Posted by kelphead on September 04, 1999 at 14:13:41:
so, i'm curious about the following:
usually, i organize dives w/dive buddies of mine and i try to make sure that they will indeed commit to the trip that i have committed to, so that way i don't get 'stood up' on the day of the dive.
now, i did recently get my aow cert, but that was after a year or so of frequent diving (all my diving, except one week this year, has been in southern or northern california). i know that many people feel confident diving w/me and that my skills are not an issue. i also have a good head on my shoulders (as remarked to me by others) and i know when to not dive.
but, i often read about 'experienced' divers (ie, 1 gazillion dives logged) who will show up on a boat w/o a buddy and then judge the skills/attitude of the other divers on the boat to decide whether to find a buddy there or to dive solo.
i do have a pony bottle and do believe in being self sufficient, but i wonder if i'm ready to dive solo yet and am still kind of wary about going to a boat dive w/o previously arranging it w/a dive buddy.
so, my q is, when do you know that you're ready to dive solo over diving w/some stranger whose skills you don't trust??
i'm not sure if it's the idea of diving solo that bothers me (b/c i HAVE dived solo before and that was before my aow cert), or if it's just the idea of me showing up on the boat alone and have people think strange things about me.
please, don't think that this q is a joke, b/c it's not. i would truly appreciate some insight on this whole topic of having the confidence to show up to a boat alone and being ready to solo dive.
thanx!! in advance.
--taz--