Would You Dive Alone? Part I: Undercurrent 11/2024

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Dive training agencies stress the importance of the buddy system, which is not two divers in the same ocean but two divers staying together and paying attention to each other.

However, if you ask divers about the buddy system, many will say that you dive with a buddy because they are there to help should you get into trouble. Few mention that you are there to help your buddy.

One of our subscribers, the former owner of a dive store, Rich Gallagher (San Rafael, CA), emphasized this in his response to our recent email to subscribers, asking if they dive solo.

"By diving alone, one is not responsible for taking care of one's buddy, so one can relax and enjoy the dive without constantly watching for and monitoring another's remaining air, buoyancy control, depth, anxiety level, etc. I think [the] evidence indicates that it is a mistake to assume your buddy will be able to help much in an emergency. To do so, they have to stay close at all times during the dive to promptly spot a problem and be skilled enough to diagnose it and respond quickly and correctly."

Yet, many people are critical of solo diving, and another subscriber, Adrian Hill (Nepean, Ontario), notes that their preparation often falls short of what they need even if they dive with a buddy.

"It astonishes me how many sport divers criticize the very concept of solo diving while engaging in practices I would never consider: having no dive plan or knowledge of the site; failing to buddy-check all gear and air; wandering far from my dive buddy; not knowing remaining bottom time or gas; diving into deco; failing to monitor my buddy; popping to the surface with no surface marker; and failing to know the name of the dive boat and what it looks like!"...

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