Solo diving techniques

[Serota]

If you choose to do solo cave dives, I would be interested to know:

1) gear configuation; eg, backmount doubles with the isolator open/closed, buddy bottle, sidemount etc..?

2) do you dive 1/3s or something more conservative (I know this depends on where you are and the conditions, but asking in general)?

3) What gas rules do you use if diving with a buddy bottle?

4) do you carry more than 2 backup lights. extra mask, other items that you might not take when diving with a buddy?

5) any other modifications, calculations etc. that you use to dive solo.

Thanks.

[harleydiver]

If you choose to do solo cave dives, I would be interested to know:

1) gear configuation; eg, backmount doubles with the isolator open/closed, buddy bottle, sidemount etc..?

2) do you dive 1/3s or something more conservative (I know this depends on where you are and the conditions, but asking in general)?

3) What gas rules do you use if diving with a buddy bottle?

4) do you carry more than 2 backup lights. extra mask, other items that you might not take when diving with a buddy?

5) any other modifications, calculations etc. that you use to dive solo.

Thanks.

Standard cave gear (backmount, isolator open) + buddy bottle that will get me out from my deepest planned penatration. Buddy bottle is not part of normal gas planning ie 1/3s.
No other changes.

I would NEVER use 1/3 of what I have. I have two solo configurations: when swimming, 1/4 of backmounted doubles and a buddy bottle big enough to get me out from maximum penetration, or dive 1/6 of sidemount; and when scootering, breathe 1/2 plus 200 of a stage and don't breathe backmounted doubles. Okay, that's three configurations.

I'm fortunate in that I have a low breathing rate and don't like really long dives, so I can afford to be very conservative.

A few other points: anybody that dives with a closed isolator and calls that redundant is fooling him/herself. Solo diving requires TRUE redundancy. Also, the only light I add is a small one hanging from a chest D-ring that's on the whole dive (had a primary light go out while scootering and it got dark REAL fast!). Never carried a backup mask - maybe I ought to.

[aw]

I add an AL 80 stage for buddy bottle when diving backmount.

When diving sidemount, I don't do anything different. No buddy bottle carried.

I carry a backup mask diving solo and buddy system. I don't add additional lights for solo. As usual, 2 knives, etc.

(Since solo diving is SO dangerous, I also take a camera so I can take pics of the last few moments of my life and a wetnotes notebook so I can write letters to all the dive buddies I love saying goodbye, if the need arises. )

Oh, I got another idea. Maybe the adult novelty stores could come up with something similar to their blow-up dolls called the blow-up dive buddy in case you ever almost get caught solo diving a place where it's prohibited.

[CaptainSpeleo]

I prefer to dive solo in certain cave systems where the visibility is low and zeros out at certain points and where it's impossible to maintain continual visual contact with my buddy.

I carry an extra hand-held primary light and 1 or 2 extra backup lights.

I abide by the "thirds" rule and don't like the "half plus 200" rule because it doesn't leave you much leeway if you get delayed during exit because of reduced visibility or a direction change in current.

[Cave Ranger]

I always carry 1 primary and 3 backups regardless of solo or not.
That way if the primary fails I won't necessarily have to call the dive as I will still have 3 lights.
I ALWAYS carry a spare mask in my thigh pocket now after it occured to me how screwed I would really be if I had some sort of freakish 1 in a billion mask shattering failure especially if I'm alone. Not being able to see my gages while blindly clawing my way out of a cave would suck.
Everything else is pretty much the same, Rule of 1/3's etc.

[akcaver]

I dove solo in backmount with a stage a few times, and did normal breathing techniques (1/3rd of back and 1/3 of stage) but have decided that is not conservative enough (or at all for that matter!). For backmount I adopted the stage that I dont breath out of, and almost 1/3rds on backmount 95's, cause the al 80 is roughly 1/3 of 95s pumped up.

Since i dive sidemount now, I havent done any big solo dives, but will follow the almost 1/3rd rule still since its independant tanks.

I have 3 backup lights, 2 on my helmet, with one always on (when solo). Extra mask.

Just be more careful, it can get scary alone in there if you mess up on anything! (trust me!)

[jpdiver]

The main thing is to make sure you have enough air in buddy bottles to get out if you have a complete failure on manifolded doubles. Closing the isolator makes no difference. For example, if you are using double 108's and start with a good fill, you have used 95 cu ft of air when you hit thirds. If you have a catastrophic failure at that point, an aluminum 80 will not get you out.

I usually do longer penetrations on a rebreather but that has the same issue as manifolded doubles. When I do longer penetrations such as the Berman room at Ginnie, I take 2 aluminum 80's as bailout bottles. I do not use them under normal circumstances. I leave one at stage bottle rock and keep the other one with me. That way, I have enough air to get out if my rebreather floods and my scooter fails.

You have to know how much bailout air you need to get out. Then either carry extra tanks if necessary or turn when you have used less than 80 cu ft in your back gas if you use one bailout bottle. I would be conservative on this.

If I do not use my rebreather, I prefer sidemount for solo. There is no single point of failure.You can also do your own bubble check and swap regs more easily if you have to.

don't like the "half plus 200" rule because it doesn't leave you much leeway

If this is in response to my post, remember that in the event of a delayed exit, I have a full set of doubles on my back.

[aainslie]

1. Sidemount. I was extremely uncomfortable diving backmount solo and that's why I learned sidemount.

2 & 3. I use 1/3s - I feel that's adequately conservative. On stages I'll also go 1/3. In high flow caves I feel this is excessive redundancy but am too much of a nancy to take myself up on my own beliefs so I still dive 1/3's. Instead what I'll do is a little extra exploration on the way out on side caves. Frankly the tedium of the expected deco tends to limit me more than conservatism on gas reserves.

4. Extra gear -
I carry 4 or 5 backup lights, one (switched on) on my mask, 2 on my rig and 1 or 2 in a pocket.
I carry an extra knife.
I prefer diving drysuit when solo, even though I know it slows me down, for buoyancy.
When diving a scooter I make VERY sure I've planned enough gas to swim out - sometimes this means an unused stage just for swimming exits.
I also carry a reel and 2 spools beyond what I plan to use.
In Ginnie, I carry a laminated map in my pocket of the region I'm in.
Two computers.

I don't carry a mask - although I used to, it kept getting destroyed and I've just heard so few examples of people needing one that I think it's overkill. Perhaps I should reconsider that one.

If you choose to do solo cave dives, I would be interested to know:

1) gear configuation; eg, backmount doubles with the isolator open/closed, buddy bottle, sidemount etc..?

2) do you dive 1/3s or something more conservative (I know this depends on where you are and the conditions, but asking in general)?

3) What gas rules do you use if diving with a buddy bottle?

4) do you carry more than 2 backup lights. extra mask, other items that you might not take when diving with a buddy?

5) any other modifications, calculations etc. that you use to dive solo.

Thanks.