Diving Solo: Part II

In our November issue, we reported that a preponderance of Undercurrent members who responded to our email question about whether they dive alone said indeed they do. In this piece, we will discuss more about solo diving, but first, we report about those who don't.

Some Say "Do Not Dive Alone"

Some divers recognize they are not self-sufficient. Stuart Burns (Eastleigh, UK) readily admits, "I am a summer vacation diver, and while I am careful to refresh my skills before a dive holiday, I am not current and sufficiently skilled to handle all the potential problems that could arise. I relax and enjoy my diving more if I am in a small group."

For some divers, there is safety in numbers, especially when current is a factor. "As long as I knew that getting back to the boat was not an issue, that I could surface whenever and wherever I wanted and easily swim back to the boat, then I preferred to dive alone," says Jeff Devine (Frankford, DE). But today, he says, "On drift dives, where the vessel picks you up when and where you surface, I prefer to stay in a large group to enhance my odds of being spotted upon surfacing. In other cases, such as Key Largo wrecks, the risk of being swept off by a powerful current into nowhere is a distinct possibility, especially if one lacks the aptitude for reading the currents accurately."

A lot of Undercurrent subscribers are no longer the spring chickens they were. Jonathon Blake (La Verne, CA) makes a valid point when he advises a blackout is a blackout. "Too many physiological events can occur beyond our control. Unknown environmental events, such as changing weather conditions or an animal confrontation, can happen. More and more divers are aging and diving in poor health, leaving them susceptible to strokes, heart attacks, and other medical conditions; staying near to a buddy is more important than ever."

Once a solo diver, Rod Ellis (Smithton, MO) says as he ages (and not seeing much new anymore), "I prefer the social, sharing, and leading of group and buddy diving. Plus, let's keep it simple and safer." These days, he says, "Diving alone is akin to [having] a death wish."

John Miller, who owns the Texas Dive Center in Lubbock, was emphatic: "We don't need one more diver death from someone thinking they can go off by themselves from their buddy or dive group without the proper training and experience."

Divers who aren't sufficiently trained should not independently decide to dive alone. But at times, one has no choice.

Diving Instructors Dive Alone

When people learn to dive, their diving instructors' are essentially a solo diver. Who would rescue them if the need arose?

Steve Clabuesch (Santa Cruz, CA) made the important point: "I have been an instructor for 35 years teaching, and I always considered myself a solo diver while teaching. I never had a specific buddy, nor could I depend on new divers to come to my aid in an emergency.

"Now that I am retired, I dive alone, and when diving with a group, I will tend to be solo with no specific dive buddy, but I typically follow the group. I have confidence in my skill set, equipment, and judgment, and I do not take unnecessary risks. I follow a consistent predive check to ensure all is in order before entering the water and then another check before I descend."

In Some Conditions, You're a Solo Diver

Sometimes, low visibility and currents mean you're diving alone whether you want to or not. Tom Baker (San Diego, CA) wrote, "My wife and I were active in the Atlantic wreck diving scene. Zero viz and dark water caused frequent separations, so you had to be comfortable by yourself and totally self-reliant."

Subscriber Thomas Hemphill (Vancouver, WA) put solo diving in perspective. "Diving in NW waters, with often minimal visibility, it's common to end up separated from your buddy. Most of the time, we made little effort to find each other, and due to the currents, we usually did not go to the surface to reunite."

Michael Traylor (El Paso, TX) says his dives always start with a buddy, "but I often find myself alone, absorbed in some critter or sight that caught my eye. My buddy goes off on his own with the same mindset. Dangerous, I'm sure, but no harm has come to either of us from the practice. Two divers in the same ocean - we're buddies!"

In dives off Southern California beaches, Jonathon Blake (La Verne, CA) says divers "sometimes lose track of each other in our 4- to 6-foot visibility dives here. I believe the rule of thumb is to search for two minutes more, then surface."

A Bad Buddy is Worse Than None

And why? They may be novices, have poor skills, go off on their own, or they may just not care.

And some dive shops will tell you that. When Alex Panas (Parsippany, NJ) took his solo course to get a card in case he wanted to dive solo with an unfamiliar shop, he said he was "surprised to hear that solo diving may be safer than buddy diving since a buddy may be more of a liability than an asset!" I don't know if I agree, but his arguments have some merits."

An Undercurrent subscriber who prefers to remain anonymous wrote, "I prefer to dive with my primary buddy but no one else. I would rather dive alone rather than have another unknown element. . . . . I have been on two trips where a diver I don't know from Adam has had a problem and taken the regulator from my mouth, and now you are dealing with a panicked diver. Sure, would have liked to see more of that wreck in Truk! This guy had even ditched his weight belt!"

Some Undercurrent members often hire private guides, as Deborah Berlund (Bozeman, MT) does. "In a group, when I was assigned a dive buddy, they were either the same ocean buddies or had incompatible skills. As an experienced diver and avid photographer, having a buddy who is cognizant of that is important. So, whenever possible, I hire a private guide. It costs a bit, but it's worth it not to have someone stirring up silt, kicking me in the head, or vanishing."

Issues are likely to occur at the beginning of a dive, notes Bill Wohler (Menlo Park, CA), and "that's a good time to have a buddy. I remember two events: having a pinched dump valve on the BC (so I couldn't easily go up) and having my weight pocket rip off during the giant stride (so I couldn't easily go down). The funny thing is that my buddies were already at the bottom at these times."

Wayne King (Oxnard, CA) made a valid point, "When I think about uncomfortable situations I had, it was due to having a bad buddy, either due to incompetence or recklessness. If I were to have a serious medical condition like a heart attack, I'm not sure having a buddy would help me much, so I don't worry about that situation."

And dive groups, where buddies may or may not be assigned, create their own problems, especially if only one dive guide is leading the bunch and he swims like a shark is after him. King says, "I've had several vacation trips where the guide has left people behind because the guide didn't want to swim as slowly as others wanted to or didn't want to spend the time looking at something. Not a problem for me. I can always navigate my way back to the boat."

To conclude, Undercurrent member Greg Oppenhuizen (Holland, MI) sums things up: "It is an illusion to think that diving with a buddy is a 'safer' way to dive. I would contend from personal experience that my 'buddy' was the guy who was going to kill me rather than save me. I have had to drag multiple 'buddies' back to the boat and did things I would not do because my buddy used questionable judgment, and I was supposed to stay with the guy.

"Buddy diving implies staying with someone or going somewhere, even when you would not on your own. That buddy is a liability that you signed on for or got 'assigned' to. Many 'out of air' situations occurred because the diver stayed underwater too long because the buddy or the group created peer pressure to stay down too long when you would have gone up if you were on your own.

"As a solo diver, I prepare and monitor everything and make all the decisions to keep my dive enjoyable and safe. I am not going to 'run out of air' simply because I am not paying attention. A pony bottle is just one more thing to deal with in a shallow, 'easy' dive. It is worse than not necessary. A catastrophic air loss is very unlikely, and if it occurred, would a buddy be close and attentive enough to make a difference? I seriously doubt it. Alone or with a buddy, you have to make it up on your own. If you aren't deep, you have a little time. Which is all you need.

"The most likely problem for a solo diver is a significant medical emergency where a buddy may, perhaps, be an asset to you. But at the same time, you become a liability for your buddy. I learned as a lifeguard a fundamental rule: No double drownings."

-Ben Davison and John Bantin

Next Issue: What the Industry Thinks