Solo Diving - Hazards and Their Mitigation

Hazards and Their Mitigation

While there are potential hazards involved with solo diving, most of these can be planned for and mitigated by the proper use of redundant equipment. In technical diving, where redundancy is standard, self-sufficiency is taught more strongly. In many situations if a diver has a problem, other divers (e.g. their buddy) may not have sufficient gas to complete the dive for both. This is especially true of cave diving where stressful situations can vastly increase gas consumption and where decompression may be required, further pushing the limits of sharing air. A solo diver needs to have a second, independent source of air, a complete second regulator and preferably a submersible pressure gauge for his/her alternate source of air. This redundant air supply typically takes the form of a pony bottle for most recreational solo divers, or the use of a twin tank set equipped with the capability of independent operation of each tank, for more demanding or for technical diving. Additional redundant equipment carried includes a second dive computer, and a spare torch (dive light) and backup dive mask. As with all scuba equipment, the diver must be intimately familiar with this configuration and have the ability to access any of the equipment easily if it should be needed. A solo diver needs to also be especially careful about his/her overall fitness and health. Finally, the solo diver typically dives a much more conservative dive plan than he/she might dive with an equally competent buddy diver.

As part of mitigating risks in solo diving the following specific practises have been adopted by SDI for solo diving or are key recommendations by Robert Von Maier—author of the 1991 book Solo Diving: The Art of Underwater Self-Sufficiency:

• All solo diving is to be done within recreational dive limits (no deep, decompression, penetration, or rebreather dives while solo).
• No dives which push one’s personal experience limits are ever to be undertaken while solo
• No solo dives are to be undertaken in areas where there are known sources of entanglement/entrapment
• Solo dives will only be undertaken to depths at which safe bailout is certain, and where such bailout procedures have been practised successfully.
• The solo diver's maximum distance to point of exit (shore, boat) will never exceed a distance that can be easily and comfortably swum at the surface in full scuba gear – and the diver will maintain and exercise his/her navigational practices in solo dives to insure that this is the case.