Solo Diving - Enjoying Solo Diving

Enjoying Solo Diving

The possible impression that solo divers are unsociable is quite wrong. Most solo divers are quite gregarious and very much want to share their enjoyment of diving with others – they just want to do it when they get to the surface. The solitude they want to enjoy is during the dive. Solo divers take pleasure in this solitude – the emotive rewards in solo diving are akin to those of someone walking alone across some beautiful mountain scenery and enjoying the thoughts that such isolation and reflection provokes. There is also an enjoyment in the feeling of self-sufficiency for this style of diving, that one is not dependent on others, but is relying solely on ones own skills and capabilities. Finally, there is the sense of freedom, of not being impeded by the need to look after anyone but oneself and therefore being able to achieve ones own goal in the dive without compromising.

There are also divers who enjoy specific underwater activities but are unable to find anyone who shares the specific interest sufficiently to dive with them regularly, and where the activity is incompatible with a less than dedicated buddy. Falling back on Option #1 - don't dive is not acceptable, as the diver is then almost permanently prevented from pursuing the interest. Diving with buddies who get bored or tired quickly also does not lead to enhanced enjoyment for either party. In short, when the underwater activity is of interest only to oneself, solo is the only option.