How many of you dive solo?

[BgDadddy]

Question for you all... I'm intro getting ready to take take apprentice. I'm tired of having buddies stand me up or not being available so I think I'm going to try a couple of solo dives at Ginnie and see how it goes.

My thinking is, start out easy... Check out the cavern zone and poke around in the gallery some and just start learning the cave from the entrance in while getting used to diving alone. I'll carry an aluminum 80 stage and breathe off of that, following the rule of 3rds (maybe halves), keep the isolator closed on my doubles and not even breathe from them unless there is a problem. That will give me 3 independant air sources. I'll also carry an extra mask and a 4th light just in case.

Any other suggestions??

Thanks!!
Rick

[Tegg]

Question for you all... I'm intro getting ready to take take apprentice. I'm tired of having buddies stand me up or not being available so I think I'm going to try a couple of solo dives at Ginnie and see how it goes.

My thinking is, start out easy... Check out the cavern zone and poke around in the gallery some and just start learning the cave from the entrance in while getting used to diving alone. I'll carry an aluminum 80 stage and breathe off of that, following the rule of 3rds (maybe halves), keep the isolator closed on my doubles and not even breathe from them unless there is a problem. That will give me 3 independant air sources. I'll also carry an extra mask and a 4th light just in case.

Any other suggestions??

Thanks!!
Rick

Not the brightest idea at your skill level if you ask me.

You should be talking to your instructor about this idea. See what he/she says.

[Limestone Cowboy]

I could not agree more. Buddies are about more than air...

Drew

[SLIM]

I am with the others. I do not know your full level and knowledge of diving so I will have ot agree. Your experiance in the overhead is still very very young. A buddy is not only for air like you try top make it but also for many other reasons. Your ability to solve problems, (a buddy can help out) enjoy the dive with(got to have a buddy for that), someone to citique you on your skills and proficancy(no buddy, no one to help you advance). I bet that any instructor would not adives you this young in your training. I will say this, since you asked, I have to say NO you are not ready.

SLIM

[ScubaBob-Squaretank]

Problems don't just come one at a time. They can bunch up on you quickly. One problem can lead to three real quick. That is what a buddy is for. I trust my buddy with my life. If there is a problem they can be your guideline 8) to life. Sound like russian roullette.

[HomoErectus]

I will say this, since you asked, I have to say NO you are not ready.

SLIM

Nobody wants to dive me anymore, so I dive primarly with AL. However, I will have to agree with Slim here.

[Genesis]

If you are fully self-reliant, then I see no issue. A buddy can kill you just as certainly as they can help you when things get dicey.

If you are not fully self-reliant, then you might want to reconsider what you're doing - solo or otherwise. After all, your buddy could "go away" unexpectedly (medical issues DO happen, people DO wig out, etc) - and two people being there doubles the odds of one of them having a problem.

IMHO, of course.

(I dive solo all the time and enjoy it.)

[Kelly Jessop]

I was reading some past accident reports,and I stumbled across one that I had long since forgotten. There was a new cave diver diving solo at Devils (Ginnie) and he was found floating dead around the mudflats with only 300 psi of air (Regs didn't work well when they reached low pressure). This situation WOULD NOT have happened had he had a buddy.

There are buddy boards that you can ask for a buddy,talk to your instructor or any other instructor and see if they can mate you up with a newly trained diver that needs experience. Ask other cave divers at the site,I've change dive plans to accomodate somebody in your position.

[Gary]

I dove solo from OW to cavern to intro to full and on and on. At every level there is a need to cover complete self redundancy and complete confidence with skills, directions and self rescue ability for every situation. It doesn't just mean independent air it means independent backup for everything and every posibility. Should include additional backup lights, depths, timers, etc - all gear in reliable shape.

That being said I think that it is probably beter to solo at all levels rather then assume that at some special moment you would be "able" through your other certifications to suddenly and competently do so. Solo can be done at any level but you won't start at the level you are - you should somewhat "start over" solo and regain experience.

I do have a concern about "isolator closed". You need a buddy bottle as a independent air source but gain little additional by closing the valve. If you close the valve you will need to have pressure guages for each side of the doubles and start thinking of them as independent doubles: sharing air between them and such and fouling many of the indications you would normally expect if you trained for manifolded doubles. Manifolds have advantages and disadvantages. With the major disadvantage covered by the buddy bottle I would assume most of the manifold's remaining characteristics would be to your benefit.

Also ginnie is officially "solo prohibited" and they may have concerns as well.

Also the last guy who asked on this board about solo is now dead. Died solo cave diving within a few weeks of the question. It's imposiable to say that a buddy would have have no chance to rescue/help him.

Also there often are competent buddies availiable. Not all are better then having no buddy - but most are. You could dive prep'ed for solo and try out some of them. Gain experience for both and have the bases covered both ways until you are sure.

Dive well within your limits and comfort zone.

Good luck.

[Cindy]

Any other suggestions??

Thanks!!
Rick

If you spend a lot of time diving by yourself you will miss out on several things that are some of the great parts of cave diving. Diving with people who are better than you, so you can copy skills and equipment, it takes longer learning it on your own. You miss all the great stories, shared hardships and shared fun. Ya you can most likely solo dive and get away with it, if you do get killed we can all just say "well if he had a buddy he would still be alive". Of course if you get killed with a buddy people will say nasty things anyway so it's best not to get killed! Try a little harder to find a buddy, there are forums like this one, exploration groups out there, your instructor may know some people. I know a few people in your area, pm me and I'll see if I can set you up with some friends and maybe a mentor. You can always try diving with Gary, he's not too bad of a silt monster.
Cindy Butler