Lets look at Solo Diving from a number of angles in order to do so we need to first look at what’s called Risk Assessment. What will be the safety issues for the dive including the conditions above and below? Statistically it is safer to dive alone and as a matter of fact in cave diving it is the safest dive you can do. More times than knout your buddy is the most dangerous thing in the water. Buddies can kill you if you you’re not equally trained or only one of you panics. Anyway back to Risk Assessment tells us that you don’t put yourself or others in danger for something that can be done another way or under safer conditions based on a number of factors including training and need. Need to complete a certain task like get a shot or picture, retrieve an object like an anchor or lost gear, or even save a life. For example you would have to stop and think if Sharks were mauling someone and you jump in to save then only to become more chum yourself. What would be the benefit of that to either party?
I dive Solo a lot, needing to get a picture of divers getting in the water to being pre-positioned for an anticipated or required shot. For me the other reason is, unless I am teaching a class, I am the worse buddy that could be; my hands are occupied as well as my brain. I am always looking at everything other than a buddy especially when shooting macro critters. I am at a standstill for a long time for many shots and that means my buddy has to just sit there or dive solo after all. If someone wants to dive with me I explain this and if they still want to go they’re welcome to come along. Even when I am using a Model they’re usually too far away to be of any help. A well-trained diver also has another problem with buddies that of “Do as I do” which means you are at risk from divers who don’t want to interfere with something you are doing. This is from dissimilar training levels and the lesser-trained diver thinking “Well they have to know what they are doing”!
So if you are going to dive Solo get the right training, but don’t judge those that chose to in a bad light. If you’re doing it with the right training you know the Risk and have made the informed decision to take it. Then you are literally on your own, just be sure that you have filed a flight plan or informed the DM or Crew of your intentions so that you’re not the cause of an un-needed search party putting others at risk. I feel I am as safe or safer diving alone than having to worry about my equipment and my buddies as well. It is like driving in a group of cars on the freeway. You multiply your risk with every set of tires and every driver around you. There is no evidence that Solo diving is dangerous for the trained diver, when was the last time you heard of a diver dying diving Solo?
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