambo on the boat.....in that case the old saying of "better alone than ill accompanied" may apply here....thats my 2 cents on the matter and I have yet to dive solo, but as someone who has been "forced" to buddy dive up to this point and seeing between my buddy wreck Gorgonias with his fins and burning through air i sometime wonder if I would not be happier alone.....
Question is should you .... as most fairly experienced divers know , its quite often inevitable, when your instabuddy dissapears when your getting cramps, does a u-turn behind the pinnacle , vis in a lake is so limited that you can only feel your buddies elbow as an indicator that he´s still there , and so on , just a few of my personal experiences , so yes i done my independent diver with SSI ( is not just a PADI course :p ) as a neccesity and in case i do find a site where it,s allowed and safe enough , sure , before i hope the allocated Technodancer is going to be able to help me
Probably 2/3s of my dives have been solo, starting around 1993 or so. I'd try to pair up with a like-minded instabuddy on the boat, jump in, and go our separate ways. Probably stupid but at the same time I learned a lot and am probably a much better diver for it. Probably a FAR better buddy now too. Currently working on my rescue diver cert and as soon as that's done I'm going to do my solo cert...don't care how many years or how many dives you have, there's always something left to learn.
I was in a dive club a few years back, Especially the technical divers had the mindset that a buddy is more likely to get you killed than to actually save you
Ya, I think it's a good idea to dive with someone who you have to find, get them to understand there is a problem, and will most likely not be able to help to help by the time they have figured out what was your problem. It's always better to waste time that could be used to get to the surface and endanger someone else. Of course, there could be some rare, and I do mean rare, exceptions to this concept, but even those rare occasions where diving with a buddy could be useful, it's still safer in most instances to be self reliant. One exception where the "buddy system" would be very useful would be diving with a buddy in shark infested waters where a shark attack was imminent. Obviously, you could make good use of the "buddy system" and stab your buddy to dive another day.
@@timothystevens4840 your train of thought already fails with the first few words: "find your buddy" and then "make them understand". You're not talking about the buddy system, you're taking about "same ocean buddy diving". A buddy is close to you and has situational awareness. Or its not your buddy.
Most, if not all, my dives are now solo. I’m much more comfortable being in the water knowing that I’m not having to spend the majority of my dive keeping an eye on my buddy just “in case.” As a DELIBERATE solo diver, I worry considerably less about having an equipment malfunction than I did when I dove with a buddy. That’s because my current equipment is far better than that which I used to use. Back in the day, a tank, BCD, a regulator with Octopus, wetsuit, and mask, fins, and snorkel were my entire kit. If there was going to be a problem, I had been trained to rely on my buddy. The problem was, had there ever been an issue, there was about an 80% chance that when that problem arose, my buddy wasn’t going to be there next to me. Additionally, when diving in large groups, someone almost always ended up leaving a piece of gear on the boat, couldn’t clear their ears, or would swim so close behind another diver that ultimately, their mask would end up getting kicked off their face, or, they’d be the one to kick someone else’s mask. ONow all my dives are set up to be solo dives regardless. My equipment has been VASTLY IMPROVED and has been completely customized specifically for me. My new equipment is built around smaller twin tanks. I’ve got 2 different sets of tanks...one with twin 40’s/19 cf pony bottle, and the other twin 30’s/13 cf pony bottle. I use that configuration because of a really bad back injury, so I wanted my tanks to sit closer in, but off my spine. This configuration makes me far more streamlined as well, and there’s no longer a tank sticking off my back far enough to flop around during my dives. My main tanks and pony both feed an air block that allows me to switch between the two sources. The output feeds my second stage, which is integrated into my FFM Ocean Reef Predator dive mask. That uses 6 attachment points to hold it in place so the chances of loosing a dive mask are virtually nil. I also have a backup second stage built into my Zeagle 911 Rescue BCD, which has been fine tuned to fit me perfectly, with all my straps cut to the proper length for my body. My Regulator(s) hoses have been customized to fit me perfectly and use locking quick disconnect at all hose connection points. Additionally, I normally wear a drysuit as well, as that gives me an alternative source of buoyancy control. My kit is far more complex, yet it’s simple and easy to use, fits perfectly, and allows me to resolve any out of air issues with the simple switch of a lever. Additionally, I restrict my diving to no more than 45-50 feet of depth, and won’t go diving in caves or alternate places that may block my path to the surface. Additionally, I carry 2 knives, 2 lights, a surface marker buoy, and an air horn built into my BCD power inflator hose. Yeah, my kit is far more expensive, but it’s also far safer than ever before. And in a sport that is statistically far more dangerous than SKYDIVING, that’s important.
Great video. Excellent What is the probability of a life threatening situations. Should you drive without a seatbelt. Probabilities. That is the question.
I've been diving sense 1975 . I am Dive Master . I dive Solo But I have a Dive Buddy . Alot depends on where i am diving at . But as you know it don't matter how many dive Cirtificats you got . That don't make you have the skill or experience to dive a line
Some locations in Canada, some towns for example are scuba towns, they actually have by-laws restricting solo diving! You even need a permit to dive in that town! There are no federal laws against it but local by-laws can override that! Solo climbing a cliff with no ropes....should you, well....you know the risks....actually far more dangerous than solo scuba diving. Yet you see people jumping out of perfectly good airplanes and off perfectly good cliffs and racing down perfectly good mountains with nothing but a snowboard under you. Truth is, high risk high danger....you're signing your own waiver on that one. Much like any high risk sport. For me, it's finding a buddy who's of equal caliber in skill set or better yet......has their own gear! Even with a buddy I take a 19cf pony bottle. Because I just assume everyone else around me is retarded and go from there. It's easy to say well they should have been there for me but the after argument is null and mute because you're dead! So I rely on myself regardless if I'm alone or not! I agree with others here. Constraints and restraint is required.
Michael Atherton I seriously doubt that California can come up with a legal precedent that shows solo diving being any more dangerous than diving with a buddy. We don’t need States starting to regulate how we go diving. They’re NOT the experts in our sport. The simple truth is, around 50-80% of a dive with a buddy is actually a solo dive regardless unless you’ve tied yourself to your buddy. Regardless of one’s good intentions, dive buddies often end up separated shortly after the beginning of the dive.
I've done a few. Divemaster with more than 400 dives at the sites i dive solo. Other divers in the water. I dive fairly shallow, 10-12 meter max. I take no unnecessary risks, ie. go into caves I have never been in before etc. Always stick to hour max time. Have SMB, torch, etc same as with every dive. Definitely seen more sharks (Blacktip Reef) on solo dives as they seem less shy with just the one diver to avoid. Highlight: counted 20 Blacktips file pass me on either side, none of them giving me barely a 2nd glance. At points on that dive they were barely 1 or 2 m away from me & had no interest in me whatsoever. Stunning.
Yes, you definitely should solo dive a specially of your skills are better then the rest of the group. If the rest of the group is at list as experienced as you or more then you can dive with some group or partners. That’s how I am doing it.
Solo freediving for up to 20m, and rescue diver cert gave me alot of confidance. Just knowing that i can surface from 20m in around 20sec (5s to get rid of weight belt and bcd, and 15 to acsend, yes bubbling, i did it as an extra, during a course). Never did solo scuba though, but wouldn’t afraid to do it. In very basics of freediving you’ll get to know that your blood is a main storage for O2, not your lungs. And there’s enough of O2 in your blood for at least a minute on 10m with completely empty lungs. Yes, CO2 sensors will push you to inhale much earlier than you’ll actually ran out of O2, and just knowing that already calms you down in case of emergancy. To be honest, I would include freediving basics, into any OWD course, even if it would be nothing but theory. Obviously it would be even better to include a dry practise of resisting to inhale with O2 meter monitoring O2 level in your blood...but this looks already like a dream about ideal world :)
I think buddy diving for the most part gives many divers a false sense of security. If you are very familiar with the person you are diving with, their gear and their behavior, and they are familiar with you, then I do believe buddy diving will make you both safer. I think to find someone like that to dive with is very rare though, for the most part the vast majority, most people Dive Insta body style. And in this case, I think A buddy is more likely to cause problems then to solve them. If you go into the water and have a problem don’t expect to turn around and have your buddy fix it. You need to think about and handle our problems before they happen.
Interesting comments. I do not dive anymore after a heart attack; however my advanced open water certification covered all the elements mentioned here wrt solo diving. A number of people in the dive club were technical divers and yes, they sometimes would go solo.
Recently, you answered my question about redundant air on #askmark. A solo course I will one day do. When I was still waiting for my OW to start, I had purchased everything I would eventually need; using the Solo Diver Course required gear list as my kit list. Most of my dive buddies are either, Rescue, DMs or Instructors, with a number of them Solo Cert. The shop owner of the shop I deal with, asked me once if Solo was where I wanted to get too. I have done a few dives where my SAC rate is higher than the group I am with. They are comfortable with my mindset and skills that I return to the surface solo. I find it quite relaxing actually to end my dive solo. (I am currently sitting at 132 dives, all cold water drysuit)
I used to dive alone. And when I say alone I mean ALONE ALONE. Not a soul on planet Earth knew I was gone. I always carry a Spare Air Canister and and extra knife. Diving with the Shearwater Perdix AI and also a standard SPG so I had two compasses and two ways to read my air supply. Diving alone is very rewarding but if it’s done the way I did it then it can be deadly. I love diving alone but I’ll never do it again the way I used to.
Tell me that when the nitrogen narcosis sets in. On one of my courses I was put in a position where narcosis was allowed to really set in. I'm a sensible chap but if the guy on nitrox had told be to keep going down I would have followed him no question asked.
Well sometimes I wish I could dive alone, already. The point is i just got may OWD SSI, for 20 days, but I don't know anyone who dives too, none of my friends even think about to learn diving anyone. So sure I could pay to dive with a group, but here in Switzerland it cost like €110 per dive so, yeah I could buy a secound care even bevor I reached my 80th dive there. So I wish I could dive already alone. I was a firefighter for more the 7 years, so I know what safty means. I wouldn’t mind if it was limited like not deeper then 12 Meter until you got enough dives, but I wish I could dive alone even if I got just OWD. I guess you understand my point, if I had a friend or girlfriend who dives, I wouldn’t see any reason to dive alone, but...
i use an electric hookah setup and dive alone going after lobsters(usually in he keys), but stay less than 35 feet. Any experienced scuba guys have any input on it? See any pitfalls I may have not taken into consideration?
If your pump dies, what happens to your air? You should have a pony on you ICSH. If you don't have some sort of BC/drop weight system you should remedy that.
Always carry a pony with me on a Liveaboard. 2 OOA situations with others in grand cayman and 1 in Turks who turned out to be certified but couldn’t swim without kit... yeah... I go prepared but not necessarily to be solo.
Every dive is technically a solo dive. At the end of the day every diver should have redundancy plans/ equipment to cover each emergency. If you have to rely on a buddy to be comfortable on a dive then sadly, you shouldn’t dive. (My buddy is a AL40 @ 32%)
I'm actually new to diving, but, I look at solo diving as it's like in the Fire Service, think outside the box. Personally, I wouldn't solo dive, as with thinking outside the box, I also have to realize that too many things can go wrong. What if My 2nd stage fails, what if my 1st stage fails, what if I get entangled in something and can't reach my one of two knives that I carry, what if my air integrated dive comp fails, granted I have my analog still hooked what if I get attacked by an alligator at Ginnie springs in florida, things like this can happen at any time. in the Fire Service we have a saying adopted from the military, two is one, one is none. I figure I can't go into a burning building alone, why would I dive alone? But yes, as I gain experience, I'll most likely get the solo diver cert, just for the " I love me book" that I have, but will I solo, NOPE!!!!....LOL
Yes do recommend highly learn to be a solo diver - you learn to be self sufficient and know how to overcome any issues you might encounter. I regularly do solo diving, as I like to take photos underwater, I tend to loose the group as they swim away. If I am restricted diving solo because of the resorts insurance policy, I hire a guide exclusively to dive with me, if I can , the resorts I usually go to, have got to know me and allow me to go diving solo. In another video, the presenter made a good point, if you are an Instructor with new students and you don't have a DM to assist you, well you are automatically are a solo diver - don't rely on the new students to help you at 18m down.
Everytime I turn up with the camera rig, the sideways glances and looks are like "Oh christ!! A bloody photographer to hold everyone up!" So solo diving pretty much becomes the norm with us lot. Love looking at the images and pics taken of them in the environment, but not too happy if they have to wait to get that capture of the marine life in the magazine !! Oh well! See you back at the surface 😔
Can a regulator really fail and stay closed? Never heard of that and thats scary! I taught the regulators only fail in the open mode (freeflow) What causes a regulator to close up?
Alternate air source availability aside, instructors are more or less effectively solo diving on all the courses with the added risk of working with a group of comparatively untrained divers at the same time.
solo diver course isnt that important imho. if you dive with good divers and a lot youll learn. if you just dive on holidays doing really easy dives you wont learn much. if you reach a level where you do such complex dives you cant find a buddy then youve probably got the skills to do it alone and dont need the course
@Michael Atherton im saying its not that important. I jsut consider it useless for people that to really technical dives and cant find buddys for that reason. i think we can agree if a guy does 150m dives regularly he will have amassed the knowledge and skill to dive solo on 20m in the red sea
90% of underwater photographers/videographers dive solo unless the other diver is the subject of the shoot. Anytime you are trying to work with aquatic life, the less amount of movement and distractions, the better the chance to get the content you planned on during that dive. All the better if you can also dive a rebreather. I agree with many other comments posted so far, that all of us, regardless of CERTIFICATION, need to be more self-reliant and self aware while diving. Regardless of the agency, the cards we get after each level of training are certificates NOT LICENSES. They are to prove to others that you have completed a certain level of organized training. What the agencies don't say for obvious reasons, including insurance and liabilities, is that anyone can dive in any way if they choose. If you have the gear, you can dive whenever you want. Yes, private sites and dive boats want to see a certification before you can dive, but there is nothing stopping a person from purchasing the equipment from a dive shop or craigslist/ebay and going out on their personal boat or even shore entry diving. While I agree that this is dangerous and potentially fatal, it is up to the individual to make the proper decisions as to what is too much or too dangerous. I am specifically talking within the context of exploration and development of personal skills and experience. I have my PADI AOW and Nitrox cards but I am not trained in any official capacity when it comes to wreck diving. On a recent trip to Nassau, I did some wreck penetrations with overhead environments, which based on PADI standards would require specialized advance training, but I was comfortable as there were no wires or hanging debris and there were large holes in the wrecks as they were set as artificial reefs. Nor was there a concern for silt outs as the wrecks were in open water with a sandy bottom and mild current. All of these factors I took into calculation and made the decision to go "beyond" my training and gain experience. These solo diver certifications have just recently been made available because of the recent trends in diver preferences and lack of equal interest and skilled dive buddies being available. But as others have said they have been diving by themselves for decades. Personally I always dive with a 30cuft Nitrox pony with a reg and spare LP inflator hose. Typically I pair this with either a set of steel 110 doubles with an isolator valve and two 1st and 2nd stage regs or a single 80 with a standard full reg setup. Additionally, each of my regs have their own inline shut off valves that I purchased from Dive Gear Express .com. All of this is to limit any gas loss from any reg, hose, or tank failure. I also dive with an air integrated computer, back up wrist computer, and analog gauges. Redundancy is key. Proper maintenance is important as well. All of your equipment is a LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM and should be treated with the highest of care and preventative maintenance. You shouldn't have a problem while diving because your life support system should be in perfect condition, but if a random issue were to occur, you need to have a back up and end your dive at that point. Do not continue diving with faulty equipment. Solo and technical divers end their dives when they have to switch to any redundant equipment item. I think the main factors when it comes to solo diving should be mental temperament and comfortableness/familiarity with your equipment. I didn't log a significant number of my dives (so I can not meet the "required" 100 LOGGED dive minimum), especially while I was working as an underwater cinematographer. Many times I would spend 2-3 hours on the bottom, usually 30-40ft max, by myself with either a "surface supply" from a SNUBA system, or I would have my assistant bring me fresh tanks between takes or when bringing me fresh cameras. Otherwise I was left to work solo while filming. In those situations technically though left on the bottom alone, I was not fully alone. Nor would an emergency bail out from 30-40ft in 100ft visibility water be difficult. But I became accustomed to being by myself and though I live in central Florida, it is difficult to find other divers who are available when I am, to go and do the diving I want to do. Besides, who wants to "watch over" another person and divert your attention from whatever your primary objective was for the dive. This led me to seeking out solo diving. I am just building my log book to get to that "magic" 100 dives to get my certificate card.
What mix do you carry in your bailout? I always keep air in my bailout because it's breathable at any depth that I'm going to be diving at. Having that long of a bottom time how often do you go into deco? Because your bailout should not also be your deco bottle.
@@asmfirefish I usually run 36% as most of my dives are less than 100ft. The 30cuft pony is not my deco bottle. It is strictly a bailout to get to a the surface with a safety stop, or to a stage bottle if there is one required by the parameters of the dive plan. If I were to conduct a long duration deep dive, I have multiple stage bottles with safe mixes for the stage depth and start offsetting as much Nitrogen as possible. But honestly I have never had to put that skill into practice. When I am filming, I am rarely below 1 ATM due to using natural light as much as possible. We will use force-perspective angles and very short wide lenses to make water seem deeper or more vast than it really is. So even on regular air I have a NDL of over 3 hours and if I use a mix of 36% it's 3.6 hours before I hit the NDL. I am ususally at more of a risk of hypothermia and dehydration than I am of exceeding the NDL.
@Michael Atherton You are right. I did not mention those factors as I was looking over my comment and felt it was already turning into a long winded diatribe. I tend to explain things way too much. But to bolster your reply I will say this: Do what you feel is safe and comfortable for YOU while diving. When you are uncomfortable or uneasy; whether it is from using unfamiliar gear or a physiological situation, etc. you are no longer comfortably enjoying a dive. Instead you are MANAGING an issue, and the last thing you want to be doing is managing anything as it then becomes a distraction and can lead to managing a critical failure. I know there are divers out there well beyond your age demographic that are enjoying diving. While it is notable that you are thinking about worst case scenario when it comes to medical issues, stay focused more on enjoying how you are able to dive now. If a serious medical issue were to afflict you, your doctor may hinder you from diving at all, let alone in a solo capacity. If you want to dive a full face mask, learn it now and get comfortable with it. Maybe you and your wife can both enjoy the capability of communicating with each other while using them together.
I did 3 solo dives. Planning is key. I kept all of them no deeper for 30 ft. On my 3rd dive, I had to cut my second dive. Due to my watch and computer dying and excess wind that made me consume air more than I planned for. Best dive view wise but planning wise, I could have done better.
I prefer to dive alone. I live on the Great Lakes and don't have another within an hour and half of me. Seems like buddy dives turn into a pain. Lose your partner, and the dive is over.
@Michael Atherton thats not a fault of the drysuit, thats a lack of training and a diver doing a dive they aren't prepared for. Many people regularly dive dry suits and have no issues (my self included), however you should get proper training with an instructor to know how to use one correctly.
@Michael Atherton yes they do add complexity and yes you can use your bcd for bouyancy ,though I'd argue that makes this more complex, as you have to dump from more places during an ascent (not a serious issue though, and I generally think that a bcd or wing is a better bouyancy aid than a drysuit-thats what its designed for). I would still argue that a drysuit mitigates more risk than it adds (though I suppose you could just use a dual bladder wing) , it just requires more training.
I have no friend to dive with so i better start with not farting in my wetsuit. Then there is a lot more to make me stay alive in a bad situation. Time to train to be that extra good diver then.
Should you? Not if you can avoid it. But as long as you know the risks...... it's your party, go for it. Try not to die and good luck. Btw some of you "sidemounters" are starting to sound like crossfitters......nobody cares. ;)
I'm an instructor, tech diver and solo certified. I enjoy diving with a buddy for the social and safety aspects, but always have my 19CF pony clipped on. I especially enjoy a solo dive at our local quarry, just drop in and take a slow casual dive just enjoying the feeling of being in trim, all my issues and concerns left at the surface. It's my best therapy.
I sure wouldn't recommend it for all divers, and have had some that I've had to gently let realize that solo diving (at least at their current skill / experience / judgement level isn't a good choice for them.
It boils down to personal choice, making sure that gear / training and mindset are appropriate for the dive.
When I worked as an instructor in Thailand, I had some excellent DMs & videographers. After a while, once I reached MSDT and with a few years experience under my belt, I began to take a bit of time out after a full days instructing or training. My DMs looked after my divers once we were all back on the boat, doing the paperwork, debriefings etc and I began to use this time to just de-stress and at one particular site that we always went to, I got to gradually get to know this turtle and just swam with her for a bit, watching & listening to her munch the coral! After a while we had a little route established and as time went on she began to wait for me to go on our little excursion together. I found it so relaxing after being with students (or training other instructors) all day!
She would never grab my reg out of my mouth, never bolt to the surface, disappear from sight, start doing the 1920s flapper girl/ running on the spot flippy flappy stuff or smash into coral and her buoyancy was superb! A dream to be with. I called her Jessie and she was just the sweetest; always recognised me and totally got that I didn't need to go up for air every so often and that she did... I would carry on and she'd always rejoin me. We'd always complete our little circuit and say goodbye at the end, when she swam round me twice and then went off and sure enough, she'd be there the next day.
Don't know if you'd class this as 'solo' diving or not as I had Jess and it was usually only 20-30 mins at about 10-15 meters... By the time I got back to the boat, my DMs had de kitted all my students, stowed their kit and done all the paperwork! Then a nice relaxing boat ride home...
A few years later it all went to shit and I got bent during a rather traumatic rescue that I was called in to assist with, but I will always cherish those moments of being 'alone' after hours of CESAs, mask removals. reg retrievals etc etc. and hanging out in the tranquility and peacefulness of Jessie's company.
teaching will do that... I solo dived for years and two reverse block injuries I got were due to rescues of other peoples inexperienced buddies...
@@AthinaHuntingTours Hi Athina and thanks for answering my post.... God I just cringe when I hear those words 'reverse block'!! So much more damaging than most people realise, especially for instructors made to dive 7 days a week, 3-4 dives a day and no off-gassing time. I have a fucking horrendous story regarding this when I was instructing on Koh Tao in Thailand which ultimately contributed to my retirement...
@@JustinColman-kz5fl I was the same. After a DM gave an inexperienced OW1 diver a BCD with a broken inflator hose in Cozumel, i had a 55m rescue when she went over the wall, lost bouancy and couldn't orally inflate. The bottom was 120m... And she wasn't my buddy.
At that point I pretty much gave up recreational diving and stayed out for nearly 10 years.
Now my son is growing up and keen so I decided to introoduce him and take charge of his diver training. he started at 8 years old and now at 12 is a great diver for his age. It got me back in the water and now I only get inot the water with people I know and the rules are that you are solo diving in a group. It works for us now.
Most people could never understand what it means to have a few thousand logged dives, with all that deco experience, but solo is safer from my viewpoint.
Good to be prepared to go solo in case you get separated from your dive partner, but for me diving is better as a shared experience
I started solo diving in shallow water when I as 15. Didn't actually take a formal scuba
course until I as 23. 56 now. A lot of my diving is done alone. I'm a recreational diver, not tek. I solo at night and will do limited deco alone. As a former instructor (NAUI, PADI and BSAC) I'd argue every diver should make a solo dive as part of basic training to prepare them for an unintended buddy separation.And self-sufficiency should be stressed more in basic scuba classes. I see the buddy system as a crutch for poor training standards. Maybe it's my wayward background, but I just don't get what the big deal is about solo diving.
I just did my first solo dive today. Saw white tips and had a turtle track me down and became my wing man for about 2 minutes. We were swimming wing tip to wing tip I think the turtle thought I was another turtle. I learned a lot from my solo dive. I had to fix problems I encountered on my own. Max depth 30ft
The other side of spectrum here :). Got OWD few months ago and living in "no dive buddy" area made me diving alone. I don't take it as a challenge to complete but as a next situation in my life when I must take care of myself. So I do it. Sailing alone prepared me for that as well - some kind of mindset of safety and prediction what can go wrong and not pushing limits ( solo dive is not good place for crosing borders, I think). No deeper then 10m for me in no current waters can be fun as well :) Maybe something more when I'll have second, independent air supply. Mindset and expirience.
Been solo diving around 30 years. I'm 73 years old now and going to die of something shortly so it may as well be drowning.If I remember the PADI course advises that if you have a problem with your air don't try and attract the attention of your buddy, surface. Solo??As a rescue diver I got sick of having to risk my life, rescuing someone else's butt that shouldn't have been given a certification in the first place.I'm more likely die in a car crash on the way home, I nodded off about 3 times on the way home today.
A friend told me they wanted to die peacefully in their sleep just like their Grandfather, and not like the screaming passengers that where in the back seat of his car.
Be it tech, caves, or rec, I usually dive solo as I prefer to be alone while I dive. Most of my buddy diving is instructing and therefore could still be considered solo in a way. I consider diving a solo sport that can be enjoyed in the company of others, both in terms of actuality as well as redundancy.
All great points especially about teaching. We are responsible for ourselves and them too.
Completely agree. It’s about a realistic foundational attitude to the essence of the situation.
Caves solo? IDK if that's such a great idea.......
@@richardstratford9419 It's fairly common to see it in the tourist caves around N. Florida, ie. Ginnie Springs etc.
I dive solo - both free and scuba. Most organised and/or buddy dives follow a route….when solo I spent a lot of time just hanging out in the water watching the world happen around me. This is my primary reason to dive solo - I love the peace and ability to ‘do nothing’ in a dive.
Oh gosh, i have got my open water course and bought the gear and been diving solo for a few times now lol
I mostly dive in South Florida, thankful the keys have many permanent mooring buoys. This allows me or a buddy and I to take my boat out, moor up without the worry of your anchor coming lose. I would make sure you have a redundant air source also.
If you can master these 2 things solo diving you be fine.
Figure out how to keep the boat secured in place so its there when you surface.
Learn how to properly navigate so you always return to the boat.
Also pick your days wisely, weather down here in Florida changes FAST !
Michael Atherton definitely man, always a good idea. Safe diving !! We are spoiled in South Florida haha
What are the laws regarding leaving your boat unattended?
Andrew Marcus as long as it’s anchored/moored up I think it’s fine. Here in Florida, you can only stay at the mooring buoys for 4 hours.
I start dive solo dive because was hard to find a buddy and really enjoy now. At the beginning was quite stressful and have some issue like a fail computers, yes, both, enter on area with visibility les that 1m , lost....but i learn a lot in 50 solo dive, more that in almost 400 dive with a body.where I use to relays on others in case of problems.
Lucky you, here i can see about a foot ahead of me underwater. Hard training, but as long as i survive i properly be a better diver.
The safest way to solo dive is to stay within the 30ft or so. Deep enough to have a little fun, but shallow enough where you can get up to the surface without much worry about DCS, and safely fast (30ft per minute rule) if an emergency did occur!
Yes. All 3 of my solo dives were like that.
Ive done about 70 dives maybe 15 of them were with partners and PADA trainers, never been below 130 feet. Had a few hiccups but nothing I couldn’t fix.
Been a diver for near 40 years. Too many dives to even start to count. I started solo diving about halfway thru my career. It became harder and harder to find a buddy with equivalent skill set. I found myself more often than not " baby sitting" a less experienced diver. This meant that my dives were cut short by my buddy's big SAC rate, or some other difficulty he was having. I became tired of always being the trainer. As far as safety goes, i think it's a wash. Having another diver with me might lessen some risks, but having a less experienced diver with me definitely a increases my risks.
For shallow dives, probably quicker to head up to the surface instead of trying to chase down the buddy.
Never found anyone to dive with after I got my certificate and was too scared to just go out alone. Luckily I did have a friend who owned a boat and we went out with my new gear to catch mussels, he's an amateur freediver, but he stayed in the boat while I was scuba diving. As a safety measure we tied a rope from my vest to the boat so he could recover me IF something should go wrong, but it all went completly fine.
Modern scuba equipment are so well made and reliable that in a recreational dive in safe, shallow waters, the chances of something failing on you is next to zero. As long as you know the basics you've been taught, and know your exit plan (inflate your suit/bcd or drop your weights) if something were to happen, then i would think most amateur divers can handle solo dives in calm, shallow waters just fine
Tech divers are so paranoid that even a buddy is too much of a liability 😂
Shit’s dangerous man
Been diving since 1991. With a group for a few years, mostly local shore dives, on one occasion we found a giant pacific octopus caught on fishing line,freed it up,then the group left unaware that the octopus came out to play. I stayed behind and played with that octopus. Been solo shore diving ever since. On another occasion with a group, a big octopus came out as my group just swam away and I spent the rest of a 45 minute dive with that octopus. Most of my group have stopped diving. I do have a dive buddy.We both have cameras and we often "solo dive" together. Sometimes we see each other at the beginning and at the end of the dive. After diving with a 19 cu.ft. pony bottle for years, I find it downright dangerous to dive without one. Last trip to Cozumel I skipped boat diving altogether,not wanting to pair up with an unknown buddy in a group and just did some shallow solo shore diving.Heck, I'm old now and one dive a day is enough. Did many shallow solo dives off the boat coming back to the resort at Coco View in Honduras and solo night dives out to the wreck. Never had equipment failure,but had a few tense moments I have to admit,but you have to be confident in your ability. Had many experiences with wolf eels and pacific giant octopus that would not happen in a group diver scenario. More often than not, a diver who dies, is with a buddy in a group.
I have invested thousands of dollars in equipment and training. If someone can not make it out to dive I go solo. That is always at the spot I am familiar with and can navigate without a compass. Only thing I worry about is fishing line , but I carry two knives and three lights. And I edit because I forgot to mention my trusted AL40 Pony bottle.
I actually find it frustrating to dive in the Caribbean. Usually there's a few newbs in the mix and I find myself caring too much about what they're doing to make sure they're safe than actually enjoying my own dive! Like watching them plop in the water without their BCD inflated, or without their tank even turned on. I mean....I sit and watch this stuff in awe!
@Michael Atherton I did a discover dive in Hawaii, but then got my certification in a lake in Illinois in November when the air temp was bellow freezing. Great instructor who had us assemble and disassemble our gear a ton. I heard one person describe him as using "Marine tactics". I learned my gear VERY well.
Diving solo: My best friend and fellow divemaster, and I love to lobster and spear fish. It is almost impossible to do this in the buddy system. We enter the water together and quickly get separated. Amazingly, our air consumption is so close that we often end up in the exact same place doing our safety stop.
Don't solo dive until you can dive your gear with your eyes closed and in your sleep. Finding stuff has to become by reflex. Getting in and out of gear underwater has to be accomplished with little thought or effort.
Having safety gear, i.e. dive reel and safety sausage, whistle, extra knives, (I carry two, leg and BC, titanium and razor sharp.) etc. In reality, I never truly dive "alone" as there is always at least a second person either in the water somewhere, or on the boat. The guy on the boat or other diver, has my dive plan and I don't vary too much from it. The guy in the water is typically withing 50- meters and in the Florida Keys, that often means we can pop up off of the reef and find each other.
Dangerous solo diving is when you are totally alone. I.E. you are diving off a boat by yourself. You are doing a shore dive by yourself. This is how divers just disappear.
Robb Hawks i agree with your piece, however there are ways the mitigate risk with true solo diving. Adding redundant air, nautilus life life, running a line from the anchor the whole dive etc. But having an buddy is usually safer
Cool. That's the idea.
Petition idea- make a simply scuba podcast and have Mark sit down and watch the entirety of 47 meters down : uncaged and point out the inaccuracie
I second this idea 😂😂
He's done it on his own channel called safe diving
This is a podcast as of now :)
I went solo diving today for the first time. 30 foot max depth Loved it made me very self reliant
i recommend solo diving…..it teaches you self reliance….being able to fix problems on your own….and you are more aware of potential problems and how you will solve them if that problems occurs….also its often much easier to do a simple dive say down to 50 or 60 feet without having to find a buddy…..and put up them
I have a very long history of solo diving which includes deep trimix and see no issues with it if you are a highly proficient diver.
I was trained as a public service diver in very bad visibility. And to this day I still dive with independent doubles, multiple dive tools, hey Bella out bottle in addition to the doubles, and surface markers. Some other things I carry our spare mask and if I pocket and multiple torches. There are times when you were setting your gear up and people call you gung ho or asking for troubleWhen in reality when something goes bad downstairs they’re asking you for help. I think everybody should know how to get them selves out of trouble because your dive buddy who’s 5 feet away from you may not even notice you until it’s too late
I dive solo when at home due to lack of mates that dive, never past 12m and only in good weather.
The only time I EVER solo is when I am diving the shallow springs in Florida (Alexander Springs). Max depth of 25 feet (17-20 average), excellent visibility of 100+ feet, NO overheads, and then only if I cannot find a buddy. So, you could say that I am against solo diving.
I always dive solo in a team/buddy pair (except when instructing) and so does my buddy. The buddy is there to lend you a hand if necessary but push comes to shove, you got to be able to get yourself out of there. Why? Simply put, if it hits the fan, my buddy will be pretty darn task loaded himself, so he could really do better without me being a liability on top of everything else.
Of course, not every situation ends up with both of us close to death simply because something goes wrong. I once had to swap my regulator off my back gas onto deco. My buddy was completely relaxed about a meter away from me having swapped to his secondary ready to donate. In the end, it wasn't necessary and all went well. I fixed the problem myself knowing that there is a worst case backup. However, would I want my buddy fumbling around on my life support equipment? Hell no!
Be self-reliant but keep the safety net.
Excellent subject, glad you brought it up...I think solo diving should not be viewed as if you are breaking a law...I compare it to flying solo, if you are thoroughly trained and stay within acceptable parameters you should have no problem...I try to have a back up on a back up, go to well known sites, keep it 40 ft or less, check in with local police or fire department, I recently purchased a GPS PLB, use a diver's bouy and DSMB, use a pony secondary air source...test all your equipment and your being able to handle it in pool dives prior to actual open water excursions...All the Best on you next solo!
I have stoped scubadiving and got me a ROV instead. Now i can "solo dive" safe at dephs like 400m and still pick up things with the grabberarm. Try it and you will like it. No risk for bends and you can have a beer anytime,
I do, and I recommend if you do, only do it if you're comfortable with the site you're at. If I'm on a boat and I'm solo, I make sure I'm within swimming distance of someone in the group, just in case. If I'm shore diving, I make sure I'm never at the site alone and that I can get to the surface without harming myself.
Solo cert absolutely sharpens your skills and prepares you for the unexpected. Every serious diver should be certified. Technically, every dive IS a solo dive
I am a solo diver. I decided to do it because I am making underwater videos. Filming takes time and occasionally after taking another shot and looking around, I was alone. Now I do not have to rely and watch for anybody else and I have more time to concentrate on my camera. When I am solo diving, I am using sidemount. That solves air redundancy problem. I completely agree with the video statements about mental characteristics and knowledge of a solo diver. This kind of diving is definitely not for everybody.
I think you shouldn't dive alone. But its good to be prepared, just in case of an emergency, you'll know what to do.
Many years ago I lived in the Florida Keys. When I first moved there, a coworker lived on a boat and went out diving with his wife both days every weekend and they invited me along. First time I was on the boat with them we get to the dive site and they tell me to go ahead and get in and once I'm done they would go in. I was a bit puzzled to say the least and was far more novice of a diver than I am now (although I was still experienced with several years of diving). Their thinking was they had dogs on the boat and always wanted someone with the dogs so they normally dove solo, but my being there meant they could finally have a dive together. Long story short, I went an entire summer where most dives were solo. 4 per week. This was all in shallow water (15ft maybe) and always the exact same small reef with no caves or current. We were all into underwater photography so a lot of the dives were just sitting there waiting on fish to turn just right. Some of the best dives of my life. More recently, I did do some solo shore dives in Bonaire. I kept is shallow and easy. Most of those "solo" dives had my wife snorkeling overhead or other divers on the same site I would bump into. Still something I try to avoid where possible, but once experienced one can limit the risks.
Last charter boat I was on, the Captain was totally fine with me solo diving some purpose-sunk ship "wrecks" ... I had a blast!! If I never buddy dive again, I'm 100% fine with that.
I started Free Diving alone 30+ yrs ago. My First Gulf of Mexico Scuba Dive I was the ONLY ONE IN THE BOAT
I was a Commercial Snapper Fisherman. Diving at Night for Flounder around the old Liberty Ships here in the Northern Gulf. I have Dove at night alone. But the night I ran out of Gas under the Liberty Ship Edwards 12:30 1 Fri Night 105 ft deep 20-25 back under it on the bottom my Great Dive Bud seen me Bolt for the Surface caught me at 70 FT I had already Stoped Kicking as I could only focus on pulling gas from my Regulator. NONE...if he hadn't seen me Bolt for the Surface I wouldn't be telling my story.
I also own a 13 Qubic Ft Bailout tank but I Strongly Suggest a 19 cubic ft tank should be the Absolute Smallest Bailout tank to use because when you have any situation like this you CAN NOT Control your Heart Rate Nor your Breathing....
If you want to learn more about what happened & why I won't be offended if you ask. Don't let Life Pass you By. ~ DIVE....~
If you keep safety as your number 1 priority and dont push your limits then you should be fine, just always remember things can go wrong.
Great video and another reason to go sidemount! 😉😁
Indeed I love doing solo-diving with my side-mount rig... Also, I do it so I can explore wrecks in South Florida; very few people have the training, and I'm not going to go inside a wreck with a random person that they try to pair me with at the boat.
diving solo is something iv always been attracted to but I fully agree with you that in order to even think about doing so you need to have lived through the "problems"... The "problem" with that is that no one is going to put themselves in such a situation on purpose. I think one can start considering solo diving once you've finish your first couple TEC courses (this will oblige you to have redundancy equipment which is a huge leap forward in the right direction for self sustained diving) and rescue diver, since this implies you should have knowledge on how to asses an emergency situation for yourself and others ....
the idea of being able to freely enjoy your dive/objective without having to focus on your "buddy" is something pretty appealing to me personally....but this also clearly depends on the dive buddy in question..... if its someone you are comfortable with diving, and have done so in the past multiple times then there really isnt a need to solo. as opposed to diving with rando Rambo on the boat.....in that case the old saying of "better alone than ill accompanied" may apply here....thats my 2 cents on the matter and I have yet to dive solo, but as someone who has been "forced" to buddy dive up to this point and seeing between my buddy wreck Gorgonias with his fins and burning through air i sometime wonder if I would not be happier alone.....
Solo diving for the win, dive every day!!!
I will try solo soon, but when weater is the best..
Question is should you .... as most fairly experienced divers know , its quite often inevitable, when your instabuddy dissapears when your getting cramps, does a u-turn behind the pinnacle , vis in a lake is so limited that you can only feel your buddies elbow as an indicator that he´s still there , and so on , just a few of my personal experiences , so yes i done my independent diver with SSI ( is not just a PADI course :p ) as a neccesity and in case i do find a site where it,s allowed and safe enough , sure , before i hope the allocated Technodancer is going to be able to help me
Probably 2/3s of my dives have been solo, starting around 1993 or so. I'd try to pair up with a like-minded instabuddy on the boat, jump in, and go our separate ways. Probably stupid but at the same time I learned a lot and am probably a much better diver for it. Probably a FAR better buddy now too.
Currently working on my rescue diver cert and as soon as that's done I'm going to do my solo cert...don't care how many years or how many dives you have, there's always something left to learn.
I was in a dive club a few years back, Especially the technical divers had the mindset that a buddy is more likely to get you killed than to actually save you
True. The biggest threat to a diver is another (newbie) diver. But I would not dive alone.
Ya, I think it's a good idea to dive with someone who you have to find, get them to understand there is a problem, and will most likely not be able to help to help by the time they have figured out what was your problem. It's always better to waste time that could be used to get to the surface and endanger someone else. Of course, there could be some rare, and I do mean rare, exceptions to this concept, but even those rare occasions where diving with a buddy could be useful, it's still safer in most instances to be self reliant.
One exception where the "buddy system" would be very useful would be diving with a buddy in shark infested waters where a shark attack was imminent. Obviously, you could make good use of the "buddy system" and stab your buddy to dive another day.
@@timothystevens4840 your train of thought already fails with the first few words: "find your buddy" and then "make them understand". You're not talking about the buddy system, you're taking about "same ocean buddy diving". A buddy is close to you and has situational awareness. Or its not your buddy.
The reason PADI has a specialty for it is because of what PADI really means. PADI is the real definition of Put Another Dollar In.
Good video, well put together, you make some great points.
Thank you!
Every dive is a SOLO dive
The only time i solo dive is when i go to Blue Heron Bridge, Florida. Clear water visibility 100' and only 20 feet depth 😁
Most, if not all, my dives are now solo. I’m much more comfortable being in the water knowing that I’m not having to spend the majority of my dive keeping an eye on my buddy just “in case.” As a DELIBERATE solo diver, I worry considerably less about having an equipment malfunction than I did when I dove with a buddy. That’s because my current equipment is far better than that which I used to use. Back in the day, a tank, BCD, a regulator with Octopus, wetsuit, and mask, fins, and snorkel were my entire kit. If there was going to be a problem, I had been trained to rely on my buddy. The problem was, had there ever been an issue, there was about an 80% chance that when that problem arose, my buddy wasn’t going to be there next to me. Additionally, when diving in large groups, someone almost always ended up leaving a piece of gear on the boat, couldn’t clear their ears, or would swim so close behind another diver that ultimately, their mask would end up getting kicked off their face, or, they’d be the one to kick someone else’s mask.
ONow all my dives are set up to be solo dives regardless. My equipment has been VASTLY IMPROVED and has been completely customized specifically for me. My new equipment is built around smaller twin tanks. I’ve got 2 different sets of tanks...one with twin 40’s/19 cf pony bottle, and the other twin 30’s/13 cf pony bottle. I use that configuration because of a really bad back injury, so I wanted my tanks to sit closer in, but off my spine. This configuration makes me far more streamlined as well, and there’s no longer a tank sticking off my back far enough to flop around during my dives. My main tanks and pony both feed an air block that allows me to switch between the two sources. The output feeds my second stage, which is integrated into my FFM Ocean Reef Predator dive mask. That uses 6 attachment points to hold it in place so the chances of loosing a dive mask are virtually nil. I also have a backup second stage built into my Zeagle 911 Rescue BCD, which has been fine tuned to fit me perfectly, with all my straps cut to the proper length for my body. My Regulator(s) hoses have been customized to fit me perfectly and use locking quick disconnect at all hose connection points. Additionally, I normally wear a drysuit as well, as that gives me an alternative source of buoyancy control. My kit is far more complex, yet it’s simple and easy to use, fits perfectly, and allows me to resolve any out of air issues with the simple switch of a lever. Additionally, I restrict my diving to no more than 45-50 feet of depth, and won’t go diving in caves or alternate places that may block my path to the surface. Additionally, I carry 2 knives, 2 lights, a surface marker buoy, and an air horn built into my BCD power inflator hose. Yeah, my kit is far more expensive, but it’s also far safer than ever before. And in a sport that is statistically far more dangerous than SKYDIVING, that’s important.
Love your videos thanks for the content
Great video.
Excellent
What is the probability of a life threatening situations.
Should you drive without a seatbelt.
Probabilities.
That is the question.
I've been diving sense 1975 . I am Dive Master .
I dive Solo
But I have a Dive Buddy .
Alot depends on where i am diving at .
But as you know it don't matter how many dive Cirtificats you got . That don't make you have the skill or experience to dive a line
Good advice, I share your point of view 100%.
Some locations in Canada, some towns for example are scuba towns, they actually have by-laws restricting solo diving! You even need a permit to dive in that town! There are no federal laws against it but local by-laws can override that! Solo climbing a cliff with no ropes....should you, well....you know the risks....actually far more dangerous than solo scuba diving. Yet you see people jumping out of perfectly good airplanes and off perfectly good cliffs and racing down perfectly good mountains with nothing but a snowboard under you. Truth is, high risk high danger....you're signing your own waiver on that one. Much like any high risk sport. For me, it's finding a buddy who's of equal caliber in skill set or better yet......has their own gear! Even with a buddy I take a 19cf pony bottle. Because I just assume everyone else around me is retarded and go from there. It's easy to say well they should have been there for me but the after argument is null and mute because you're dead! So I rely on myself regardless if I'm alone or not! I agree with others here. Constraints and restraint is required.
Michael Atherton I seriously doubt that California can come up with a legal precedent that shows solo diving being any more dangerous than diving with a buddy. We don’t need States starting to regulate how we go diving. They’re NOT the experts in our sport. The simple truth is, around 50-80% of a dive with a buddy is actually a solo dive regardless unless you’ve tied yourself to your buddy. Regardless of one’s good intentions, dive buddies often end up separated shortly after the beginning of the dive.
Where in Canada? Certainly not in Victoria B.C.
I've done a few. Divemaster with more than 400 dives at the sites i dive solo. Other divers in the water. I dive fairly shallow, 10-12 meter max. I take no unnecessary risks, ie. go into caves I have never been in before etc. Always stick to hour max time. Have SMB, torch, etc same as with every dive. Definitely seen more sharks (Blacktip Reef) on solo dives as they seem less shy with just the one diver to avoid. Highlight: counted 20 Blacktips file pass me on either side, none of them giving me barely a 2nd glance. At points on that dive they were barely 1 or 2 m away from me & had no interest in me whatsoever. Stunning.
I wouldn’t solo anything I couldn’t snorkel or free dive!
So I’m still well within my limits and depths for “open water” logs.
Yes, you definitely should solo dive a specially of your skills are better then the rest of the group. If the rest of the group is at list as experienced as you or more then you can dive with some group or partners. That’s how I am doing it.
Solo freediving for up to 20m, and rescue diver cert gave me alot of confidance. Just knowing that i can surface from 20m in around 20sec (5s to get rid of weight belt and bcd, and 15 to acsend, yes bubbling, i did it as an extra, during a course).
Never did solo scuba though, but wouldn’t afraid to do it.
In very basics of freediving you’ll get to know that your blood is a main storage for O2, not your lungs. And there’s enough of O2 in your blood for at least a minute on 10m with completely empty lungs.
Yes, CO2 sensors will push you to inhale much earlier than you’ll actually ran out of O2, and just knowing that already calms you down in case of emergancy.
To be honest, I would include freediving basics, into any OWD course, even if it would be nothing but theory.
Obviously it would be even better to include a dry practise of resisting to inhale with O2 meter monitoring O2 level in your blood...but this looks already like a dream about ideal world :)
I think buddy diving for the most part gives many divers a false sense of security. If you are very familiar with the person you are diving with, their gear and their behavior, and they are familiar with you, then I do believe buddy diving will make you both safer. I think to find someone like that to dive with is very rare though, for the most part the vast majority, most people Dive Insta body style. And in this case, I think A buddy is more likely to cause problems then to solve them. If you go into the water and have a problem don’t expect to turn around and have your buddy fix it. You need to think about and handle our problems before they happen.
Solo diving requires sufficient training and the right kind of attitude/mentality. It should not be rushed and shortcuts should not be taken.
Interesting comments. I do not dive anymore after a heart attack; however my advanced open water certification covered all the elements mentioned here wrt solo diving. A number of people in the dive club were technical divers and yes, they sometimes would go solo.
Recently, you answered my question about redundant air on #askmark. A solo course I will one day do. When I was still waiting for my OW to start, I had purchased everything I would eventually need; using the Solo Diver Course required gear list as my kit list. Most of my dive buddies are either, Rescue, DMs or Instructors, with a number of them Solo Cert. The shop owner of the shop I deal with, asked me once if Solo was where I wanted to get too. I have done a few dives where my SAC rate is higher than the group I am with. They are comfortable with my mindset and skills that I return to the surface solo. I find it quite relaxing actually to end my dive solo. (I am currently sitting at 132 dives, all cold water drysuit)
I used to dive alone. And when I say alone I mean ALONE ALONE. Not a soul on planet Earth knew I was gone. I always carry a Spare Air Canister and and extra knife. Diving with the Shearwater Perdix AI and also a standard SPG so I had two compasses and two ways to read my air supply. Diving alone is very rewarding but if it’s done the way I did it then it can be deadly. I love diving alone but I’ll never do it again the way I used to.
If you done a padi solo course would lakes let you dive alone in the UK
I’m not a diver, yet, but when I go on my outdoor adventures I usually prefer to go alone. Simply because I know my limits and seldom go beyond them.
Tell me that when the nitrogen narcosis sets in. On one of my courses I was put in a position where narcosis was allowed to really set in. I'm a sensible chap but if the guy on nitrox had told be to keep going down I would have followed him no question asked.
Well sometimes I wish I could dive alone, already. The point is i just got may OWD SSI, for 20 days, but I don't know anyone who dives too, none of my friends even think about to learn diving anyone. So sure I could pay to dive with a group, but here in Switzerland it cost like €110 per dive so, yeah I could buy a secound care even bevor I reached my 80th dive there.
So I wish I could dive already alone. I was a firefighter for more the 7 years, so I know what safty means. I wouldn’t mind if it was limited like not deeper then 12 Meter until you got enough dives, but I wish I could dive alone even if I got just OWD. I guess you understand my point, if I had a friend or girlfriend who dives, I wouldn’t see any reason to dive alone, but...
i use an electric hookah setup and dive alone going after lobsters(usually in he keys), but stay less than 35 feet. Any experienced scuba guys have any input on it? See any pitfalls I may have not taken into consideration?
If your pump dies, what happens to your air? You should have a pony on you ICSH. If you don't have some sort of BC/drop weight system you should remedy that.
Always carry a pony with me on a Liveaboard. 2 OOA situations with others in grand cayman and 1 in Turks who turned out to be certified but couldn’t swim without kit... yeah... I go prepared but not necessarily to be solo.
Every diver should be self-reliant. Never expect any 'buddy' to save you/help you - most 'buddy' divers are a liability to themselves and each other.
Every dive is technically a solo dive. At the end of the day every diver should have redundancy plans/ equipment to cover each emergency. If you have to rely on a buddy to be comfortable on a dive then sadly, you shouldn’t dive.
(My buddy is a AL40 @ 32%)
I'm actually new to diving, but, I look at solo diving as it's like in the Fire Service, think outside the box. Personally, I wouldn't solo dive, as with thinking outside the box, I also have to realize that too many things can go wrong. What if My 2nd stage fails, what if my 1st stage fails, what if I get entangled in something and can't reach my one of two knives that I carry, what if my air integrated dive comp fails, granted I have my analog still hooked what if I get attacked by an alligator at Ginnie springs in florida, things like this can happen at any time. in the Fire Service we have a saying adopted from the military, two is one, one is none. I figure I can't go into a burning building alone, why would I dive alone? But yes, as I gain experience, I'll most likely get the solo diver cert, just for the " I love me book" that I have, but will I solo, NOPE!!!!....LOL
Thanx Jack for helping me to understand (unintentionally :)) where's the line between work and duty :) I 100% understand your attitude ... but...:)
Yes do recommend highly learn to be a solo diver - you learn to be self sufficient and know how to overcome any issues you might encounter. I regularly do solo diving, as I like to take photos underwater, I tend to loose the group as they swim away. If I am restricted diving solo because of the resorts insurance policy, I hire a guide exclusively to dive with me, if I can , the resorts I usually go to, have got to know me and allow me to go diving solo.
In another video, the presenter made a good point, if you are an Instructor with new students and you don't have a DM to assist you, well you are automatically are a solo diver - don't rely on the new students to help you at 18m down.
Everytime I turn up with the camera rig, the sideways glances and looks are like "Oh christ!! A bloody photographer to hold everyone up!"
So solo diving pretty much becomes the norm with us lot.
Love looking at the images and pics taken of them in the environment, but not too happy if they have to wait to get that capture of the marine life in the magazine !! Oh well!
See you back at the surface 😔
Can a regulator really fail and stay closed? Never heard of that and thats scary!
I taught the regulators only fail in the open mode (freeflow)
What causes a regulator to close up?
Alternate air source availability aside, instructors are more or less effectively solo diving on all the courses with the added risk of working with a group of comparatively untrained divers at the same time.
I'd prefer to go with another person but I can't find anyone to go with me that lives locally that can go whenever...
solo diver course isnt that important imho. if you dive with good divers and a lot youll learn. if you just dive on holidays doing really easy dives you wont learn much. if you reach a level where you do such complex dives you cant find a buddy then youve probably got the skills to do it alone and dont need the course
@Michael Atherton im saying its not that important. I jsut consider it useless for people that to really technical dives and cant find buddys for that reason.
i think we can agree if a guy does 150m dives regularly he will have amassed the knowledge and skill to dive solo on 20m in the red sea
90% of underwater photographers/videographers dive solo unless the other diver is the subject of the shoot. Anytime you are trying to work with aquatic life, the less amount of movement and distractions, the better the chance to get the content you planned on during that dive. All the better if you can also dive a rebreather.
I agree with many other comments posted so far, that all of us, regardless of CERTIFICATION, need to be more self-reliant and self aware while diving. Regardless of the agency, the cards we get after each level of training are certificates NOT LICENSES. They are to prove to others that you have completed a certain level of organized training. What the agencies don't say for obvious reasons, including insurance and liabilities, is that anyone can dive in any way if they choose. If you have the gear, you can dive whenever you want. Yes, private sites and dive boats want to see a certification before you can dive, but there is nothing stopping a person from purchasing the equipment from a dive shop or craigslist/ebay and going out on their personal boat or even shore entry diving. While I agree that this is dangerous and potentially fatal, it is up to the individual to make the proper decisions as to what is too much or too dangerous. I am specifically talking within the context of exploration and development of personal skills and experience. I have my PADI AOW and Nitrox cards but I am not trained in any official capacity when it comes to wreck diving. On a recent trip to Nassau, I did some wreck penetrations with overhead environments, which based on PADI standards would require specialized advance training, but I was comfortable as there were no wires or hanging debris and there were large holes in the wrecks as they were set as artificial reefs. Nor was there a concern for silt outs as the wrecks were in open water with a sandy bottom and mild current. All of these factors I took into calculation and made the decision to go "beyond" my training and gain experience.
These solo diver certifications have just recently been made available because of the recent trends in diver preferences and lack of equal interest and skilled dive buddies being available. But as others have said they have been diving by themselves for decades. Personally I always dive with a 30cuft Nitrox pony with a reg and spare LP inflator hose. Typically I pair this with either a set of steel 110 doubles with an isolator valve and two 1st and 2nd stage regs or a single 80 with a standard full reg setup. Additionally, each of my regs have their own inline shut off valves that I purchased from Dive Gear Express .com. All of this is to limit any gas loss from any reg, hose, or tank failure. I also dive with an air integrated computer, back up wrist computer, and analog gauges. Redundancy is key. Proper maintenance is important as well. All of your equipment is a LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM and should be treated with the highest of care and preventative maintenance. You shouldn't have a problem while diving because your life support system should be in perfect condition, but if a random issue were to occur, you need to have a back up and end your dive at that point. Do not continue diving with faulty equipment. Solo and technical divers end their dives when they have to switch to any redundant equipment item.
I think the main factors when it comes to solo diving should be mental temperament and comfortableness/familiarity with your equipment. I didn't log a significant number of my dives (so I can not meet the "required" 100 LOGGED dive minimum), especially while I was working as an underwater cinematographer. Many times I would spend 2-3 hours on the bottom, usually 30-40ft max, by myself with either a "surface supply" from a SNUBA system, or I would have my assistant bring me fresh tanks between takes or when bringing me fresh cameras. Otherwise I was left to work solo while filming. In those situations technically though left on the bottom alone, I was not fully alone. Nor would an emergency bail out from 30-40ft in 100ft visibility water be difficult. But I became accustomed to being by myself and though I live in central Florida, it is difficult to find other divers who are available when I am, to go and do the diving I want to do. Besides, who wants to "watch over" another person and divert your attention from whatever your primary objective was for the dive. This led me to seeking out solo diving. I am just building my log book to get to that "magic" 100 dives to get my certificate card.
What mix do you carry in your bailout? I always keep air in my bailout because it's breathable at any depth that I'm going to be diving at. Having that long of a bottom time how often do you go into deco? Because your bailout should not also be your deco bottle.
@@asmfirefish I usually run 36% as most of my dives are less than 100ft. The 30cuft pony is not my deco bottle. It is strictly a bailout to get to a the surface with a safety stop, or to a stage bottle if there is one required by the parameters of the dive plan. If I were to conduct a long duration deep dive, I have multiple stage bottles with safe mixes for the stage depth and start offsetting as much Nitrogen as possible. But honestly I have never had to put that skill into practice. When I am filming, I am rarely below 1 ATM due to using natural light as much as possible. We will use force-perspective angles and very short wide lenses to make water seem deeper or more vast than it really is. So even on regular air I have a NDL of over 3 hours and if I use a mix of 36% it's 3.6 hours before I hit the NDL. I am ususally at more of a risk of hypothermia and dehydration than I am of exceeding the NDL.
@Michael Atherton You are right. I did not mention those factors as I was looking over my comment and felt it was already turning into a long winded diatribe. I tend to explain things way too much. But to bolster your reply I will say this: Do what you feel is safe and comfortable for YOU while diving. When you are uncomfortable or uneasy; whether it is from using unfamiliar gear or a physiological situation, etc. you are no longer comfortably enjoying a dive. Instead you are MANAGING an issue, and the last thing you want to be doing is managing anything as it then becomes a distraction and can lead to managing a critical failure. I know there are divers out there well beyond your age demographic that are enjoying diving. While it is notable that you are thinking about worst case scenario when it comes to medical issues, stay focused more on enjoying how you are able to dive now. If a serious medical issue were to afflict you, your doctor may hinder you from diving at all, let alone in a solo capacity. If you want to dive a full face mask, learn it now and get comfortable with it. Maybe you and your wife can both enjoy the capability of communicating with each other while using them together.
No. I will never solo. I guess I’m just old-school.
I did 3 solo dives. Planning is key. I kept all of them no deeper for 30 ft. On my 3rd dive, I had to cut my second dive. Due to my watch and computer dying and excess wind that made me consume air more than I planned for. Best dive view wise but planning wise, I could have done better.
I prefer to dive alone. I live on the Great Lakes and don't have another within an hour and half of me. Seems like buddy dives turn into a pain. Lose your partner, and the dive is over.
If anything a drysuit removes risk as it gives you a redundant bouyancy aid.
@Michael Atherton thats not a fault of the drysuit, thats a lack of training and a diver doing a dive they aren't prepared for.
Many people regularly dive dry suits and have no issues (my self included), however you should get proper training with an instructor to know how to use one correctly.
@Michael Atherton yes they do add complexity and yes you can use your bcd for bouyancy ,though I'd argue that makes this more complex, as you have to dump from more places during an ascent (not a serious issue though, and I generally think that a bcd or wing is a better bouyancy aid than a drysuit-thats what its designed for).
I would still argue that a drysuit mitigates more risk than it adds (though I suppose you could just use a dual bladder wing) , it just requires more training.
I think the buddy thing is just marketing.
PADI has more courses than OW!?!? Just kidding.
I'm a newbie diver.
Is it fairly safe to dive alone in under 33 feet.?
NO ....!!!!
You missed a cold open ""No." then end credits fakeout. That would have been perfect.
I have no friend to dive with so i better start with not farting in my wetsuit. Then there is a lot more to make me stay alive in a bad situation. Time to train to be that extra good diver then.
PaDi equals,... Put Another Dollar In! Hehe
News i think the scuba environment cares about: #teamtrees
and there's a #flappysnaghazard in the donation comments somewhere ;)
Ask Yuri Lipiski
Yuri had a dive buddy. In fact, he was with a guide. If yuri was solo certified, he may have been able to save his own life
I'm already glad I can hold my cool if my wife decides to cut me off and kick my mask off (squirrel effect). I'm not yet ready for self reliant diver.
Should you? Not if you can avoid it. But as long as you know the risks...... it's your party, go for it. Try not to die and good luck. Btw some of you "sidemounters" are starting to sound like crossfitters......nobody cares. ;)
No. Next
Just read about a lobster diver that died, diving solo. This is a absolutely ludicrous and goes against all training doctrine.
i m so cool i fry my voice
3 people with 10 dives have disliked this vid due to "requires skill"
I'm not even gonna watch this and I'm just gonna say no to that question