Solo diving
Solo diving
1. No obstructed overhead situations - this includes mandatory decompression dives in addition to penetration dives (wreck or cave). I want a clear path to the surface with a controlled ascent, if needed.
2. Triple redundant cutting devices. I carry two knives and a good pair of shears. A very capable solo diver died in a monofilament entanglement years ago in south Puget Sound. She dropped her knife as she attempted to cut herself out of the entanglement, and couldn’t reach it. She drowned once her air supply ran out.
3. Two backup light sources on night dives. With recent innovations in LED lighting and lithium ion batteries, I actually carry 6 (yes 6) lighting sources with me on most dives, although 2 of the lights are the LED video lights built into my strobes. You won't catch me in the dark.
4. Stay well clear of snagging hazards - take no unnecessary risks.
5. Do not exceed 110 feet.
6. Do not exceed 1.4 ATA PO2 when diving Nitrox.
7. Do not dive in uncomfortable situations. I am more inclined to cancel a dive if it is a solo dive, or opt for an easier site.
8. Keep all gear properly serviced. This is another no-brainer no matter how you dive, however it is surprising how many people have not had their regulators or first stages serviced in two or more years.
9. Practice skills drills routinely, including out of air on primary (switching regs) and mask drills, and "light failures" on night dives.
2. Triple redundant cutting devices. I carry two knives and a good pair of shears. A very capable solo diver died in a monofilament entanglement years ago in south Puget Sound. She dropped her knife as she attempted to cut herself out of the entanglement, and couldn’t reach it. She drowned once her air supply ran out.
3. Two backup light sources on night dives. With recent innovations in LED lighting and lithium ion batteries, I actually carry 6 (yes 6) lighting sources with me on most dives, although 2 of the lights are the LED video lights built into my strobes. You won't catch me in the dark.
4. Stay well clear of snagging hazards - take no unnecessary risks.
5. Do not exceed 110 feet.
6. Do not exceed 1.4 ATA PO2 when diving Nitrox.
7. Do not dive in uncomfortable situations. I am more inclined to cancel a dive if it is a solo dive, or opt for an easier site.
8. Keep all gear properly serviced. This is another no-brainer no matter how you dive, however it is surprising how many people have not had their regulators or first stages serviced in two or more years.
9. Practice skills drills routinely, including out of air on primary (switching regs) and mask drills, and "light failures" on night dives.
Solo diving - two words frowned upon by most divers, and even many non-divers. The common argument is that a diving buddy is the only true form of redundancy, and diving without a buddy introduces “unnecessary risks” to an inherently risky sport. Being an active solo diver with more than 400 logged solo dives, I am sometimes treated by others in the diving community as irresponsible and reckless - which puts me in the company of CEO’s from most US financial institutions and car companies.
Solo diving can be a risky venture, a venture I would never have embarked on early in my diving career. In fact, I was militant about buddy system my first three years of diving and publicly scorned anyone who wandered off from my buddy team during a dive. However, things changed once I got a camera. My camera posed two difficulties on the buddy system. First, I want to actually stop and shoot a subject. I might park in front of a grunt sculpin for up to five minutes as I try to get that elusive perfect shot. If there were two of us on the buddy team, my buddy usually wondered around while I took pictures, but would stay within sight. With teams of three, the other two divers would typically just move on without me - even if I was “leading” the dive. More often than not, I would find myself looking up from my viewfinder after a minute or two to find my buddies long gone.
The second problem is my camera can pre-occupy me for extended periods of time. When I am shooting, the camera and subject are the focus of my attention, not my dive buddy. Shooting pics underwater with an SLR is extremely difficult and nothing like shooting on land. It requires intense concentration, control, patience, and persistence. I sometimes lose track of my buddy for up to several minutes at a time, admittedly making me a lousy dive buddy. I explain this before diving with a buddy and ask them to stay near me when I start shooting a subject. If they are uncomfortable with this or if I am diving with a rookie, I leave my camera behind.
I crossed the solo diving bridge during the summer of 2000 when, for the umpteenth time, I had been left behind yet again after I stopped to take a picture of a lingcod in 80 feet of water at Snake Island Wall in Nanaimo. Even though the shot took less than 30 second to compose, my dive buddies were long out of site in the 25 foot vis. The realization hit me once again that I am a mere breath away from being in serious trouble. Being a husband to an amazing wife and a father to a wonderful daughter, I decided I couldn’t continue to dive like this anymore. I researched alternatives and came up with a solution: Self redundancy.
I invested in a 19 cubic foot pony bottle, pony bracket, and first stage and moved my octopus (backup regulator) to the pony bottle. I have used this configuration ever since for all my recreational dives (solo or otherwise) and feel very comfortable with it. The peace of mind that a completely independent air delivery system brought me has been tremendous. Unlike a dive buddy, a pony bottle is ALWAYS there for you, regardless of circumstances. People say that a pony bottle is no substitute for a dive buddy - and I agree. However, I also would claim that a dive buddy is no substitute for a backup air supply, as you always have the backup system's undivided attention.
In addition to a backup air supply system, I also have certain rules I abide by when diving solo:
Solo diving can be a risky venture, a venture I would never have embarked on early in my diving career. In fact, I was militant about buddy system my first three years of diving and publicly scorned anyone who wandered off from my buddy team during a dive. However, things changed once I got a camera. My camera posed two difficulties on the buddy system. First, I want to actually stop and shoot a subject. I might park in front of a grunt sculpin for up to five minutes as I try to get that elusive perfect shot. If there were two of us on the buddy team, my buddy usually wondered around while I took pictures, but would stay within sight. With teams of three, the other two divers would typically just move on without me - even if I was “leading” the dive. More often than not, I would find myself looking up from my viewfinder after a minute or two to find my buddies long gone.
The second problem is my camera can pre-occupy me for extended periods of time. When I am shooting, the camera and subject are the focus of my attention, not my dive buddy. Shooting pics underwater with an SLR is extremely difficult and nothing like shooting on land. It requires intense concentration, control, patience, and persistence. I sometimes lose track of my buddy for up to several minutes at a time, admittedly making me a lousy dive buddy. I explain this before diving with a buddy and ask them to stay near me when I start shooting a subject. If they are uncomfortable with this or if I am diving with a rookie, I leave my camera behind.
I crossed the solo diving bridge during the summer of 2000 when, for the umpteenth time, I had been left behind yet again after I stopped to take a picture of a lingcod in 80 feet of water at Snake Island Wall in Nanaimo. Even though the shot took less than 30 second to compose, my dive buddies were long out of site in the 25 foot vis. The realization hit me once again that I am a mere breath away from being in serious trouble. Being a husband to an amazing wife and a father to a wonderful daughter, I decided I couldn’t continue to dive like this anymore. I researched alternatives and came up with a solution: Self redundancy.
I invested in a 19 cubic foot pony bottle, pony bracket, and first stage and moved my octopus (backup regulator) to the pony bottle. I have used this configuration ever since for all my recreational dives (solo or otherwise) and feel very comfortable with it. The peace of mind that a completely independent air delivery system brought me has been tremendous. Unlike a dive buddy, a pony bottle is ALWAYS there for you, regardless of circumstances. People say that a pony bottle is no substitute for a dive buddy - and I agree. However, I also would claim that a dive buddy is no substitute for a backup air supply, as you always have the backup system's undivided attention.
In addition to a backup air supply system, I also have certain rules I abide by when diving solo:
All of these precautions help moderate risks associated with solo diving, but do not eliminate the risks. Two scenarios come to mind where a buddy is simply irreplaceable: Severe entanglement, and inebriation.
In a severe entanglement situation I might not be able to reach any cutting device, even though my cutting devices are located on three different parts of my body. Sometimes simply reaching for a cutting device can worsen the entanglement. A buddy could be in a much better situation to cut an entangled diver free.
The second scenario is inebriation - either partial or full. In a full inebriated situation, there is a good chance the diver is going to drown regardless. However, a buddy could definitely help a partially inebriated diver reach the surface safely.
Although the thought of solo diving was nerve wrecking for me at one time, I have come to thoroughly enjoy it. There is a zen-like quality to gliding weightless through the water to your own agenda with the only distractions being yourself and Mother Nature. I find it extremely peaceful and therapeutic. Like any risky sport (including cave, wreck, and decompression diving), discretion, training, and proper and well maintained gear allow me to enjoy solo diving in relative safety. Other than diving with my wife or daughter, solo diving is my favorite way to dive.
In a severe entanglement situation I might not be able to reach any cutting device, even though my cutting devices are located on three different parts of my body. Sometimes simply reaching for a cutting device can worsen the entanglement. A buddy could be in a much better situation to cut an entangled diver free.
The second scenario is inebriation - either partial or full. In a full inebriated situation, there is a good chance the diver is going to drown regardless. However, a buddy could definitely help a partially inebriated diver reach the surface safely.
Although the thought of solo diving was nerve wrecking for me at one time, I have come to thoroughly enjoy it. There is a zen-like quality to gliding weightless through the water to your own agenda with the only distractions being yourself and Mother Nature. I find it extremely peaceful and therapeutic. Like any risky sport (including cave, wreck, and decompression diving), discretion, training, and proper and well maintained gear allow me to enjoy solo diving in relative safety. Other than diving with my wife or daughter, solo diving is my favorite way to dive.
Emerald Diving
Explore the coastal and inland waters of
Washington and BC
Explore the coastal and inland waters of
Washington and BC
