Posted by MHK on August 21, 2000 at 10:00:11:
In Reply to: Re: RODALE'S ARTICLE ON SOLO DIVING posted by Max Bottomtime on August 20, 2000 at 14:31:00:
The chances of surviving an accident increase dramatically if you have a buddy. To suggest otherwise is disengenuous at best.
I agree that some are more qualified than others to dive solo, but any suggestion that you are safer solo is plain hyperbole.
Even if you argue that you can somehow manage to solve the air problem ( ie; pony doubles w/ isolator etc.. ) the very fact of the matter is that entanglement, vertigo, over exhertion to name a few ) are more easily resolved with a buddy. You note above that other have argured that a buddy * would * have saved there life. Every discussion that I have seen, or been involved in, is careful to point out that a buddy * could* have saved the life.
Sadly, we have had our share of deaths here in the South Bay this year and overwhelingly the vast majority have been solo divers. COULD they have been saved if the y had a buddy, my view is atleast three that I can think of clearly could have survived..
It's a fact of our sport that all too many diver's are undertrained, over confident and lack the necessary skills before they venture out on there own. IT's somehow perceived as a macho thing to rough it out solo. Granted some may have good reason ( ie; photographers, hunters and the like ) and to me that's a separate discussion, but solos diving just plain and simple does not * the same dangers*. To suggest otherwise is misleading, wrong and shortsided.
Later