Posted by seahunt on September 14, 1999 at 11:52:08:
In Reply to: ok, i have a q... posted by kelphead on September 04, 1999 at 14:13:41:
Hey taz,
You have already been told that if you ask about solo diving, you shouldn't.
You have also been told that it's not that big a deal aside from the conventions
pushed by the certificattion agencies.
While I cannot give the exact statistics, OC or DAN probably could,
but my memory tells me that most fatalities I have heard of in SoCal are not
caused by solo diving. A lot of people dive solo in SoCal. The diving lends
itself to it. I don't think that that is the problem.
For various reasons, I very rarely dive with a buddy and almost no one ever
says anything, but that is also about the boats I go on. If I go through a shop,
I ask if they care and I just don't go on boat trips where it seems like it might
be a big deal.
My favorite lines are "a buddy is the most dangerous piece of equipment you can
bring down there". It is the one most prone to failure.
"A buddy is like a dive knife. It gives a false sense of security and it will be
lost by the time you really need it".
"A buddy is like a dive light. If it lasts for more than 2 years, it's a real
good one". It can be true in California, where the colder water makes many divers
quit after a few years.
I dunno. I may say that solo diving is fun and as Scott Meyers book, Solo Diving,
says "a diver is solo diving anytime their buddy cannot help them for some reason"
such as lack of experience or distraction. He said it was most important for a
diver to realize when they are solo diving (even with a buddy) or they are in even
greater danger than a solo dive with no buddy. He also pointed out that this was
most common for instructors. Still, I hesitate to promote it because so many divers
are of such limited skill that they may not belong in the water at all.
California requires far more diving skill than most places and it produces very good
self sufficient divers. If you are one, go ahead and solo. If you don't want to, get
a buddy on a boat. I have never seen that be much of a problem... Then again,
sometimes I am the one to get tapped as a buddy for some person that is looking. Then
again, I only make a dive or two with them.
I love solo diving. It just seems the only way to do it. I like hunting and dive sites
that are not for most people. In both cases, I am more comfortable by myself.
Test yourself. Do an easy solo dive at night. Are you comfortable? Night diving will
show you your comfort level.
Enjoy the diving, seahunt