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Bill Williams writes: >Solo diving is useful. It allows you to adjust or try >out different gear configurations and techniques. You >can take all the time you want, without feeling you're >messing up someone else's dive. It helps you focus >and concentrate on improving your navigation skills. >It also adds a special piquancy to night dives. > >Enough of the practical. Let's wax philosophical for a >moment: > >If the main reason for having a buddy is to provide a >redundant air supply when you're diving singles, then >that reason disappears when you dive independent >doubles. In which case, your buddy becomes an >uneccessary piece of equipment which could malfunction >at any moment and kill you. In true Hogarthian fashion, >it should be eliminated. Normally I'd ignore discussions of solo diving but given the forum is techdiver and probably a large number of people on this list dive solo what the hey. I was recently banned from diving on a stay at a research station in the lower Barrier Reef for solo night diving in, wait for it, 2 metres of water, so the issue is topical to me. I was not greatly distressed about the ban given that; a) I was far too busy helping to collect and process coral samples to have any time to go out on a boat dive, b) the deepest dive site I could access without a boat was 5-8 metres (and this was a long swim) & c) it was much easier to approach and photograph the rather skitish fish life while snorkeling. Still the no solo diving rule (which I might add no-one pointed out to me) did amuse me a little given I could, and did, do the same thing on snorkel with no repecusions at all. I agree mostly with what Bill says. I can only speak from my own experience which is in the marine environment with limited experience in penetration diving (please accept this qualifier, the original poster did ask for different perspectives). I too enjoy the freedom of being able to just lie around for as long as I like and watch the intricacies of fish behaviour. I generally see a lot more fish species when I dive alone, am more relaxed (than with most people I dive with, I do have buddies with similar interests I enjoy diving with) and usually have much longer dives. In general most of my solo dives are shallow down to 10-14 metres and on most dives solo or with a buddy below 6-10 metres I use a redundant air source. Most of these shallow solo dives are also used for skill maintenance and to maintian dive fitness. I find that even if I go without diving for 2 or 3 weeks my skill level decreases and I think regular diving is necessary to maintain lifesaving skills. I think the dangers of solo diving, (and I think there are some associated with the type of diving I do) which I will discuss later, must be weighed against the benefits associated with continual renforcement of skills. On most shallow solo dives I practice skills such as ditching and doning gear, swimming and performing tasks without a mask or just try out different gear configurations. All these things are difficult to do with a buddy waiting for you thats assuming you can find a buddy. One of the biggest problems I find is that few divers I know (mostly students) have the money or time to dive regularly so finding a buddy is nearly impossible. I do not agree that buddies are useless dive accessories however. In the places I dive there are critters that could injure or render a diver unconcious and not having a buddy to rescue you could spell the end (particularly if no-one knows your diving). Sharks are prevalent in some of the spots I dive (particularly those frequented by spearfishermen), electric rays, scorpion fish and stone fish are all dangers. A diver should be able to cope with entanglement or equipment malfunctions and even judge for him/her self whether conditions are within their comfort levels but other events such as paralysis or loss of conciousness from marine stings, narcosis, convulsions or loss of conciousness from oxygen toxicity or some unforseen event (being clobbered by a ditched weightbelt) can prevent self rescue. There are times I have been glad to ditch some prat who's sucking through their air like it's some kind of race or dragging some poor critter out of it's hiding place on the false assumption that I want to photograph it. Then there have been times when a buddy has been a real asset. As I see it it's a matter of balancing the pro's and con's and understanding the risks. Simon "..fear creates it's own reality." - Simon L Hartley (in response to debate on French nuclear tests and a rebute to rampant nationalism in all it's guises) "You can't change a light bulb from outside the house!!" - Yep! I said that too!! (or perhaps I'm being optimistic thinking it's possible to change anything) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Simon L Hartley o o Oo o Associate Lecturer oo o o Faculty of Resource Science and Management o oo _____ o oo Southern Cross University o (_/-\_) oo P.O. Box 157 ===(S) o Lismore NSW, Australia 2480 Ph: (066) 203 251 or (61 66) 203 251 Fax:(066) 212 669 E-mail: shartley@sc*.ed*.au* ----------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.scu.edu.au/ressci/staff/shartley.html
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