Diving Alone With Only Ow At Shallow Depths?

[uptou]

Hello,this is something i'm curious about for the future rather than the here & now.

I only have an OW,& i think 9 or 10 dives completed,but what are your opinions as far as diving alone,not too far off shore,& at shallow depths goes,eg off of a longtail boat.

I love snorkelling on my own,& not having to worry about other people.I'm looking at this also from the point of veiw of getting more experience with diving,so as to get completely comfortable with it,which i guess like anything comes with experience.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[britmaveric]

Never a good idea - lot of things can go wrong when diving and easily avoided if you have a buddy.

[Quero]

Hello,this is something i'm curious about for the future rather than the here & now.

I only have an OW,& i think 9 or 10 dives completed,but what are your opinions as far as diving alone,not too far off shore,& at shallow depths goes,eg off of a longtail boat.

I love snorkelling on my own,& not having to worry about other people.I'm looking at this also from the point of veiw of getting more experience with diving,so as to get completely comfortable with it,which i guess like anything comes with experience.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Solo diving is certainly not unheard of. However, IMO, it's much too big a step for a very inexperienced diver such as you to take. My advice is to find an SDI instructor from whom to take the Solo course that this agency offers and work towards the prerequisites for enrollment. SDI standards require Advanced diver certification and at least 100 logged dives as a basis for the Solo class.

BTW, diving in shallow water near shore is hardly risk-free! Build up your experience by diving with others; then if you're still keen to do solo diving, sign up for the course.

Here's wishing you good luck and many successful dives

[skippybangkok]

Hello,this is something i'm curious about for the future rather than the here & now.

I only have an OW,& i think 9 or 10 dives completed,but what are your opinions as far as diving alone,not too far off shore,& at shallow depths goes,eg off of a longtail boat.

I love snorkelling on my own,& not having to worry about other people.I'm looking at this also from the point of veiw of getting more experience with diving,so as to get completely comfortable with it,which i guess like anything comes with experience.

Thanks for any thoughts.

I would say rule it out for the time being (maybe after 200 or 300 dives ). Do your solo course then when u think your ready. Solo has its risks, but then again, buddy diving or in a group can be risky too ( dependence on some one else who is not competent, or can panic and bring u in difficulty - been there, done that). Diving with a good buddy of course is more safe, diving with a bad one - well, i would prefer solo any day then.

Just like hang gliding is probably more risky than 10 pin bowling, the rewards can off set it. I love the solitude and peace, especially during night dives ( which disappears quickly when seeing a shark when ur alone at night )

Fondest memories are of solo night dives in Burma some years back.

Edited February 1, 2008 by skippybangkok

[Bowmouth]

Solo diving can be a very pleasant way to dive for experienced, comfortable and safety concious divers. Solo diving should be something you slowly get into with a least a few hundred dives under your belt. I am an avid solo diver and have been alone underwater for (parts of) hundreds of dives without ever getting into trouble.

Being alone underwater can be an exhilirating experience and often gives me a greater sense of being part of the underwater world then when I'm diving with a buddy or a group of divers. It also gives me a better chance to look at and spend lots of time with all the creatures that I like and I am interested in.

If you plan on any solo diving in the future consider getting a redundant air supply of some sort and always bring that along with you while underwater. Double check all you gear before any dive and bring a complete set of equipment including small torch, whistle, signalling device (mirror or old CD), knife and SMB.

Also, do not solo dive deep, in strong currents, in overhead environments, or at sites you've never been before diving.

[smartecosse]

can't see anything wrong with solo diving as long as you know what you are doing and plan accordingly

at the number of dives that you have done so far this will clearly NOT be the case

stick with a buddy for the foreseeable future

[skippybangkok]

Solo diving can be a very pleasant way to dive for experienced, comfortable and safety concious divers. Solo diving should be something you slowly get into with a least a few hundred dives under your belt. I am an avid solo diver and have been alone underwater for (parts of) hundreds of dives without ever getting into trouble.

Being alone underwater can be an exhilirating experience and often gives me a greater sense of being part of the underwater world then when I'm diving with a buddy or a group of divers. It also gives me a better chance to look at and spend lots of time with all the creatures that I like and I am interested in.

If you plan on any solo diving in the future consider getting a redundant air supply of some sort and always bring that along with you while underwater. Double check all you gear before any dive and bring a complete set of equipment including small torch, whistle, signalling device (mirror or old CD), knife and SMB.

Also, do not solo dive deep, in strong currents, in overhead environments, or at sites you've never been before diving.

Agreed. I have a small tank with separate reg. - gives u peace of mind.

[cmbe]

My idea, I think you need to know more about location where you want to dive alone , my friends have done many time alone but they know the limit how far they can go and where.

[Mrjlh]

Solo diving can be a very pleasant way to dive for experienced, comfortable and safety concious divers. Solo diving should be something you slowly get into with a least a few hundred dives under your belt. I am an avid solo diver and have been alone underwater for (parts of) hundreds of dives without ever getting into trouble.

Being alone underwater can be an exhilirating experience and often gives me a greater sense of being part of the underwater world then when I'm diving with a buddy or a group of divers. It also gives me a better chance to look at and spend lots of time with all the creatures that I like and I am interested in.

If you plan on any solo diving in the future consider getting a redundant air supply of some sort and always bring that along with you while underwater. Double check all you gear before any dive and bring a complete set of equipment including small torch, whistle, signalling device (mirror or old CD), knife and SMB.

Also, do not solo dive deep, in strong currents, in overhead environments, or at sites you've never been before diving.

This is the worst advice anyone can give an inexperienced rookie diver. In fact this is worst advice you can give ANYONE! If you are diving with a tank DO NOT SOLO DIVE! EVER! You find a partner and one you can trust.

As a Master Diver, who had to give up diving because of perforated ear drums caused while attempting to save a SOLO diver (who by the way DIED!) I strongly recommend against it. Water is NOT your natural element. If any thing goes wrong you only get one mistake. It only takes one! There are simply too many things that could go wrong. Especially in tropical waters. You are a complete FOOL if you solo diver with compressed air. It doesn't matter how safe you are, how many times you check your equipment.

Even "solo" free diving or snorkeling is pushing it. Not as serious but still not smart. If you do at least have someone watching or can call for help from the shore. Enjoy your life and enjoy diving but do it wisely. You'll have more fun with a partner anyway.

[smartecosse]

thats utter tripe

you really think that you are safer diving with a buddy? are they watching you 100% of the time, do they have the adequate skills to save you?

if you have the correct training and equipment solo diving is safe. i would rather be by myself than babysitting a diver with less than adequate skills who may be an "accident waiting to happen"

[WorldwideALOHA]

I think it was in DAN, that there was an interesting article a few months ago regarding dive buddies.

The general gist of it was that something like 50% of most dives with buddies, the buddy is either too far way to effectively respond in an emergency, only checks on his/her buddy every 5+ minutes, or is too inexperienced/intimidated to respond correctly or at all in an emergency.

It was a good reminder to choose a good dive buddy, check on each other frequently, and stay close. Otherwise, you are in effect - diving solo....

[skippybangkok]

I think it was in DAN, that there was an interesting article a few months ago regarding dive buddies.

The general gist of it was that something like 50% of most dives with buddies, the buddy is either too far way to effectively respond in an emergency, only checks on his/her buddy every 5+ minutes, or is too inexperienced/intimidated to respond correctly or at all in an emergency.

It was a good reminder to choose a good dive buddy, check on each other frequently, and stay close. Otherwise, you are in effect - diving solo....

Fully agreed - even if you do buddy dive - never hurts to be trained in self reliance.

[Mrjlh]

thats utter tripe

you really think that you are safer diving with a buddy? are they watching you 100% of the time, do they have the adequate skills to save you?

if you have the correct training and equipment solo diving is safe. i would rather be by myself than babysitting a diver with less than adequate skills who may be an "accident waiting to happen"

You only get one mistake underwater. And its usually something stupid because you get over confident and create the error by simply not following your training. And training here is lacking in a big way as it is. I just read recently there were a couple of diving accidents in the Phuket area. One caused by inadequate supervision on an inexperienced diver and the second caused by an "experienced" diver, most likely diving alone.

As I stated before you find a "trusted" partner. Someone on par or at least near your level. Diving fun and it really doesn't take long to gain the experience to be a safe diver. Just having the right instructor.

The problem I see is your stupidity in not recognizing the "small" dangers in diving alone. You think you are this super diver that will never get in trouble. Can you tell if your regulator has a defective o-ring and needs replacing? Number one cause of regulator failure. Without a pressure gage can you tell the difference at 33 feet and 66 feet? How often you even check your gages? Can you tell how long you been down and at what depth?

To me, you are a dangerous diver, diving on borrowed time. If I could dive again, I'd never dive with some one with your crass attitude. You need some retraining. It's always a good idea to have a "checkout dive" every year or even more just to make sure you haven't developed bad habits. And you have one!

[nidhogg]

To me, you are a dangerous diver, diving on borrowed time. If I could dive again, I'd never dive with some one with your crass attitude. You need some retraining. It's always a good idea to have a "checkout dive" every year or even more just to make sure you haven't developed bad habits. And you have one!

For the experienced, trained and properly equipped diver (with full redundancy), solo diving is an acceptable risk. The problems occur when the diver is not trained, equipped and experienced.

For the OP, solo diving would be an unacceptable risk. Its well outside his training and experience.

I strongly encourage OP to forget solo diving for a long time to come. Get a couple of hundred dives under your belt, get further training in a variety of dive environments, and get more, specific, training in solo diving before even considering entering the water alone.

[limbos]

thats utter tripe

you really think that you are safer diving with a buddy? are they watching you 100% of the time, do they have the adequate skills to save you?

if you have the correct training and equipment solo diving is safe. i would rather be by myself than babysitting a diver with less than adequate skills who may be an "accident waiting to happen"

You only get one mistake underwater. And its usually something stupid because you get over confident and create the error by simply not following your training. And training here is lacking in a big way as it is. I just read recently there were a couple of diving accidents in the Phuket area. One caused by inadequate supervision on an inexperienced diver and the second caused by an "experienced" diver, most likely diving alone.

As I stated before you find a "trusted" partner. Someone on par or at least near your level. Diving fun and it really doesn't take long to gain the experience to be a safe diver. Just having the right instructor.

The problem I see is your stupidity in not recognizing the "small" dangers in diving alone. You think you are this super diver that will never get in trouble. Can you tell if your regulator has a defective o-ring and needs replacing? Number one cause of regulator failure. Without a pressure gage can you tell the difference at 33 feet and 66 feet? How often you even check your gages? Can you tell how long you been down and at what depth?

To me, you are a dangerous diver, diving on borrowed time. If I could dive again, I'd never dive with some one with your crass attitude. You need some retraining. It's always a good idea to have a "checkout dive" every year or even more just to make sure you haven't developed bad habits. And you have one!

On what do you base this presumption?

[Mrjlh]

On what do you base this presumption?

There are a lot of Diving Schools here. I will concede that many provide quality dive instruction. But unfortunately there are also a few "fly by nights" that border on the brink of disaster. Because no one keeps safety records here or at least I haven't been able to find any, we'll never really know who's bad and who isn't, will we? I've watch overloaded boats, too many students with too few instructors. I watched the way help handles equipment, customers, and equipment fittings. So good, some bad. It's get this group through so we can get on with the next ones. Although I don't dive I could still give dry land safety lessons but that involves a Visa change and permit stuff I don't need. And I truly explored that option. I have gone to shops just to see how they train their customers. Most simply use the open water as their school. Not a good idea for beginners, let alone those who have never even snorkeled. Seasoned diver OK but not beginners.

Now this is MY opinion and not necessarily the whole picture. Whether you like my opinion or not, is your business. But the bottom line is only a fool dives alone. And that's what the OP wrote about.

[skippybangkok]

You only get one mistake underwater.

Yes, and with buddy diving, it can be the mistake of an in-experienced diver. The only emergencies in the latter years of my diving which put my life in some risk was having in-experienced divers around.

The problem I see is your stupidity in not recognizing the "small" dangers in diving alone

Instead of calling people stupid ( which tells us chapters about you), lets stop talking emotions and what you learnt in your text book, lets talk facts. Put you facts on the table, of people who have been trained in solo, have dived i.e. >500 dives, and are not doing extreme things (i.e. cave / wreck or deep dives). how many incidents have there been in the last 5 years in Thailand ?

pls support these facts with URL's to the write ups of the occurrences for the readers to check.

Although i don't propose to know every solo diver in Thailand, I have dived with tons of fellow photographers, almost all of them solo divers, many of who have been diving for 10 - 15 years, and we are all still very much alive.

Edited September 11, 2008 by skippybangkok

[limbos]

On what do you base this presumption?

There are a lot of Diving Schools here. I will concede that many provide quality dive instruction. But unfortunately there are also a few "fly by nights" that border on the brink of disaster. Because no one keeps safety records here or at least I haven't been able to find any, we'll never really know who's bad and who isn't, will we? I've watch overloaded boats, too many students with too few instructors. I watched the way help handles equipment, customers, and equipment fittings. So good, some bad. It's get this group through so we can get on with the next ones. Although I don't dive I could still give dry land safety lessons but that involves a Visa change and permit stuff I don't need. And I truly explored that option. I have gone to shops just to see how they train their customers. Most simply use the open water as their school. Not a good idea for beginners, let alone those who have never even snorkeled. Seasoned diver OK but not beginners.

Now this is MY opinion and not necessarily the whole picture. Whether you like my opinion or not, is your business. But the bottom line is only a fool dives alone. And that's what the OP wrote about.

Thanks for explaining. As everywhere, there's indeed good instructors and bad instructors.

Regarding your comment about solo diving, as long as the divers is trained for solo diving and carries the required solo diving equipment, I don't see any problem at all why that person shouldn't solo dive. However, an untrained diver should indeed not attempt to solo dive, that's an accident in the making.

[skippybangkok]

Thanks for explaining. As everywhere, there's indeed good instructors and bad instructors.

Regarding your comment about solo diving, as long as the divers is trained for solo diving and carries the required solo diving equipment, I don't see any problem at all why that person shouldn't solo dive. However, an untrained diver should indeed not attempt to solo dive, that's an accident in the making.

Agreed - just waiting for the MrJLH to post some facts as above which support the un surmountable dangers as he expressed. Will be an interesting read.

When I did my cavern course, you were made to read police/ incident reports of deaths in caves/caverns/closed environments. After reading tons of them, it was clear 95% or more of the deaths were of people who had no business being there to start off with ( no training and required equipment ). I stand to be corrected, but an American Dr. died on one of the little islands south of Phi Phi, solo, but in a cave with no training - got lost. ( we were there the day after it happend, and they were still looking for him )

[skippybangkok]

Whether you like my opinion or not, is your business. But the bottom line is only a fool dives alone. And that's what the OP wrote about.

Still waiting for you to back your opinion with facts

Guess we will have to write you off now as another School book diver ( I learnt it on my PADI course and I have lots of plastic to show how good a diver i am............ )

Edited September 23, 2008 by skippybangkok