Get to Know WAGIG better

[WaGigKpn]

Wish i could get to know ppl on the board and they could get to know me. I am not a retard. I dont do stuff when i dont have at least two different escape routes, that includes riding my motorcycle, Climbing trees to cut them down, and making love to my wife!

Yes i will dive solo.

Will i push my limits even for a second? NO. That's how you get hurt doing anything.

My first solo dive plan...
1. start by floating in water and test how buoyant i am (adjust weight set up)
2. go to approx 10 feet and test BC operation and test how well i can swim to surface with BC deflated. (get idea of capability in case of loss of buoyancy emergency. I will try this a few times including dropping weight belt, and how fast i can get out of BC, ETC...)
3. Practice breathing with purge pressed (simulate runaway regulator)

After all of that, being solo i will not go below a depth where i do not feel confident that i cannot get to surface within 30 seconds (how long i can hold breath after exhaling).

My goal of diving is harvesting. oysters, clams, crab and spearing. Also treasure hunting.

If there are other emergency skills please reply.

[CaptnJack]

I worry about you embolizing in the process of "practicing"... How about a rescue class instead of trying to self-teach some of the major issues?

[eliseaboo]

You are going about this all wrong.

Trying to teach yourself skills like that is foolish. Trying to brag about it publicly is just stirring the pot.

Rule #1 around here: don't be a dick. You're trying to ruffle feathers, and unlike a lot of online boards this one is full of people who actually know each other personally, go diving, and tend to like each other - so setting out to piss people off is not cool.

If you're really serious about solo diving, do it right, get some training, get some redundant equipment, and don't encourage people to follow you who have no business doing so.

[WaGigKpn]

Like i said, i wish people knew me better...

Not bragging about anything, just being honest.

Since i don't know anyone from this board personally, (i hope that changes), i cannot refute your rule #1. I can just be me, which is light hearted, fun, and loves living! i do not intend to intentionally piss people off. If i do, well, don't we all at some point? that's part of life. I know i will not be friends with everyone but i hope to be with as many as i can.

I am very serious about solo diving...I plan on having good gear...I don't plan on being as safe as possible doing it...I WILL be as safe as possible! If i could afford more classes I would...Right now spare money is going to safe gear. I will try to dive with a couple friends before i solo dive...

One question to Eliseaboo, Is this a dive forum for only people who know someone on the forum (ie people who actually know each other personally) or is it for divers in the northwest to get to know each other and dive?

If its the former, no hard feelings i genuinely misunderstood and i will try to find another forum.

[CaptnJack]

I think you should take a rescue course and a solo course (minimum) instead of trying to figure this stuff out on your own & alone.

About 3 years ago an eager but fairly new diver like yourself did a solo dive at cove 2 in <50ft of water to "test some gear". No one knows exactly why but he ended up dying. There's nothing UW worth dying for, alone or otherwise.

[Norris]

Hey there. This forum is open to all divers. There is nothing wrong with solo diving if you have the comfort and experience to really understand how you handle when things go bad. Also to solo dive without redundancy is somewhat foolish if you ask me. When I solo I sling a 40cu pony bottle which is there for me should my main fail.
I applaud your drive and I think what Elise was basically saying is that coming on here and starting out against the grain might not be the best approach. Many of us have been diving for years and have seen divers come and go. We also have had to read posts about divers unfortunately not making it and following the story to see what went wrong. The last thing we want to do is watch a story like that about someone jumping into solo diving and having an event they were not ready to deal with, leading to their death.
In my opinion I would set out and dive with some people here and find the group you are most comfortable with. Dive, dive, and then dive a little more. You are moving into a new world. Cold, dark waters that have currents, low visibility at times, and tidal exchanges that can vary 10+ feet.
I host a Wednesday night dive that now is a daylight dive but as winter approaches it will turn into a night dive. You are more than welcome to join us on a Wed and get some good ole salt water dives in.

As Capt Jack said, Yes more training is a good idea but if the funds are not there, then at the very least...DIVE DIVE and then when you are done with that, DIVE some more.

My two psi

[WaGigKpn]

I think you should take a rescue course and a solo course (minimum) instead of trying to figure this stuff out on your own & alone.

About 3 years ago an eager but fairly new diver like yourself did a solo dive at cove 2 in <50ft of water to "test some gear". No one knows exactly why but he ended up dying. There's nothing UW worth dying for, alone or otherwise.

I don plan on going deeper than 30 ft 40 max, not that things cannot happen at those depths.

Unfortunately diving is not so popular in these parts and dive shops need to make money to stay open and filling bottles just doesn't fit the bill. If a class cost 20 bucks i would do it but anything more is too much.

i will be diving initially with a former master diver (not sure if the word former applies, he just stopped diving as an occupation but is still credentialed to instruct.)

Let me be clear, i do not know everything there is to know about diving...That comes with time...therefore when i dive solo i stay at a level where i know if i exhale and try to get a breath and no air comes out i have a plan to get top side. If that means i start out at 15 fsw then so be it.

I have great admiration for those of you who do Deco dives. i am not sure if that is something i want to do because so much can go wrong with few safe 'outs'

Hell, i would love to meet you guys and just snorkel so y'all feel comfortable. i can crab quite effectively in 10-15 ft of water snorkeling, and i hope to get even deeper as my lungs get better.

Thanks Norris for the input. The biggest thing about the weekly dives is the drive and bridge toll. Wife is not a fan of scuba diving at this point and she doesn't like being left at home, nor going on long trips. This basically leaves me with few options. Give her tons of advance notice and get her blessing, go on dives when she is working or visiting family, or dive close to home so i am not gone for long.

[eliseaboo]

Maybe for some context:

i know....

I am trolling...

Just having a little fun!

I'm not being a needless ass.

[Linedog]

Just curious, where and when did you get certified? And with what agency?

[Norris]

Oh my fault...I thought you were in everett

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

[CaptnJack]

Kpn will get along with Cory just great.

[WaGigKpn]

I'm not following Eliseaboo...

I pm'd you from the dive planning thread letting you know my comment about solo diving and hoping i would make it was a troll post (which i admit in that thread later). Basically a joke.

Then when you pm'd me telling me not to troll i decided to start this thread to let people get to know me better and give input while also assuring that i will not just jump in the water and swim around like nothing could ever go wrong. I also pm'd you that i was just having a little fun to let you know i am just trying to be light hearted and fun. hence the just having a little fun! pm...

I have no idea what a needless ass is nor why you think you are being accused? of being one?

I get the feeling you have a misread of me or maybe i do of you. certainly you have much more dive experience than i do. I yearn to become an experienced diver but my route may be different than others. Never the less,while being cost conscious, i plan on being as safe as possible.

i cert'd with PADI OW in Hawaii. But before i was cert i dove at my friends out on hood canal both with tanks and without. I also dove at the lake i grew up on. I also supported my dad diving when i was a kid.

[lundysd]

So it sounds like you'd like to do solo dives without a redundant air supply in nearly-zero viz on a regular basis, and that sort of dive isn't pushing your limits?

(warning -- sorry for the bluntness).

What is your contingency plan if you get caught in monofilament?

What happens if the current blows you off the site and into open water? The answer isn't just "blow my whistle" or "shoot my bag"...

Do you have the ability to calculate on the fly your required gas reserve to make it safely back to shore with gas to spare in case of emergency, and does this reserve give you enough gas to complete the dive you want to do?

Are you disciplined enough to always tell someone on shore where you'll be, when you will splash, and when you expect to return, and does this person have the testicular fortitude to call 911 if you don't?

Do you know the dive site well enough to navigate even under stressful conditions to guarantee a safe exit?

If you're serious about this, then why not follow the advice of nearly every solo diver I know and purchase a redundant system like a 40 cu ft stage/pony bottle or twin cylinders?

The idea that depth kills solo divers to me is a very dangerous notion -- depth often has nothing to do with it. I personally know of one EXTREMELY experienced diver and world-class photographer who died in shallow water solo diving and no one knows how. I also get a little bit ruffled when people don't say that a dive will necessarily "challenge" them -- that's complacency or ego talking, and as a solo diver you cannot assume that any dive will not be challenging to a degree until you're in the thick of it.

[BDub]

My first solo dive plan...
1. start by floating in water and test how buoyant i am (adjust weight set up)
2. go to approx 10 feet and test BC operation and test how well i can swim to surface with BC deflated. (get idea of capability in case of loss of buoyancy emergency. I will try this a few times including dropping weight belt, and how fast i can get out of BC, ETC...)
3. Practice breathing with purge pressed (simulate runaway regulator)

After all of that, being solo i will not go below a depth where i do not feel confident that i cannot get to surface within 30 seconds (how long i can hold breath after exhaling).

therefore when i dive solo i stay at a level where i know if i exhale and try to get a breath and no air comes out i have a plan to get top side. If that means i start out at 15 fsw then so be it.

That's great that you want to practice handling OOG scenarios. Any plans for preventing having to perform those skills in real life?

[WaGigKpn]

Thanks for the input Lundysd, an i like that you are blunt.
I am not opposed to diving with a pony bottle, i would embrace it! I am not blowing off every experienced diver on the site. I have not done a lot of research into the price of this. maybe you could enlighten me. I am already 840 dollars out of pocket in gear up to this point. which is 340 over my budget.

Caught in monofilament- dive knife with the half moon on the back so it will catch line and cut it-mentally prepared for situation to identify and not freak out. i will accomplish this by maintaining slow steady breaths and think through progression of situation.

-Able to calculate gas reserve- to start i will have to play this very conservative until i have a few dives under my belt so i can gauge my rate of air use. So to start im heading in with plenty of air left.

-current blown off site- first, pre plan for dive during slack and make note of compass before and during dive. If pushed off site, swim perpendicular to current to shore, swim slow and steady and do not freak out. I am a very good long distance swimmer.

i will have a shore buddy who has balls. (metaphorically speaking, they may or may not actually have balls)

I will know the dive site well enough to navigate. If i don't have a safe exit i absolutely will not dive! If visibility is not where i feel comfortable then i scrub the dive. If it gets bad, i scrub the dive.

I have never said nor do i believe that a dive will not challenge me. I am aware that i can drown in a puddle. Totally 100% i will have nerves before and during a dive. This is good because if your not nervous your not paying attention. Hell i have nerves when snorkeling because you really dont have a back up when doing that!

You wanna talk nerves talk about climbing a tree 80 feet with a chain saw to top it! I feel like puking just thinking about it, yet i still do it for side jobs...

A lot gets lost in typing...I want to dive, i want to be smart and safe. I want to learn as much as possible before so i can plan accordingly.

[WaGigKpn]

That's great that you want to practice handling OOG scenarios. Any plans for preventing having to perform those skills in real life?

Well i plan on going in with a full tank of air and have my gear properly serviced and cared for if that what your talking about. I will look into some kind of pony tank as well. I will dive with a buddy when possible!

[BDub]

That's great that you want to practice handling OOG scenarios. Any plans for preventing having to perform those skills in real life?

Well i plan on going in with a full tank of air and have my gear properly serviced and cared for if that what your talking about. I will look into some kind of pony tank as well. I will dive with a buddy when possible!

Well that's certainly a good start.

I'm wondering more about this, though....

-Able to calculate gas reserve- to start i will have to play this very conservative until i have a few dives under my belt so i can gauge my rate of air use. So to start im heading in with plenty of air left.

Having the training and ability to handle emergencies is great. I prefer to prevent them from happening in the first place.

What is your plan that will allow you to gauge your rate of air use? How will you determine how much you use, and how will you apply that to your dive planning?

[WaGigKpn]

Well i am a big guy, 6'7'' and lets say 300 lbs.

I have a big lung capacity so I know i will chew through gas quickly if i am not able to maintain a steady slow breathing pattern. So first part of Gas management is being efficient in the water and keeping breathing rate steady. Then when I dive check start time and PSI. Then monitor (frequently) PSI usage and time elapsed to get rate of consumption. Depending on how deep or far from shore i plan on heading back to shore at 1000PSI and exiting with 500 left in tank. These numbers may be different if i am a gas hog like i expect to be starting out! or if i am further from shore. I am good with ratios and math in general so getting a crude ratio while on the fly shouldn't be an issue for me.

I will use this for dive planning by identifying how deep i plan on going and how far from shore dive site is. If its more or a swim then swim on surface to conserve air. If its deeper then plan on less dive time. etc...

Do give me input though. I love to listen and learn...for a wise man always listens!

[lundysd]

that 500psi you have left in your tank could last a typical new diver as little as 3 minutes at 30ft -- do you think ballparking your gas usage and only leaving a 3 minute buffer will be enough for emergencies?

[coulterboy]

That's great that you want to practice handling OOG scenarios. Any plans for preventing having to perform those skills in real life?

Well i plan on going in with a full tank of air and have my gear properly serviced and cared for if that what your talking about. I will look into some kind of pony tank as well. I will dive with a buddy when possible!

Well that's certainly a good start.

I'm wondering more about this, though....

-Able to calculate gas reserve- to start i will have to play this very conservative until i have a few dives under my belt so i can gauge my rate of air use. So to start im heading in with plenty of air left.

Having the training and ability to handle emergencies is great. I prefer to prevent them from happening in the first place.

What is your plan that will allow you to gauge your rate of air use? How will you determine how much you use, and how will you apply that to your dive planning?

Brian,

Looks like he could really learn a lot from your "Gas Management Seminar", of which, I really enjoyed.

Tom

[BDub]

Well i am a big guy, 6'7'' and lets say 300 lbs.

I have a big lung capacity so I know i will chew through gas quickly if i am not able to maintain a steady slow breathing pattern. So first part of Gas management is being efficient in the water and keeping breathing rate steady. Then when I dive check start time and PSI. Then monitor (frequently) PSI usage and time elapsed to get rate of consumption. Depending on how deep or far from shore i plan on heading back to shore at 1000PSI and exiting with 500 left in tank. These numbers may be different if i am a gas hog like i expect to be starting out! or if i am further from shore. I am good with ratios and math in general so getting a crude ratio while on the fly shouldn't be an issue for me.

I will use this for dive planning by identifying how deep i plan on going and how far from shore dive site is. If its more or a swim then swim on surface to conserve air. If its deeper then plan on less dive time. etc...

Do give me input though. I love to listen and learn...for a wise man always listens!

That's kind of my point.

Everyone's different, and everyone has different levels of acceptable risk.

I'm not a solo diver, but I have solo dived. While I don't solo dive anymore, I have nothing against it. It's just not as enjoyable for me as diving with teammates.

That being said, having a bit of diving experience, I see some serious flaws in your approach, and diving (let alone solo diving) is not something that should be learned on the internet, especially on a dive forum, imo.

[WaGigKpn]

I would expect to leave the water with 7-10 min of air left in the tank for a maximum duration dive.

I submit to those who are experienced that if this is not enough tell me and i will listen.

What do you recommend lundysd?

[CaptnJack]

7 to 10mins left?
What is that in cf? or in psi? (but what size tank)

[BDub]

I would expect to leave the water with 7-10 min of air left in the tank for a maximum duration dive.

I submit to those who are experienced that if this is not enough tell me and i will listen.

What do you recommend lundysd?

Why does 7-10 minutes of gas in your tank when you leave the water matter? You're out of the water

[WaGigKpn]

7-10 min of emergency reserve air...what Lundysd was talking about...

If i am headed to shore and get tangled i have extra time to get out of it and still be safe.