From the beginning, the golden rule of scuba diving has been to never dive alone. The concept of the ‘buddy system’ has been an easy sell because most people feel more comfortable in the presence of another human being. Although the buddy system can increase the safety of divers, in reality it is unreliable.
As the controversy of solo diving came to the forefront several decades ago, a majority of professional and very experienced scuba divers admitted to diving alone a great deal of the time by choice and by circumstance. Underwater photographers have always dived alone; they take time and are preoccupied with composition and exposures and have no use for a bored buddy keeping vigilance. Scientific divers dive alone in all areas of the world as they observe and document their marine subjects and scuba instructors with their groups of spanking new students are essentially diving alone; the neophytes being ill prepared to offer any assistance.
A proper buddy team would be two divers of equal experience, properly equipped and with the same objective for any given dive. If an experienced diver is teamed up with an inexperienced diver, the less experienced diver has buddy support and the experienced diver is essentially diving alone. So, what qualifications should a diver have that wishes to abort the buddy system and go off on their own?
No diver should consider diving alone until they are well experienced and completely at home in the marine environment. We all know that you don’t have to be a Tri-athlete to participate in scuba diving, but the better shape the diver is in, the more they can enjoy their sport. For divers going solo, physical fitness is not an option and the self-reliant diver must be in excellent condition without any health conditions that would be a contraindication to safe diving.
As the primary advantage of having a buddy is that they are a swimming alternate air source. There is absolutely no reason to run out of air, but it does happen. The solo divers must carry their own alternate air source; their buddy in a bottle. A Spare-Air cylinder will be sufficient for very shallow dives, but for anything deeper than 30 feet, a pony tank with a regulator and pressure gauge should be secured to the diver’s main tank. Place the second stage where it can be reached with either hand.
Although it seldom happens, another scenario, where a buddy may be advantageous, would be a case of entanglement. I some areas, divers may run into old fishing nets or discarded monofilament line and become entangled. If the snag cannot be easily removed it must be cut. The solo diver will have to extricate themselves and at least two sharp knives should be carried that can be reached by either hand. Remain calm, relax and deal with it thoughtfully.
The solo diver’s equipment should be their own, well maintained and familiar. There will be no buddy there to remind you that an air supply is low or that you’re a little deeper than the planned depth. Solo divers must keep a continual vigilance of their instrument and at all times know their depth, remaining air, no decompression time remaining and be mentally calculating their air consumption.
The solo diver’s scuba skills must be exemplary and completely second nature. A controlled descent with smooth equalization initiates a competent dive. Mask clearing will be without effort and buoyancy control should be a natural act without thought. The self reliant diver will move with a relaxed and slow thrust, breath efficiently and be mentally aware of the physiological workings of their bodies.
The sport of scuba diving has enjoyed an excellent safety record over the years and that record attests to the fact that the certifying agencies are doing a very commendable job. Diving with a buddy can be a very rewarding experience and sharing the wonders of the underwater world with another person is what memories are made of. Inexperienced divers should never dive alone, but if the diver has the experience, is properly equipped and has the training and the right mental attitude to be self-sufficient, diving solo is a diver’s choice that can be an uplifting and very personal experience.
