Your solo protocols

[texdiveguy]

What special or different diving protocols do you place in motion during 'solo' diving..?

[cummings66]

I suppose for me its the different gear I add, plus it's the element of relaying my plan to my wife who's waiting on shore for me. Then I follow that plan accurately.

I have limitations, I won't dive someplace new or someplace with lots of entanglement hazards. It's got to be a pretty safe site that I know for me to do it solo.

[rainmaker]

When solo, I dive only in areas that I'm familiar with; areas where I've dived previously and feel comfortable with. I want to know where the entanglement hazards are, and I carefully avoid them.

My "general" maximum depth is 40 ft., and my "absolute" maximum depth is 50 feet when solo.

I carry a total of 3 regs, 2 tanks, 2 masks, 2 knives and 1 EMT scissors. I also carry (in addition to a dive computer) a back-up depth gauge and a bottom-timer.

[texdiveguy]

I don't add any gear to my kit from what I would use or carry in sport diving with a close buddy, being that all my diving is approached as if I am alone anyways. I too dive only sites I have dove before.

[Coaster]

I dive with a pony bottle and plan to carry a second mask....

[deepdiver47]

How many people dive with a pony bottle? Do you carry one just because you are diving solo?

[WV Diver]

Knowing your dive site is high on the list.
Having a personal depth limit is up there also.
redundant air source, computer, mask and other items as you see fit.
Lots of surface signaling devices.
Lift bag and reel.
Surface support.
emergency action plan
summiting a dive plan to someone, usually your surface support. Like a flight plan.

[texdiveguy]

Originally Posted by deepdiver47

How many people dive with a pony bottle? Do you carry one just because you are diving solo?

I dive with a pony bottle on all my sport dives...solo and buddy diving.

[rainmaker]

Originally, I used my pony bottle only for solo dives. However, now it has gotten to the point that I feel kind of naked without it, so I use it for buddy-dives as well.

[fire diver]

I gear-up for every dive as if it was a solo dive. I always carry a pony with it's own reg, full size SPG and depth guage. I carry a water-proof watch as a backup timer. I carry a knife and EMT shears. I always carry a reel and a lift bag/sausage. I don't have a spare computer yet, but Iam looking at a BT right now. I don't carry a spare mask yet, since I usually dive freshwater, and I can function without one. But it would be better to have one.

If I'm diving an unknown area, it's usually a very shallow dive. I spend the first dive looking for trees, logs, rope, fishing line, or anyother hazards or entanglements. The next solo dive in that spot would be a little deeper, again looking for hazards and just generally learning the site.

I leave my dive plan with my wife. I call her when I start gearing up and again when I get out of the water. I don't a have a max depth that I won't cross, but I determine before I splash what depth I will go to for that dive. This year I solo-ed to 102 in an area I am very familiar with. My next dive in that spot will be to about 120, then the next will be to the river channel bottom at 134.

FD