Sun Nov 19, 2017 9:46 pm
A solo diver is necessarily self reliant but a self reliant diver is not necessarily solo. PADI is playing a word or mind game. Unfortunately this mind game being played is upon themselves. They simply cannot bring themselves to admit that the accident rate for solo divers is, now that light is being shed upon the subject, now out of the closet, is actually lower than for buddy teams. Are two inept divers twice as likely to create mayhem upon themselves, well, maybe. But one competent solo diver, equipped for a planned solo dive I am quite certain is less likely to come to grief.
I did the SDI Solo Diver course several years back. If I recall we did four dives for the course. There was some written work and a oral test/discussion. All in all a decent course though nothing new particularly covered I did not already know, good practice I guess. The second dive was basic skills, buoyancy, navigation, planning, swimming without a mask, reading gauges without a mask, swimming with one fin, no fins and other silly easy stuff. The third dive we doffed gear mid water and carried it along and then donned the gear. We did a switch to our alternate air supply and shot a sausage. For these I dived double hose. The fourth dive we doffed the gear on the bottom in a sandy spot between the reef fingers and swam about and then donned the gear. I did this dive with my Titan LX long hose rig. I chose to switch to the Titan LX because the PMDSV was not a complete solution to preventing runaway airflow and the Gold Coast is known to have current even more better than Cozumel! Yeah, yeah, tuck the hose(s) away, that works in the pool, not so much maybe in 80 feet of water when the current is rolling the rig along the bottom and instructor and student are each chasing their rigs for dear life. Both with rather astonished looks upon their visages. The first dive was just a check out at the BHB and get to know each other. The naked wildlife in the bushes was perhaps the most notable recollection of that dive. Well, he did have a shirt, mostly, pants, not so much. That is the way I remember it anyways.
My super Nemrod powers having waned considerable over the last few years, I am glad for having done the course then and not now. Not sure I could have wrasssled that SCUBA back on to my back after chasing it across the reef now, pretty sure not. Not sure if I am any longer up to an 80 foot free ascent anymore either. Well, rather not find out.
So, PADI cannot bring themselves to use the word "solo" but it does not matter, the SDI course is better and well recognized. Yes, you can use your dh regulator but you will need a pony bottle. I used a 19 and a 30 cf on my cert dives, slung on my left side. I ran a Mark V clone first and I think one of my Conshelf XIV seconds, not sure. Now I use one of those generic pancake seconds on a Mark V first.
I should be going, y'all be safe out there.
N (James)