Input wanted from solo divers

[Ron]

Hi all,

I have recently begun solo diving. The wife likes to ocean dive, but she is not a fan of hanging out at the springs that much. I'm relatively well versed in how to solo dive with conventional new school tech gear, but I'm curious to know your thoughts on doing it vintage.

I understand that some of you are going to say that either people didn't solo vintage, or that they would have just done it like they were diving, but without a buddy.

I have a couple of stipulations, just so that we are all on the same page with respect to the conversation:

-I want a redundant air source of some kind, ala a bailout bottle.

-I'm not sure that I need redundant buoyancy, because I don't use any buoyancy control other than my lungs when diving vintage anyway. This would eliminate carrying a surface marker buoy or whatever.

-I would probably want to bring a spare mask. I know masks don't just explode, but it makes me feel better. That may be silly, but it is what it is.

I'm open to all of your experience, and suggestions

[Creed]

I solo dive out of necessity. It's either dive solo most of the time, or don't dive at all.

Being inland, I mostly dive the local lake, where the primary concern is monofilament line(at least when the idiots on jet skis aren't around). So, I have at least two knives strapped on at all times(reachable with either hand). I have a large pony bottle, but I've never strapped it on for a dive. I usually dive without a BC, although I'm in the process of setting up one of Bryan's backplates with my XS BC right now. I don't worry about my mask.

That being said, there are some changes to my rig that I'm working on.
1) Extra 2nd stage. I've never had a DH mechanically fail, but I have had a hose leak, which flooded the 2nd. No fun. I used to run with a 2nd all the time, and I'll probably start again.
2) Adding the BC/backplate. I'm diving in colder water more often, so I have to add exposure protection, which brings in weights and necessitates a BC.
3) Added a pair of shears.

I'm still debating with myself about a redundant air source.

[captain]

All I can say is I started diving solo when I started diving because there were no other divers around (1957) so I used what was available at the time, mask fins tank and regulator. I have never carried any thing above basic gear other than two knives and shears. In my view entanglement is the main danger to solo diving. CESA handles just about any open water NDL dive equipment failure.

[Ron]

Tom,

Did you limit your depths at all back then? What was your maximum CESA depth that you trained for? I've done a 30 foot CESA, but nothing deeper than that. I'm comfortable doing it, but I don't know that I would want the risk, at my skill level, of doing it at 100 feet.

[8dust]

Sounds like you've got things pretty well figured out, for your needs, so I'm not sure what much more there is to say...

The only buddies I ever have with me (with the great exception of SD & Portage!) are fish... they'll watch your 6, but they are shitty buddy-breathers... all slimy and such... hence the admonition "hey man, don't fish-lip it!"

One of my local friends, whose schedule never seems to line-up with mine, recently took the PADI course in Solo Diving, and is now an official PADI – SELF RELYANT DIVER... and was just explaining to me about the various requirements and contents of the course. Wow! Not in a good way. There was so much emphasis on extra stuff, IMHO, it really REALLY is counter-productive to what I believe is safety rule #1A-prime... "SITUATIONAL AWARENESS" and being truly "in the moment." For every (1) piece of superfluous crap I have with me, it draws away 2-5% of my attention that I should be otherwise be devoting toward keeping my self proactively OUT of "situations," and to be honest, I don't have the surplus capacity to absorb that loss... seriously, and it's only getting worse. There's a damn good reason most states don't want you on the cellphone while driving, much less texting... as the best solution to an emergency... is to avoid it in the first place. 5-pieces of extra junk (~15%) + 1-incredibly expensive camera (20%) + 1 person I'm either waiting on or trying to keep up with (15%) = at minimum, fully 50%, one half, of my RAM is being drained away on distractions, while in an environment of which I am only a very temporary guest and ultimately, one I cannot survive if too careless. It doesn't require sloppiness, excess bravado, or even outright stupidity to be careless; sometimes just being a little distracted is PLENTY.

You want to solo dive; I'm all for it. I believe in the past you mentioned military experience. Well, I'm sure that Situational Awareness is a major theme that was covered in your training or you would likely not still be with us, so you've got that (#1) covered. #2 – a SPG isn't a terrible thing. The whole j-vale bit is fun & cool, but if you're on your own it's nice to know, especially if you're covering ground you haven't before. I use a 500' SP Depth Gauge (#3), but also have a USD capillary one around the outside of my SPG. #4 – Watch. #5 – small plastic Whistle. If, again, I'm covering ground I haven't before, I'll wear some type of Flotation (#6), be it horse collar, wing, or just my ¼" wetsuit. #6 – I have wished I had a snorkel with me a time or two but only on those same "new ground" dives, so in those cases I put one of those fold-ups in a pocket. That's it for fresh water, or a group dive in salt. For a solo in the ocean off a boat, I would wear the flotation even if I had been there before just in case Paco no count so good and leaves me to float to the next island, and a snorkel is handy when sitting low in the water waiting for the boat to load. That said I hate to boat dive and when I'm waiting on the ladder I do it just below the surface as it's much more relaxing than trying to keep me & the tank out of the water.

A second small knife wouldn't be a totally silly thing, but I can't imagine what anyone uses shears for as I have never had to cut my pants off underwater...

That's it. Keep your attention on the moment, when there's a current - plan your route with it in mind, stay out of reach of entanglements (wires, nets, caves, tree branches, falling objects), don't forget you are a guest and aren't invited to stay indefinitely (unless you're already dead – because then it's pretty cool), and when in doubt... go up. No gear is worth your life. If you have to, just ditch the belt & tank and float like an otter until you come up with plan B (always good to take a 2-3 point bearing on the surface so you can come back for your stuff). Resist the temptation to overcomplicate things. I fundamentally believe 99% of the key to safety, in ANY environment, is mindset – not more equipment. Have fun & enjoy the solitude, it's a valuable and underrated commodity!

BTW – the Self Reliant Diver course my friend just took was taught by a real nice and very genuine fellow who, unfortunately, I believe has only been certified a year or so... and has been on the express train towards being an instructor... no substitute for experience, but that don't come in the course material. I think he'll be a fantastic asset to the diving community and may even ask him to certify my Son... in another 5 years or so.

[Herman]

I solo fairly often when on Bonaire with depths up to 100 ft although most of the time I am in the 30 ft range, a fairly easy CESA. The local quarries I rarely go below 35 ft, no reason to go look at deep cold dark muck. I don't carry any type of redundant air, just don't see the need. Reg failure that causes total loss of gas is almost unheard of, adding a second stage is almost next to useless because if you do have a failure that completely shuts off your gas then it's most likely a first stage problem and you are back in the same boat. In the event of a first stage going into freeflow, another second stage just bleeds the tank faster. In the unlikely event of a total reg failure, there is always the option to remove the reg and sip the air from the tank. A completely severed DH supply hose can be dealt with, just cut/yank the hose off and breath out of the horn. The key here is keeping a cool head and thinking. I don't consider actually running out of gas a credible accident for me, I constantly monitor my gas supply and I can guesstimate the PSI based on time alone so I have a good idea when/if my SPG is BSing me.
All that aside, adding a small slung pony is always an easy and inexpensive option. All that is needed is a 12 cft or so, a simple flowby piston reg (any of the old Healthways/Sportways/SPs will do nicely), button SPG and a simple second stage and wala, redundant air for any reasonable depth. My guess is you have most of the parts lying around. Making a sling harness is easy and since the additional weight is minimal, odds are you can easily shed a few pounds off your weight belt to compensate for it.
All this is assuming you are doing simple, open water dives. Overhead environments are a totally different matter.

[SurfLung]

- We had a Solo Diving topic going a couple of years ago and it was enjoyable. For me, it was re-assuring to know that some very knowledgeable and experienced VDH divers do it frequently. Even my LDS dive instructor said he is essentially solo all the time... Because he's watching out for others who aren't watching out for him.
- I've been diving solo in the Minnesota lakes. There's not much to see beyond the weed line so my depths don't go deeper than I can handle if and when I run out of air. And, I'm not far from shore if I need to swim in.
- The most fun has been mid summer when the water's warm enough to dive with just mask, fins, tank, and regulator. But in Minnesota, I almost always have to wear a wet suit for warmth... and so the buoyancy changes. But even that can be fine tuned with weights set up for 20 ft deep.
- I started out just using my watch to time air consumption. And I can still do that as my little 53 cf tanks at 20 ft depth usually last about 45 minutes... I go 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back and I've got plenty left when I'm done. But I've found I like the pressure gauge method and got a few vintage USD gauges that are thin enough to tuck under my weight belt and keep me from having too many protruding hoses.
- The idea of emergency flotation is more of what my BC is used for. I got a minimalist 18 lb. Oxycheq back BC with their "Traveler" soft back pad... I made a vintage style harness for it and it wears simple and light as a vintage harness. I've got the buoyancy control capability if I need it but I rarely inflate it. I also have emergency flotation if I need it.
- I don't feel the need for a redundant air supply on these dives. I have no buddy to keep an Octo for. Even the Oxycheq BC doesn't really need an inflator... If I need to I blow in air orally. I DO solo with Phoenix regs with octo, inflator, and SPG but I've set them up for minimal hangout and snag exposure.
- Finally on the wet suit, I've been using what turns out to be a 2mm suit (I got it at Fleet Farm for $65). It is so thin and flexible It's like no suit. And, I think the buoyancy changes are minimal with a suit this thin. Warmth? It has been warm enough for 90+% of my diving. I added a 3mm hooded vest, gloves and boots to wear in the 42 degree depths of Fortune Pond... Yeah the legs and arms definitely feel that kind of cold... But it hasn't been bad.
- The only things that bother me about solo diving in the lakes are when the visibility is poor and I can't tell what's around me. A few times last Summer some schools of unseen carp (or something) kept swirling sediment at me and it sort of creeped me out to be all alone with unseen monsters in the water .
- But my last dive of Fall, the Zebra Mussels cleared up the visibility to over 25 feet... And I soloed with vast swooping schools of humongous carp, curious (and huge) walleyes, and even found a canoe paddle to take home.
- Sorry to go on so much about this. My dive computer shows I did 48 dives in 2012 and most of them were these little lake dives. I love solo diving because any other time I seem to be baby sitting this or that guest.

[captain]

Tom,

Did you limit your depths at all back then? What was your maximum CESA depth that you trained for? I've done a 30 foot CESA, but nothing deeper than that. I'm comfortable doing it, but I don't know that I would want the risk, at my skill level, of doing it at 100 feet.

I never put a depth limit on it. If you can do CESA from 30 feet you can do it from 100 feet.

[8dust]

...The only things that bother me about solo diving in the lakes are when the visibility is poor and I can't tell what's around me. A few times last Summer some schools of unseen carp (or something) kept swirling sediment at me and it sort of creeped me out to be all alone with unseen monsters in the water

SO been there!!! Friggin' Seamonsters!

[Ron]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it. If you guys have any more feedback, or experiences, then I'd love to hear them. I'm also curious to test my CESA skills at a deeper depth in the springs. The CESA used to be something that you "just did" in SCUBA training, and I'm kind of lost as to why no agencies do actual ones anymore.

As far as my thoughts for vintage solo, I don't mind not using a redundant air source as long as I can CESA from that depth. I've never done it deeper than 30 feet, so I'd like to give it a shot, just to have the training value. I have the utmost faith in my doublehoses, and I'm not even quite sure how any of mine could fail in a non-safe condition after learning them, reviewing the schematics, and rebuilding a ton of them. You guys are right in that an extra second stage isn't going to do much for you without an extra first stage.

I think what I'll probably end up doing is diving a doublehose rig without a bailout from depths that I feel comfortable at CESAing from, and then carrying a bailout for deeper depths. Depending on what the environment is like, I may use a snorkel and Mae West (like boat dives). I'm probably going to carry an extra mask, just because it makes me feel better. I never use an SPG, since all of my J-valves are in excellent working order (and rebuilt yearly), but I think using one for solo is a good idea.

I'm still open to more ideas, and to be honest just hearing more stories is cool too.

Has anyone ever lost a mask while in the conduct of a dive? I never have.

[swimjim]

I solo dive fairly often during the summer. While I don't necessarily put a depth limit on things, the deeper I go the more redundant air I carry. I won't hook into a wreck deeper then about 100 fow as bottom time get's pretty short if you have to mess with that. However, if it's a deeper wreck with a mooring on it, I'm all over that.
I'll test vintage gear in less then 50 fow as long as I can sling a pony. I'll do a VDH backplate/wing with a Phoenix as deep as 100 fow solo. Past that, its twin 72's on a double iso manifold with a slung pony. Even in Lake Michigan, I figure if you have to go to the 3rd reg you had better re evaluate your maintenance procedures. No excuse for a bad day like that.....not even at 38 degree's!

Jim

[Ron]

Excellent points from a cold water guy Jim! In fact, hopefully I can make SD and Portage this year, and we can do the old "tell lies and dive in shorts" thing, just like old times

[gj1963]

So many interesting points in this thread I will have to re-read it a few times.

I have only made a few ever solo shallow to test equipment. I have often thought of going myself as my three main dive buddies dive approximately a third as often as I do ( they only go if I do and then its never all of us). I am more concerned and spend more time with their cyborg penguin appearing gear setup as they pile on this or that. Meanwhile I have pulled on a tank/harness and weight belt and am spending 90% of my time waiting/checking their equipment over. 95% of my dives are in the same hole in the groud from which I have done more CESA practices then I can remember. New Mexico only offers so many dive spots.

[Creed]

A second small knife wouldn't be a totally silly thing, but I can't imagine what anyone uses shears for as I have never had to cut my pants off underwater...

Shears are good for fishing tackle and nets, among other things. Plus, they are easier to use with gloves on and are less likely to get dropped. At least, that is the selling points I've ran across. A dive instructor friend of mine in San Jose, Ca, mentioned that shears are their main tools for getting out of entanglements now.

That being said, I'm sure I could come up with a pleasant scenario involving the use of shears to remove clothing underwater...

[ebj]

If you are concerned about having a redundant air supply like I am when solo spearfishing offshore, make sure it's one you will always have with you. Bigger isn't always better. I switched to a small,back mounted 13cf aluminum tank because it's lightweight, it doesn't get in the way, and I'll always have it with me. With a conshelf 1st and detuned second, it's bulletproof. On paper, it isn't enough air to do the proper safety stops from very deep, but it will get me up to the drop tank we hang at 15ft. I've never had to use it because my PRAM always works.