Solo cert.

[texdiveguy]

Originally Posted by fire diver

I got kinda irked at my daughter's OW instructor last weekend. He invited me to come along, and to bring my gear to pool dive with my daughter, so I was around for everything. I got to hear the whole speach about "you're not allowed to go deeper than 60 with OW, AOW let you go to 100" So then he turns to me and asks what my deepest dive was. I told him 102. Then my daughter told him that I did it alone. So now he's telling me I really need to take the AOW and Solo course. I didn't want to undermine him in front of students, so I just said no thanks, I was fine.

I don't need a peice of plastic to tell me it's OK to go deep, or to dive solo. I've done all the risk analysis, and planned accordingly.

I used to really dislike the idea of the solo course. But over time I came to realize that I learned my stuff from a variety of other solo-ists. Having it all in one class is just another way. I DO have a problem with some of the class material though.

Fd

Fd..... actually the AOW courses are pretty good and you might pick up some additional information...not to mention if you ever opt to head out on many charter ops and do diving you may just need that plastic AOW card. :-)

I just got in the mail today for a total cost of $12 the Robert Von Maier book Solo Diving 2nd. edition. I am interested in reading the 128 page book and see what info. is in it....never to old/smart to learn!!

[ianr33]

I solo dive sometimes. I am pretty familiar with redundancy and dive planning (Full Cave and Trimix certified)

What would I gain from doing the solo course?

[texdiveguy]

Originally Posted by ianr33

I solo dive sometimes. I am pretty familiar with redundancy and dive planning (Full Cave and Trimix certified)

What would I gain from doing the solo course?

The pride in knowing you did it and another plastic card--- :-) LOL!

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by ianr33

I solo dive sometimes. I am pretty familiar with redundancy and dive planning (Full Cave and Trimix certified)

What would I gain from doing the solo course?

Apparently, permission to dive solo from a Peter Hughes boat, and perhaps some other ops.

Which is not without some value... how much is up to you.

[cummings66]

Originally Posted by fire diver

I don't need a peice of plastic to tell me it's OK to go deep, or to dive solo. I've done all the risk analysis, and planned accordingly.

You're right that you don't need the card, but some places you might go might require the card. I don't have the solo diving card, I'll probably get it if it's convenient, as in I don't have to drive 500 miles out of my way to do a course.

I got my AOW because I had a dive I wanted to do and they wouldn't let me without the card. Of course now I have other things I want to do that require rescue so I've done it. It's one of those things that many times you can learn the skills on your own, but sometimes there's a way to look at it that you missed. The rescue course will show that to be true many times over.

I believe the solo course might do the same. At any rate I have all the gear suggested and feel it's well worth having. I do solo dive sometimes, and to be honest I enjoy the peace of mind I get while doing it. I have no responsibilities to my buddy, I can do what I want for as long as I want and have to answer to nobody. Well, not quite true. I do tell my wife the dive plan and I stick to it so that she won't worry.

[finflippers]

I have been solo diving since 1996 and I do not dive enough places that will only allow you to dive solo with the card, for me to take the money to go and get it.

I remember when it was taboo to even mention solo much less dive solo then all of a sudden they can make money on a course and it is ok to do it then.

[divingbuddy]

I picked up the Solo Diver card for those operators that do require the certification for solo diving off their boats.

Did I need or want another card? No...

Did I learn something from the course? To a certain extent - more from a dive planning/philosophical perspective than skills/drills.

Would I recommend the course? Yes...with the instructor I had I found it definitely worth the time and money.

Do I feel you need the card to safely dive solo? No...but I have always been an advocate of life-long learning. If we can gain some new insight or way of looking at things from a course, can that ever be a bad thing?

Just my two cents...Cheers!

[jeraldjcook]

How widely accepted is SDI solo certification? I can see a lot of operators not caring if you have the card or not, they're not going to let you dive solo. There is a shop down at Table Rock lake in Missouri who offers the course and I've been considering it. Having the cert. will probably ease the wife's nerves as well.

[pnevai]

Originally Posted by diversteve

Here's the Hughes link: https://www.peterhughes.com/PDFFiles...rSoloDiver.pdf

Hughes requires SDI Solo certification. I don't remember where I saw the Aggressor info, might've read it in a forum post.

Here's the Explorer fleet requirements:

• They're also teaching the SDI course on select trips now.

In these situations I have found that almost always there is a guided group. I join the group and somewhere along the line I drift away. 99.5 percent of the time they never know I'm gone (Encouraging ain't it)

And since I am usually diving a stricter dive plan anyway going solo I am usually already puttering around under the boat when everyone returns so no one ever has to come looking for me.

[Splitlip]

These operators who say "no solo" without a cert, do they require divers to buddy up with strangers?
I don't care to play that way. I swim along with a guided group if that is what they like, but I avoid the insta buddy thing.
I have buddied up successfuly with strangers on a few trips but only after mutual acceptance and without somebody requiring it.