Ever find yourself diving solo unintentially?

Ever find yourself taking photos of something interesting for awhile, lookup and no other diver is within 100 ft? It happens to me all the time. I usually can see the bubbles from other divers in the distance and start to motor in that direction.

The longer I have been diving and photo'ing, the slower and slower I go.

I find if I stop moving altogether, the life around starts to ignore me and allows me to get closer. But who will be your partner and wait for all that with you? The wife is on the beach reading. The other divers from the boat moved on.

I realize for those on Wetpixel trips, everyone is a photo-hound so maybe its different and the pro's here may have solved this situation since they deal with it all the time. But for us vacation diver/photo folks, what is one to do?

I am NOT trying to get into some big discussion of solo vs non-solo diving or a big political safety discussion.

I just want to know if others have this happen to them and what they do about it.

I am NOT trying to get into some big discussion of solo vs non-solo diving or a big political safety discussion.

I just want to know if others have this happen to them and what they do about it.

I am lucky becuase I got my wife hooked on photo and now video, so we usually are together in the back and keep an eye on the group and for the most part have gotten down one of us looking/keeping an eye while the other shoots. The DMS know where we are and we make sure to catch up, sometimes the bubbles from the group take a bit to find, but usually stopping doing a quick look up (and a circle if needed) gets on us on track and a few good kicks and we are back in range.

Of course it is not perfect, one time we were in water that vis started dropping, started out at about 60 foot vis (which is low for the area) and probably went down to 30 feet or so and cloudy. I stopped to shoot some video of a trunkfish, my wife saw me, the DM saw me, they took a couple of kicks and I found myself solo. (It was only the three of us) No one could figure out how it happened. I saw the general direction they went but never found them, so I saw the boat (we were drift diving) and made my way over getting a few shots. Surfaced and then picked them up when they were done.

I learned the hard way that the best way to turn an "almost" into a war-story and not an obit was to have lots of other divers nearby ...

I am REALLY conscious of where the guides are on guided dives and where my buddy is when buddied up ... when buddied and planning on taking lots of photographs, I try and talk to my buddy and explain what my intentions are and work out an understanding in advance. I also try and save my solo critter hunting for the extended bottom time at the end of the dive under the boat if that's at all possible.

Absolutely. That's why I almost always dive with a pony tank (i.e., a totally redundant air supply system). As you say, it's less a problem when diving with other photographers, because they're likely to move at a similar pace. But when your buddy is a non-photog, he/she is likely to keep swimming when you stop for 5 minutes on one subject. I always tell my non-photog buddies (who typically do NOT have pony tanks) that it is THEIR responsibility to either stay nearby me, or else hitch along with other divers moving at their pace if I'm too slow.

Bottom line: I consider myself to be my primary buddy in case of an emergency, and tell my dive buddies to make sure they have a buddy (either me or someone else) nearby them in case THEY run into an emergency. I think the primary issue is for everyone involved to understand where they are expected to turn if something bad happens.

My dive buddy - my girlfriend - is amazingly patient with me and knows that I'm a "neglectful buddy" while shooting.

When we're on vacations I'm a bit more neglectful since we'll usually be on guided dives at least 1/2 the time and I know she's around a lot of people. I tend to take more time picking shots and setting them up. When we're solo on vacation, I try to be a bit more mindful, but there's typically a lot more going on in a small area and we can go at a slower pace.

At home (Boston) in the darker waters, we tend to stay a lot closer since vis can get really low. I'm usually shooting close-up or macro at that point so I could easily be laying in the sand shooting a crab or small fish - so I'm right where she leaves me if she ventures a little bit.

I think our system works - just because it's organically evolved between us and we understand it. When vis gets particularly low we'll signal each other to stay close and we're just more mindful. It helps that she's into my photography and encourages me.

I could definitely see this sort of situation not working with everyone - especially those people not interested in photography at all!

Hi Diverdave,

My wife also is a nondiver. She tried diving, didn't like it, and would rather read on book on the beach. Which means I am on my own unless my kids are diving. As you have discovered UW photography requires a slow, snails pace dive profile that some non photographers will find maddening, which can make pairing up with dive boat strangers potentially problematic. Plus, some divers are just plain dangerous! Early on in my diving, I found myself in a couple of scary incidents caused by an "instant boat buddy" I was paired with. I now refuse to buddy up with any stranger until I have had an opportunity to evaluate him/her underwater. Thus many of my dives are solo by nature, either within a larger boat group or completely by myself.

As you indicated, this a controversial topic but there is plenty of information on the subject and some agencies offer solo dive training. Essentially the training revolves around the importance of equipment redundancy, self evaluation and rescue, conservative profiles and relatively shallow no decompression diving under conditions that you are familiar and comfortable with. Since you already are diving solo either by design or default my recommendation is to be smart and safe about it.

Sincerely,

imasleeper

I'm convinced any serious photographer who is diving with a camera is diving alone.

Always.

Some acknowledge this and some are in denial. You should plan your dive as if you are diving alone.

If I end up diving with a buddy then I seldom get good shots. Only exception is if they are willing and you use them as a model.

This is different than if you buddy is essentially following you around. Then you have a body guard, but they are diving alone.

As a side line to this thread, I'm going on a live-aboard next week that has 19 cu ft pony bottles for rent. This is excellent as it saves on the tight weight restrictions with the airlines. Hopefully more live-aboards and dive resorts will offer pony bottle rental as an option.

Offering and honoring solo certification is also greatly appreciated...

As you indicated, this a controversial topic but there is plenty of information on the subject and some agencies offer solo dive training. Essentially the training revolves around the importance of equipment redundancy, self evaluation and rescue, conservative profiles and relatively shallow no decompression diving under conditions that you are familiar and comfortable with. Since you already are diving solo either by design or default my recommendation is to be smart and safe about it.

 

Sincerely,

 

imasleeper

Hello,

interesting. Whish agencies?

When my wife dove more, she came up with the idea of a pony tank. She always felt diving witha photographer was like not having a buddy. Then I thought, great idea, ill get a pony tank.This evolved into us diving together, yet BOTH having pony tanks.

I have been thinking about the pony option as well. But the extra wt of the bottle is not too appealing.

Been thinking..what if I switched to a backplate set up for doubles and dove doubles. Then I only have to carry the extra reg's and no bottle to the plane. On the boat, I would only switch one tank between dives so at most, I am using one 'extra' tank per day and not really using it unless needed.

When I dive nitrox, I would use one air bottle for back up and one nitrox bottle for normal. Would dive operators accept this approach?

When I was at St John, diving 50 ft for 50 min, getting back to the boat with 1400 psi and being the last on board, me diving doubles would look crazy to everyone else. But some crazy people life long lives.

"hermits never have peer pressure."

Anyone else think the doubles make sense or am I heading off the deep end, as it were?

Diverdave

the doubles make sense

could try "spare air" also

only gives you enough air to get to the surface pretty much, but only the size of a 1.25litre coke

do boats give you guys the freedom you want when you are obviously going to be slower and maybe down longer?

a few will pair me up with another experienced diver and send us off to be back in x minutes.

cheers

Hi DiverDave,

Same problem with me, cause the wife does not dive. There have been two times when the viz was not great and i lost my buddies trying to get some pictures of clowns. Had to surface as per the rules and discontinue the dive.. Since then i try and keep one eye on the buddy or the dive group. I also tend to tell the DM in charge and try and get a buddy or guide who could bear with me. BUT this does not always work. Like you i would love to just stay at one spot so that life around gets comfy and then you could leisurely take good pictures. Does not work though !!

BTW guys any agencies that certify solo diving in Asia ? Also can spare air help ? I dont know if i could manage to get a pony bottle here in India BUT could always get spare Air online.

Cheers and thanks,

Diggy

I am lucky as my buddy ( wife ) shoots video, so she is usually near by, whether she is close enough is another matter. My opinion is that if you have a camera then you are diving solo to a certain extent. I remember a dive a few weeks ago where we all dropped in around a thila ( pinnacle ) and had the option of either right shoulder to the reef or left to the reef. Well my wife and I, as per usuall hung back and waited for the rest of the boat to choose what direction they wanted to go. Along come a school of batfish and we ended up staying in the same spot for the whole dive. This is the kind of diving I like to do. I do not want to get in and see if i can reach the end of the reef in one dive especially on wall dives, if you are covering so much reef i think that you are missing lots of shots. Back on the boat after the dive I heard divers claiming to have gone around the thila twice, others claiming well we done it 3 times. if this is how people choose to dive then fine, but for me it just doesnt work. if you have a macro set up on, then you are not going to take many shots if you are chasing the divers fins that is in front of you. again if you are shooting W/A then you do not want to be getting divers and their bubbles in the shot. As my wife is getting better at videography we do tend to be a lot nearer as i will wait to photo something that she has spotted and visa versa.

Lembeh was a different matter though with the low viz, trying to keep an eye as to where the guide was going, only to look up and be totally on my own. having said that Lembeh is not hard to navigate and working your way into the shallows usually gets you back with the guide.

As for dive centres offering to rent good size ponies, that is an excellent idea ( dive centre managers take note ) i would certainly hire one. I know that you do not get loads of time with them but they do provide enaough air to get you to the surface should you need it.

Stew

Hello,

 

interesting. Whish agencies?

TDI run a solo diver course, I did it a couple of years ago and it took 2 days. 99.9% of my diving is solo on a rebreather....there's nothing better than complete silence whilst underwater taking pics! :-)

No wonder I never get the shot ...

Viva!

I use a 3 liter pony with EAN40 almost of the time. When traveling I try to rent one unit in the destination before I fly.

I try not to be solo but as I'm so slow, most of the times I find my self solo diving.

I have a tendency to end up being solo after 15 minutes into the dive...to get the good shot, just need to be alone.

I was diving with an experienced friend I hadn't dove with before and warned him I would be his worse buddy (especially with a macro lens). Not that I am a bad diver, but end up being alone most of time. After the first few dives he agreed!

Photographers spend a lot of time in a single spot looking for little creatures when using macro, and always ahead of the pack or buddy when wide angle. Non photographers tend to 'swim' all the time.....sometimes as if in a race to cover as much of the reef as possible.

When diving with other photographers on live-boards, as long as we come up in the same ocean we consider it a 'buddy' dive.

When I am diving alone ( I end up being alone most of the time), I tend to monitor my depth, air consumption and pay attention to my whereabouts more than if I am with buddy or group. I carry spare-air. Not as good as a pony, but better than nothing.

When diving with other photographers on live-boards, as long as we come up in the same ocean we consider it a 'buddy' dive.

In Thailand a few years ago, I would often find myself alone because my friend, who had a camera but just took snapshots, would often stick close to the guide and the other divers. My various solutions to this problem were:

1) Find my way back to the group eventually. Sometimes a diver from another group would point me in the right direction.

2) Hook up with a default buddy...another photographer who often lagged behind too

3) Find myself in a group of Japanese guys in shorties (never figured out where they came from. ) but that always kind of led me to my group

4) Start to make an ascent while doing 360's to find my group or buddy, only to have the guide suddenly find me. How she did I'll never know.

I think it is incumbent upon us as photographers to take responsibility for ourselves by whatever means works for us. Sometimes I will sacrifice a shot if I feel uncomfortable being left alone. By the same token, if I make the decision to get the shot and find myself all alone, that is my fault. I will not curse out a buddy for leaving me, especially if he or she is a fellow photographer. I have to say though, that when I lose sight of a photographer buddy and I'm with the group and he or she is not, I will slow down and wait until they catch up. And I'm grateful when they do the same for me. We do look out for our friends because we enjoy diving together.

I envy the people who have spouses or SO's that work together uw. I know a couple who are like that. He takes video and she takes stills.