Posted by msblucow on December 04, 2001 at 12:40:29:
In Reply to: Re: True, but he's got a point.... posted by Steve on December 04, 2001 at 11:00:02:
put...the....torch...down......;-)
Let me be perfectly clear. DIVE ANY WAY YOU WANT! SAY ANYTHING YOU WANT! Just be realistic and don't glorify unsafe dive practices.
And let me be perfectly clear about what I advocate; always dive with a buddy, always try to dive with a buddy you know and trust (or at least have a nice talk with the buddy you've just been assigned to on the boat), plan your dive, dive within your limits, and never, ever be afraid to call a dive if something doesn't feel right. There's more of course, but this will do for now.
So tell me, what about that ISN'T safer than solo diving? And don't give me some argument about how you "shouldn't blindly rely on your buddy". I'm not talking about that at all. Every diver is responsible for their own safety and if someone thinks that they can just follow another, more experience diver around and abdicate all responsibility, then they're not being a dive buddy at all - just an albatross around someone else's neck.
And for the record, I have gone diving solo, ONCE, and didn't much enjoy it. I kept thinking, "Gee, if something happens and I run out air, I've only got 4 minutes until brain death." Boy, there's an image to put a kibosh on the fun. As far as being "independent", I assume you mean being self-sufficient and able to execute a self-rescue. Well since I'm rescued certified, have taken the GUE Fundamentals class where I was run through a number of safety drills that involved stress management, thinking through problems, and anticipating problems before they happen, and because I make a point of practicing at least some of these skills on every dive, then yes I would have to say that I try to be an "independent" diver.
Lastly, I do wear a backplate. With wings. As God intended.
(for the humor impared, that last part was a joke)