I have been thinking... I totally understand the importance of diving with a buddy. It has been drilled in my head and I have never felt the need to dive alone because I`m very new and have relied heavily on my buddy. As silly as this sounds, I thought it was actually a law to always dive with a buddy. Lately, however, I`ve been thinking that in order for me to get really good at diving I need to get a handful of shallow dives ALONE- no more than 30 feet to begin to master what I`m doing. If I don`t I will always rely on my buddy for navigation, depth, air, etc. Should I be reported to the Dumb Diver`s Network or has anyone headed out to try and get better at what they are doing?

Comments

akdiver27 - 4/02/2008 12:11 AM In the last few years I have been diving I have done a fair amount of solo diving, harbor jobs and just to relax. Half the time when I go with my buddies we go our own directions and don’t see eachother until we are on the boat. I would say you need to have good reliable equipment and keep up on your annual inspections. Most importantly you need to be comfortable in the water and know if anything happens the worst thing you can do is panic. Maybe invest in a ponybottle and spare reg for backup. If you can become more self sufficient you will be leaps and bounds ahead of other divers. My final thought is that I think of diving as a save your self sport even with a buddy if the stuff hits the fan you need to be able to help yourself because your buddy might be to far away to help.

RedPolarBearRanger - 10/14/2007 4:46 PM Thanks for the add and btw when it comes to Solo Diving you would have be at a higher level like instructor to do solo diving.

vablackwater - 10/03/2007 10:24 AM Diving alone is NOT like skydiving alone without a parachute. The two man buddy team makes a lot of assumptions about divers being equal and able to rely on one another. This two man buddy model does not fit all the types of diving out there (PSD, commercial, photographers, spearfishermen, et cet). With the right equipment, the right experiances in a variety of conditions, the right training and the right mindset, risks are minimized. Solo divers are/ should be self sufficient divers who make a responsible and informed decision to dive solo or not. Some agencies are recognizing the need for solo training http://www.tdisdi.com/index.php?did=44&site=1 My suggestion, buddy up with a more experianced diver and start to learn from him/ her. Gain experiance, make mistakes with someone who can help you learn safely. Practice, learn, dive... when you have developed to the point where you reach a complete level of comfort for self sufficient diving, it can be done safely.