Solo diving

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A solo diver with a double cylinder pack and an emergency cylinder on the left

Solo diving is diving without a buddy , especially when scuba diving , but also in free diving .

Some divers prefer solo diving to diving in the buddy system and thus consider themselves responsible for their own safety.

Recreational solo divers have special skills and equipment to compensate for the fact that no other diver can help them in an emergency. The necessary skills and procedures can be learned, among other things, in special diving courses, which include an examination and lead to certification. While most diving organizations previously advised against recreational solo diving, it has been partially accepted since the late 1990s, and experienced divers are offered appropriate training in diving independence and redundant equipment .

definition

Solo diving is defined as diving that is completely or partially planned and carried out without a buddy. This is also valid:

  • if original buddies continue diving independently of one another after a (planned, but at least considered) separation,
  • if other divers are nearby but are not responsible for the safety of the solo diver, or
  • when other divers are objectively unable to respond appropriately to a possible emergency.

Unplanned diving without a buddy, for example because you lost contact with him during a dive, is by definition not solo diving, because it usually lacks the appropriate preparation and equipment. In this case you dive alone and according to the guidelines of the diving sport associations you have to end the dive on the shortest possible route.

The term solo diving is also mistakenly used when buddies are not alert enough or in close enough proximity to effectively act as buddy. This is also known as "same ocean buddy diving".

Dives in which the diver is alone in the water but is connected to a support team on the surface via a line or voice connection, where a backup diver is also available, are usually not referred to as solo dives. This is regularly the case with surface-fed diving , professional diving , rescue diving and diving with an armored suit .

history

Originally, most of the dives were solo dives, while buddy diving was primarily developed for recreational divers in the mid-20th century.

To this day, working divers are usually alone in the water.

Freedivers who z. B. looking for sponges or pearl mussels , traditionally dived alone or with an assistant on the surface to help bring in a catch or a harvest. Many early diving bells were only large enough for a single user. When surface-fed diving was developed, it was common for only one diver to be in the water, unless the work required more divers. This has been preserved to this day, with a backup diver now securing the actually working diver who is in constant contact with the surface team.

The scuba diving has its roots in a variety of small snorkel - and spear fishing Sports Teams from the decades around the Second World War . In the 1940s - after the invention of the regulator by Cousteau and Gagnan  - the first underwater breathing apparatus for sports use was brought to retail. As the sport expanded in the 1950s, several sports organizations - notably the Young Men's Christian Association ( YMCA ) - began offering diving courses for keen swimmers, which also led to the establishment of rules for scuba diving that were considered appropriate at the time. The buddy system was found to be useful in line with the “never swim alone” rule of the YMCA swimming and lifeguarding courses. Separately, Cousteau ran a buddy system after several serious diving accidents occurred in the early days of research diving. The useful aspects of buddy diving had already developed, including checking each other's equipment before dives, improving assistance in the event of possible getting stuck in lines and nets or failure of equipment, as well as enhancing the community experience. The YMCA had a significant impact on scuba diving certification for the first 50 years of the sport. When various diving courses were adopted by emerging certification organizations such as the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), and the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC), the principle of buddy diving inspired one of the two mantras of the Recreational diving: "Never hold your breath!" And "Never dive alone!"

In the early to mid-1990s, solo divers became more publicly visible and open about their alternative philosophy to safe diving, even though the recreational diving industry stuck to the buddy system. It was not until 1999 that Scuba Diving International (SDI) introduced a special course for solo diving. Several other organizations followed suit, introducing courses called Self-reliant Diver and variations on the term. The latter with the idea of ​​improving the diver's skills without necessarily diving alone. At the “Rebreather Forum 3” in 2012, a notable minority of participants believed that under certain circumstances it was acceptable to dive solo with a rebreather .

To this day, many divers have great reservations about solo diving, so that the subject is sometimes not openly discussed, although many divers dive solo at least occasionally. Diving instructors, in particular, often only talk about the subject at open hands, as they fear repression from their certification organizations.

Reasons for Solo Diving

Buddy system weaknesses

In principle, accidents and dangerous situations should be avoided when diving, or at least survived without damage. When diving in a group of two or three people, this is achieved by the divers cooperating and, if necessary, saving each other or supporting a rescue. Diving buddies are often dependent on mutual help in an emergency.

The buddy system only works as long as all divers on the team are able to provide assistance to the other divers if necessary. However, this is not the case in many conceivable situations:

A diving instructor (middle) with two students.
  • In fact, diving instructors are not part of a functioning buddy team, as they dive with students who may not have been trained in rescue techniques. A group of student divers is not an effective buddy team either.
  • Even very inexperienced divers or divers who dive very rarely may not be able to provide help successfully because they still have to concentrate heavily on themselves and do not or no longer master emergency techniques. If they are challenged in an emergency, there is a high risk that they themselves will end up in danger and have an accident as a result.
  • Dependent divers can depend on their buddy in many ways, such as: B. in terms of navigation, depth control, a safety stop or even the operation of the equipment. Even if your diving partner does not get directly into an emergency situation, but you are only separated from it, a dangerous situation can arise if the dependent diver no longer receives the necessary support. This phenomenon results from the buddy system, as some divers rely too much on the fact that a buddy is always present.
  • When divers e.g. If, for example, they are put together in random buddy teams while traveling, the team members often do not know each other or only briefly and can sometimes only communicate poorly in advance, also due to linguistic differences. From this it can follow that the interests of the other person as well as possible peculiarities or special features are not known to the diving partner. This in turn can lead to different ideas about the course of the dive, but also to problems in providing assistance in emergency situations. (For example, if previous illnesses are not known.)
  • A similar problem arises with only different interests for the dive. If divers pursue different goals, there is a high risk that they will become far apart, disregarding each other and possibly even separate.
An underwater photographer focuses on composing his next photo.
  • Underwater photographers and videographers are often not involved in real buddy teams, as they concentrate heavily on taking the desired pictures and less on the diving partner. They are then often just "same-ocean buddies", which means that they are far away from their buddies or are so focused on their camera that they would not notice an emergency situation in time. This leads many experienced underwater photographers to go solo diving because they could not provide help to a buddy in time, but neither would they expect such help from a buddy.
  • The same often applies to underwater hunters who concentrate on their prey.

In these situations, the divers or their buddies must be aware that they are formally diving in the buddy system, but that this would very likely fail in an emergency. You are therefore more likely to be seen as a solo diver and should prepare accordingly.

Even if the diving partners protect each other professionally, the buddy system itself can lead to additional dangers. One way to do this is through peer pressure . If a diver feels uncomfortable or has real problems, it is possible that he still does not stop the dive out of wrong consideration of the interests of the other diver and thus has a negative diving experience. This can also occur on both sides, if actually both divers z. B. would rather not do the dive due to the conditions, but do it anyway.

The basic problem with buddy diving is that the dive has to be interrupted or canceled if the diving partners lose sight of each other. This can happen due to a lack of attention or distraction and is favored by poor visibility. It happens that divers are mistaken in the water and one diver mistakenly joins another group that is not consciously paying attention to him. In individual cases divers want to bypass the restrictions of solo diving and dive with a buddy, whom they then leave alone. The remaining diver must then abort the dive according to the guidelines for the buddy system after a brief search and return to the surface.

The weaknesses of the buddy system do not result from the system itself, but from its often inadequate practice. Solo divers often state that they therefore do not want to rely on other divers and that they should prepare themselves as well as possible.

Additional reasons

In addition to the weaknesses of the buddy system, some of which one bypasses when solo diving, solo diving also has its own advantages. Accordingly, many experienced divers consider solo diving to be a viable option for appropriately trained, equipped and capable recreational divers. You often have several reasons for choosing solo diving. Which includes:

  • Rather than relying on the buddy system, solo divers try to be completely self-sufficient and are willing to take full responsibility for their own safety while diving. So there is a high level of personal responsibility and low dependence on others.
  • Solo divers are not tied to the availability of a buddy and can dive even if a trusted and known buddy is not available.
  • Some divers dive in the buddy team when a buddy they know and trust is available, but dive solo when they would otherwise be assigned to a potentially unreliable, incompetent, or dangerous buddy.
  • If you have a diving accident with a buddy, you run the risk of being held responsible. (See Legal Notice .) This can be a reason to dive alone.
  • The diver may simply personally prefer to dive alone. They enjoy the solitude of solo diving and the feeling of independence. You feel good about relying solely on your own abilities. Other divers, especially very experienced divers, enjoy the freedom to not have to take care of anyone other than themselves and therefore to achieve their own goal for the dive without compromising.
  • There are divers who do very specialized underwater activities but cannot find anyone who shares this specific interest enough to dive with them. The option of simply not diving is not a viable solution, as the diver will then be permanently unable to follow his interests. Diving with buddies who get bored or tired quickly is not a long pleasure for any of the participants. If the underwater activity is only of interest to one person, solo diving is the only option to pursue the activity.
  • When photographing or filming shy animals, success is more likely if only one diver can disturb the object. The disturbance can also be reduced by diving with rebreather diving equipment, whereby noises caused by bubbles are avoided, however disturbances are not completely avoided thereby.
  • Most depth records are set by solo divers. Usually an extensive support team is available, but for the actual record attempt the diver is almost always alone and leaves the area in which a rescue would be likely.

Some divers feel that it is inevitable that they will find themselves in situations where they must primarily help themselves and not rely on someone else's help. You should therefore prepare accordingly, even if you mainly dive in the buddy system. A solo diver can actually go diving alone, but will also be able to dive in a buddy team thanks to his independence, his trained attention and his special risk awareness.

risk

statistics

There has long been disagreement about the relative safety and merits of solo diving. Until 2003 there were hardly any statistics on the impact of solo diving on safety, as the topic was not examined separately. A 2006 report by the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) concluded that "based on the evidence from available statistics and risk analysis, the increased risk from allowing planned solo diving is unacceptable". The data on which the statistics are based, which are supposed to show the dangers of solo diving, are questionable: Divers who die alone but originally dived in a buddy team were often rated as “solo dives”, but whether the separation was a consequence of the Accident event or its cause is not investigated. Even divers who dive alone, but without observing the special requirements for solo diving, would have to be considered separately in such investigations.

Current studies show that in fatal accidents while diving with a buddy, 57% of the fatal courses occurred after the buddies had separated. These cases can be attributed to the failure of the buddy system rather than the failure of a solo dive system. Another difficulty with such statistics is that certain dangerous diving practices (e.g. cave diving ) are often practiced solo. It is therefore questionable whether a fatality in such circumstances can be attributed to solo diving or cave diving. The figures used by the BSAC to classify solo diving as a risky practice show that between 2001 and 2008, all but one of the solo diving-related deaths happened to original buddy divers who separated before or during the fatal event (75%). Other divers (20%) were well outside the recommended limits for solo diving by both SDI and PADI (see below). Two other casualties were not scuba divers, but snorkelers.

In almost every situation, two competent, essentially completely independent divers who undertake a particular dive in a buddy team are exposed to a lower risk than the same two divers undertaking the same dive separately. However, this raises the question, "How often does this description apply to ordinary buddy divers?" In considering the risks of solo diving, it is important to consider the alternative risks that are primarily associated with buddy diving. The greatest danger for recreational divers is a lack of experience: 60% of all diving deaths involve divers who have completed fewer than 20 dives. The buddy system itself can be a source of risk. A 2006 study showed that 52% of buddy divers have been endangered by the behavior of their buddy.

Risk management

There are risks specifically associated with solo diving. However, for most of these, precautions can be taken and their effects can be reduced by using the right equipment. In technical diving, critical equipment is carried redundantly by default and independence is required and taught more than with simple recreational diving. This philosophy should also be used by solo divers.

Basically, when it comes to risk management for solo diving, the question arises as to what makes a diver dependent on a diving partner. Possible scenarios include:

  • The actual or functional loss of an important piece of equipment, such as B. the dive computer , the diving lamp , the diving mask or the fins . In these cases, the diving partner can either compensate for the loss with his own technique or at least help the diver to finish the dive in a controlled manner.
  • The actual or functional loss of breathing gas supply. In this case, the diving partner has a second regulator that he can provide to the diver so that both divers breathe from one diving device. If the dive is properly planned, the breathing gas is sufficient to bring both divers to the surface in a controlled manner.
  • Loss of diving lead . The diving partner can slow down an uncontrolled ascent to the surface.
  • A defect in the buoyancy compensator and / or drysuit resulting in loss of buoyancy. The buddy can prevent sinking to the bottom by using his own buoyancy compensator.
  • The diver becomes entangled in a line, net, or otherwise trapped. The diving buddy can get him out of this situation.
Rescue of an unconscious diver by the diving partner (exercise)
  • The diver is completely or partially unconscious or has another medical problem that is limiting his ability to act. The diving partner can bring him to the surface in an emergency and initiate further medical measures there.
  • The diver panics. The diving partner can either calm him down or accompany him to the surface in an emergency.
  • The diver makes a mistake planning, preparing, or conducting the dive. The dive buddy can notice the error and correct it.

These cases need to be thought through and a solution found to compensate for the absence of the dive buddy. This results in z. B. changed equipment, increased training, the use of checklists or compliance with certain limits for dives.

However, since not all risks can be completely eliminated, it is very important for solo divers to develop an appropriate risk awareness. You may consciously accept certain risks. This does not necessarily happen out of recklessness, but out of a personal weighing of the risks and the advantages. In this case, the diver makes an informed decision, whereas a buddy diver often does not make these considerations and may expose himself to risks that he would not be prepared to take with all the information.

Established rules

Training organizations and book authors make recommendations in their courses about the framework within which solo divers should move:

  • Solo diving is said to be within the limits of recreational diving. (Not excessively deep, no planned decompression stops , no entering wrecks or caves, no rebreather devices.)
  • Do not undertake solo dives that significantly exceed the limits of personal experience.
  • Do not make solo dives in places known to be entangled or entrapped.
  • Solo dives remain within the depth limit for which an appropriate emergency exit system and equipment are carried and for which the relevant emergency scenarios have been successfully practiced by the diver.
  • The solo diver should not move further from the entry point (bank, boat) than he can swim in full equipment without problems on the surface. The diver maintains and practices his navigation skills on solo dives to ensure this in an emergency.
  • The diver must be familiar with his equipment configuration and be able to easily access and operate the equipment at all times.
  • A solo diver must pay particular attention to his overall condition and health and to the limits that may arise for him in the event of an emergency.
  • A solo diver should always pursue a more conservative dive plan than with an equally competent dive buddy.

The recommendations must be seen against the background of the entry requirements that are set for the courses. Although only experienced divers are trained to be solo divers, they do not necessarily have to have knowledge of specific types of diving. Divers who are also very experienced in these special areas can - after an appropriate risk analysis - leave these recommended areas and z. B. also dive with rebreather or solo in caves.

Solo diving is generally discouraged for freediving divers, the standard case for freedivers being to dive alone with another diver supervising them from the surface. However, there are apnea divers who go diving independently without a partner.

equipment

The sidemount configuration is a possibility of redundant breathing gas supply.

In addition to the rules of conduct and training, there are also recommendations for equipment that must be adapted for solo diving. These result from the risk analysis. The additional equipment to be carried is necessary because the diving partner, who normally represents the fallback level, is not available. The following items of equipment are usually carried:

  • A second option for breathing gas supply . This is definitely necessary whenever a controlled emergency swimming ascent would pose an unacceptable risk. The design of the redundant breathing gas supply is a subject of discussion and not clearly regulated. While for some divers the use of a package consisting of two diving cylinders connected with a lockable bridge is acceptable, others (e.g. SDI) are of the opinion that only a second completely independent diving device fulfills the requirements for redundancy in the air supply. This is practically solved z. B. in the form of a so-called pony bottle, two non-connected bottles in a double package , two sidemount bottles or an additional stage bottle with separate compressed air diving devices . It is undisputed that the redundant breathing gas supply must also offer the option of both still enabling taring and of controlling the amount of breathing gas reserve via a manometer.
  • The breathing gas is planned very conservatively (at least according to the rule of thirds: one third of the air for the way there, one third for the way back and one third as a reserve). The division between the diving equipment carried must guarantee that the dive can be ended or canceled without any problems even in the event of a complete failure of an air supply.
A small lift bag of the type used to provide buoyancy for the diver in an emergency.
  • A second possibility besides the buoyancy compensator to create positive buoyancy. This can be achieved within certain limits with a dry suit, but also with a buoyancy compensator that has a second, independent air bladder, or with a lift bag that can be filled with air if necessary.
  • A second diving mask . This is attached to the other equipment or carried in a bag and can be put on in the event of a defect or loss of the diving mask.
  • A snorkel for swimming longer distances on the surface of the water. Snorkels are always carried by some divers, but not by many, because they are not needed on many dives and are perceived as annoying.
  • A second way to determine the current diving depth. This can be a second dive computer , but also a simple depth gauge . Depending on the type of dive, there can be a second dive computer or a so-called bottom timer, i.e. a depth meter that also measures the dive time.
  • An additional diving light . This is only necessary if a diving lamp is absolutely necessary for the dive and not only taken with you to z. B. to be able to see in cracks and holes. On particularly demanding dives where lighting is absolutely necessary to return to the surface - especially cave dives - at least one reserve lamp must be carried with you when diving with a buddy. Therefore, when diving solo, an additional (third) lamp must be taken with you in order to ensure lighting in any case.

Depending on the type of dive, it may be necessary to carry additional equipment with you, such as B. compass , signaling equipment (buoy, mirror, strobe light, etc.), lines and cutters.

Other equipment is not carried redundantly, but has been modified to meet the special requirements of solo diving. For example, the diving suit is usually designed in such a way that it can be put on, closed, opened and taken off without outside help. Some divers also put their lead on in such a way that accidental loss and the associated rapid, possibly uncontrolled ascent to the surface is impossible. This is only possible with certainty because the redundant equipment means that there is a very high probability that a functioning buoyancy device (vest, suit or lifting bag) will always be available. Most solo divers want to be able to reach the valves on their diving cylinders in order to be able to use them in an emergency - e. B. in the case of a defect in the compressed air diving device, which leads to the venting of the breathing gas - to be able to close and thus prevent the loss of all breathing gas. This is also common in technical diving, but not necessarily provided for in recreational divers, as a diving partner should operate the valve in an emergency.

Legal situation

This article or paragraph presents the situation in Germany . Help us to describe the situation in other countries.

Germany

In Germany and its countries, solo diving is not strictly prohibited, and buddy diving is not generally prescribed. In waters where diving is permitted within the scope of public use , you can usually dive solo. Deviating from this, local or regional regulations may have been issued that prohibit solo diving. Some operators of diving centers also prohibit solo diving from their premises. Others allow it under certain conditions, e.g. B. only for divers who are trained accordingly and / or a separate registration.

Basic operators partially prohibit solo diving with reference to their association, which would not allow this, although many associations now allow solo diving under certain conditions. In principle, the association's recommendations are not legally binding, but are only to be understood as the state of the art . Formal training from a diving association is not a legal requirement to dive solo. However, it is required at many bases that allow solo diving.

Divers in a buddy team form a so-called community of danger, which is why they are mutually criminal guarantors . They are particularly obliged to provide mutual assistance, as they jointly expose themselves to a potential danger. After an accident, a diver who contributed to the accident can be held liable under both criminal and civil law. A solo diver naturally avoids this risk.

United States

In the United States, there is a risk of being held legally responsible for a buddy diving accident. This is a reason for some divers to go solo diving.

Insurance

In principle, diving is only fully covered by a few general health and accident insurances. Therefore, separate diving insurance is offered. There is no uniform statement about solo diving for these. While solo diving is explicitly excluded in the insurance for members of the VDST , which is offered by the HDI , it is z. B. not fundamentally excluded from the insurers Aqua Med and DAN .

education

content

The main goal of training to become a solo diver is to become as self-sufficient as possible in order to be able to deal with all basically foreseeable problems. In the course of training, planning and technical skills are taught, as well as the basics of risk analysis. The divers are made aware of their fitness and discipline and learn to select the necessary equipment. An additional advantage is that these skills also increase the safety of buddy diving because the solo diver minimizes the risk of an accident that the diving partner may not be able to deal with. Organizations that train solo divers recommend the self-sufficiency courses for all divers with increasing experience in order to become generally safer while diving.

In detail, among other things, it is trained how the diver accesses his redundant breathing gas supply, how he can free himself if he gets stuck, how to put on the reserve mask and how to create buoyancy in an emergency. During the course, swimming skills and endurance are tested as well as other diving skills that are directly or indirectly related to solo diving, e.g. B. Navigation and dive planning skills (including gas management).

The CMAS self-rescue diver training also includes the use of color-coded diving buoys - red for a position indicator, yellow to signal a problem - and the use of a lockable line pulley to control the ascent rate in the event of an unplanned positive buoyancy.

requirements

For solo divers there are different requirements for participation in the courses at the various training organizations. Common requirements are:

  • a minimum age above the beginner's course, often 21 years
  • a certification for advanced divers, for example at the level of an “Advanced open water diver” at PADI or a comparable qualification
  • partly further advanced courses on navigation, equipment, or deep diving
  • a minimum number of dives. 100 dives are common, but sometimes less if the diver can demonstrate the necessary basic skills.
  • often a proof of health suitability ( diving suitability test )

In addition to the formal requirements, solo divers must feel comfortable and be able to relax in this type of sport. A certain personal maturity and composure, but also discipline is required.

providers

Solo diving was at least temporarily considered technical diving by most recreational diving associations and advised against it as it is more dangerous than buddy diving. The first organization to offer solo diving certification was Scuba Diving International (SDI). In 2011, PADI began offering a solo specialty course under the name “Self-reliant Diver”, which is similar in many respects (e.g. participation requirements) to the course offered by SDI.

Established diving organizations still consider the buddy system to be the norm and teach novice divers to dive exclusively in the buddy system and make it one of the principles of their organization. This leads to the dilemma that basically no course should be offered for solo divers, but the interested divers should be kept as customers. For this reason, too, corresponding courses are often named differently.

The following organizations, among others, offer courses for solo divers or self-reliant divers:

organization Course name requirement Minimum age Minimum number

Dives

CMAS ( Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques ) Self-rescue diver CMAS ** - -
DIWA (Diving Instructor World Association) Self-reliant diver DIWA Advanced open-water diver unknown unknown
IANTD (International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers) Self-sufficient diver IANTD Deep diver 21st 25th
PADI ( Professional Association of Diving Instructors ) Self-reliant diver PADI Advanced open-water diver 18th 100
Pro Tec Solo diver Pro tec ** or Advanced open water diver,

Advanced navigation, specialty equipment

21st 100
SDI (Scuba Diving International) Solo diver SDI Advanced diver 21st 100
SSI ( Scuba Schools International ) Independent diving Open water diver 18th -

The VDST also offers the CMAS self-rescue diver course, but is referred to as the "problem solving" course because the association generally rejects solo diving. Other associations also speak out against solo diving, such as B. GUE .

Individual evidence

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  46. ↑ DIWA Education System. (No longer available online.) DIWA, archived from the original on February 23, 2017 ; accessed on September 30, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / diwadiving.com
  47. ^ PADI Self-Reliant Diver. In: actionsport-nordhausen.de. Retrieved January 2, 2019 .
  48. ↑ The ProTec Solo Diver diving course in Uetze. Retrieved January 2, 2019 .
  49. ^ Independent diving. SSI, accessed January 2, 2019 .