The issues of single and solo diving have been important to me on a number of dive trips.  That is because I enjoy taking dive trips alone, and even when I travel with a buddy, I may want to dive solo or when my buddy does not wish to dive. There are two separate issues here: the challenge of traveling and obtaining services as a single diver and that of obtaining diving opportunities as a solo diver.

In both cases, it is important to communicate clearly in advance with the operator about intentions and to find out what is expected and allowed.  Even when there is verbal agreement, it is better to get the policy in writing when possible.  On liveaboards, usually an operator is willing to pair single divers together in a cabin.  Land based operators are less likely to cooperate to offer shared accommodations to single divers or to offer single accommodation without some outrageous single supplement rate.  Sometimes it is easier to make these arrangements as part of a group booking.  In fact, traveling with a group is one option for single divers.  Even if the single diver does not personally know other divers in the group, by booking with the group, some of the burden of negotiation is shifted to the greater power of the group. 

As a highly trained, experienced, and certified solo diver, who carries an appropriate redundant air source and other safety devices, I am confident that the solo diving I undertake meets standard safety criteria.  In fact, from my observation, I consider my personal decisions in solo diving scenarios to be more conservative than those that buddy divers make.  The downside of solo diving is the bad press that it gets from the accidents that happen to divers who dive by themselves.  Often, such divers, like buddy divers, are not following standard guidelines.  I rarely see indication of whether or not they have been certified as solo divers.  If all divers were vilified due to generic dive accidents as badly as solo divers are from solo diver accidents, there would be a severe fear factor inhibiting dive training.  Yet, solo diving bears the brunt of the blame for dive dangers, while it probably is not the “solo” aspect of the diving, but rather is related to some other dive behavior or circumstance.  

Just any buddy is NOT better than no buddy at all if you are a qualified solo diver!  Nothing can ruin a trip quicker than a “buddy from Hell.”  An uncooperative operator that insists on a stranger for a buddy can stick you with one that turns out to be an “air hog buddy.”  That happened to me when the operator assigned a divemaster who consumed his air in 30 minutes on a wreck and had to ascend leaving me 30 minutes short on my profile.  Or, you may get a “stray buddy” who wanders off while you pause to take a photo.  Maybe you get the “clumsy klutz buddy” who hits the coral and stirs up the silt creating a cloud as you go.   The “busy buddy” may want to swim instead of drift or observe and see how fast he/she can get from point A, B, C, D, etc.  Then, there is the “shallow buddy” who is hard to find because he/she is always 20 feet above you no matter what your depth.  Or, you get the ”disoriented buddy“ who is constantly looking for the boat.   And, worst of all, you may get the “delinquent buddy” who pays no attention to his/her computer and you see that if you try to stay together you will surely get the bends.  You wind up with visions of a rescue dive complete with helicopter trip to the chamber.

Alas, even when you think you are with an operator that will honor your solo diving certification, they may suddenly levy conditions that are totally unreasonable.  On the Peter Hughes Wind Dancer in Tobago, I was asked to tow my own buoy if I wanted to solo dive.  That would have been exceedingly dangerous because I was using an underwater camera that required both hands and I was swimming low among the coral.  A line would have become entangled around the coral and would have been environmentally unsound as well as dangerous even in a light current.  It would also have created a drag that would have inhibited the photography.   

My advice for single divers is to communicate with the operator in advance to find out policies, if possible travel with a group to reduce obstacles to obtaining discounts and best rates, meet potential buddies with similar experience, and to pursue advanced training to become a self-sufficient diver.  The Solo Diver Certification covers good information that every diver should know and practice anyway.  The concept of being self-sufficient should be the first commandment for all divers. 

No diver should “depend” on a buddy.  An independent air source is extremely useful.  There are all sorts of ways equipment can fail even if it has been serviced regularly.  From 100 feet, an emergency free ascent is not the best option for an out-of-air situation, if your buddy is not within reach.  When your second stage hose blows off of the first stage and the air is gushing out of your tank, your pony with its independent regulator and gage looks very attractive!  That has happened!  Don’t forget to grab the second stage before it drops to the bottom!  Control the ascent; the sudden release of air will thrust you upward!    

There are other situations that come to mind like rolling off the tank valve and blown O-rings.  If you suddenly have zero pressure, it may take a few moments before you figure out what is going on.  Meanwhile, your pony with its separate regulator is ready to use.  Also, if your pony is large enough, you may consider using some of it for supplemental air to extend your dive while saving a reserve for emergencies.   

Removing the valve from the bottle and covering the opening with a clear plastic bag allows a diver to transport these items in either checked or carry-on luggage without problem.  If you would not drive your car without your seat belt or air bag, then don’t dive without your pony!  You may not use it on every dive, but if you happen to need it, you will be ever so glad it is there!  

Solo diving does not have to mean diving alone.  There is a compromise form of solo diving whereby the solo diver may not have a designated buddy, but may be diving with a group of other divers.  The solo diver may be diving according to the group dive plan and would enter and exit with the group.  Thus, the solo diver would be accounted for just like the buddy divers.  The primary difference is that the solo diver is not personally responsible for staying with another diver during the dive.  Rather the solo diver is in the vicinity of the group and does not wander completely out of sight and range.  This method is more reassuring to divemasters and group leaders who might have concerns about the solo diver. 

Operators should realize that inasmuch as they feel a sense of responsibility about their clients and are compelled by their insurance imperatives and other influences to obtain all sorts of waivers from them, the divers themselves are under a similar obligation toward any buddy to whom they may be assigned.  Accepting a buddy involves a level of commitment that entails a degree of risk that may or may not be acceptable depending on the training, competency, and other factors regarding the parties.  To be cavalier about accepting a buddy when these conditions are not known is just as foolish as it would be for the operator to let divers come on the boat and dive without proper paperwork establishing their credentials and waivers.  Technically, being a buddy implies a responsibility for the safety of that individual that carries with it associated liabilities that a diver may not wish to embrace.