How many of you dive solo?

[curtschu]

I suspected your inbox would fill up pretty quickly. This is a great bunch of folks. If you lurk around long enough you will see the real active members.

[Walter Pickel]

Rick,

There is some pretty good cavern/intro stuff down in our area as well. Give me a shout if you would be interested in seeing some of it. I always love seeing how people respond to the "Buford Experience".

[Tegg]

Rick,

There is some pretty good cavern/intro stuff down in our area as well. Give me a shout if you would be interested in seeing some of it. I always love seeing how people respond to the "Buford Experience".

With all this rain, the hike out there should be just ripe enough for a newbie...

[FW]

With all this rain, the hike out there should be just ripe enough for a newbie...

"ripe" or "snipe"? (as in snipe hunt)

[JE]

With all this rain, the hike out there should be just ripe enough for a newbie...

"ripe" or "snipe"? (as in snipe hunt)

Here we go again: It's the 'Shad-Roc_Tote Moe ya gottz to watch out fer-!
The swamp Beavers will get ya too {at el: Bucky}!
Remember him-?

Hey Forrest,
Nice to hear from you.

Jack

[fireman cave]

Yes you did the right thing and lay your line. But when diving with people that have more experience dont let them tell you it's ok. If you give the thumb then it is over no questions asked.

[Gary]

Solo you can always dive at your own pace which can be really nice. On the other hand you can dig yourself into a heap of trouble without needing to go far in the cave. When I'm playing at my own pace someplace "close to the exit and easy" I tend to find the crazyest most challanging stuff and often surprize myself how much air and time I've used. There's a dive report of "Sand hill extravaganza" that is pretty typical of what you can find in the first 200' of a cave if you look too hard.

Not me thankfully but a pair of friends of mine once played that "close to the exit and easy" game in the cavern at Orange Grove and found themselves quickly at 180' on air and violated both thier computers. After going through all their availiable gas at the they got out and called me to see if they were dead or not from the missed deco (the one computer that stilll worked at all said they missed over an hour of deco). I'll admit they probably should have noticed the level of trouble they got themselves into before then but "in the moment" they were too engrosed in what they were doing to exercise good judgement to effect an ideal result.

Solo diving can make you a better, safer diver but you don't have to go alone. I like having the choice of going diving alone or with whoever I want to. Doing my own thing or sharing something with a buddy.

Watch those sidemount divers many are solo diving even when they are with a buddy. Equipment-wise they are just set up that way. Personality-wise they are often independent. A big step away from the standard US setup and buddy framework.

Cindy is very right about missing out on other divers, ideas and access to cave you don't know about. Instructors make the great mentors, are often great buddies and usually quite eager to help out and share new places. I've seldom taken a class where the instructor didn't leave an open offer to join him to go diving for fun after the class was complete. I've learned that those are some of the best missed oportunities I've ever failed to take advantage of.

Unfortunately there is practically no solo training availiable in the US so it is little surprising that solo divers in the US may run into trouble. In the UK they train that way and thus are prepared and equipped and have few (if any) problems. In the US a sidemount cave course is probably the closest you can come to a training ciriculum for solo cave - much better then advice off the internet.

[HomoErectus]

When did Ginnie become "solo NO-NO"

They can make all the rules they want, but they can't necessarily enforce them, because they own the dry land, not the cave. For example, they don't want you to use a DPV without a card, so they won't let you have one on their dry land. But once you're in the water, you can decide to dive solo, and since you're in a navigable waterway, they have no jurisdiction.

Sludge why all this hostility with Ginnie and its jurisdictions? Ginnie it is not law enforcing agency or Nazi dive place. They just try to protect themselves from irresponsible divers who decide to sue Ginnie for their own idiocity. You know how it is, tooooooo many lawers in this country.

For the record, Ginnie will not not check you in, if you come in and say.
1. I am going to do a solo dive, give me a pass.
2. I am an intro diver in doubles, but not Dis. App.
3. I am OW water and plan to check out the Mapleleaf.
4. or something similar that ecxeeds your limits.


PS. I did not know you need sidemount to go at the white room? It is increadible what can you learn from "kick-anus" sidemounters.

[Gary]

When did Ginnie become "solo NO-NO"

They can make all the rules they want, but they can't necessarily enforce them, because they own the dry land, not the cave. .

Actualy Ginnie has always been officially "no solo diving allowed". Given adequite cause they can enforce it by kicking offenders out of the park by the land end. Those who enter via the river aren't their problem or their responsibility.

If you show up and do stupid things and don't look like you should be doing what you are doing and people are complaining, etc. expect the Ginnie Staff to take approprite action - just like they would do for scooterers or doubles w/o approprite certification or OW divers diving the caves or heading in with lights.

I have no problem with Ginnie at all. I was just pointing out that the "no solo" rule is in fact a suggestion. Although, as was pointed out, it may help in future litigation.

Russell