Either you learn from this or it makes you want to follow this form of diving thats down to you, but I do dive this way and the reasons i shall comment on, since being in the Army i have always wanted that extra buzz a parachute jump working in hostile environments whatever it was i needed it,
So to Solo diving; people on here and every where else will say a solo diver is self sufficient, but lets get on thing clear nobody is self sufficient 75 meters down,
The Afric is just the dive for this It starts on the boat, the buzzing in the fingers and hand which is like a high the thought of dropping into the water alone, sure there will be other divers there but not with you/ you move to the edge of the lift and the skipper give you the nod to go in the waters cold but funnily you don’t feel it as much, on to the shot line and my hands are shaking dumping the air from the wing you slip beneath the waves and down to the wreck.
Now because you don’t have a buddy to check your kit the 10 meter stop is more so important than before, you roll over onto your back and and watch for streams of bubbles non this time so roll back and on wards to the wreck as the shot slips through your hand and the sea closes in you switch on the main light which cuts through the darkness, the shaking has stopped and then comes the feeling of being the only one there in the darkness i see other lights in the distance then the wreck comes into view although dark there is some good visibility.
The wreck stands 20 meters from the sea bed wooden decks stretch out in to the darkness, moving over the wreck the sense of being alone with 70 meters of water above you is daunting to say the least, the darkness plays tricks on you and you feel very venerable nobody to hep if you get into trouble. The pressure gauge is more important to you here constant checks are a must, breathing is increased even though you don’t realise it, theres a large net hanging from the rail to the sea bed gently moving this to one side revels a hole in the side of the ship you check for lines both visual and then a sweep with the hand. Better having a fishing hook in your hand that it wrapped around some kit.
It’s funny but solo diving prioritises what you would find acceptable hooks in the hand loss of kit etc what or how far do you go, lining off i have a karabina which i snap and lock the line into, if i drop the reel i can retrace the line to the spool. i have two other spools in my pocket plus a pathfinder reel. looking around the silt from moving the net is still hanging and i don’t push it further into this wreck, a quick look at the gauges, just enough time to grab some plates and exit,
Gently swimming along the wreck to the shot i notice the timber on the deck is still very intact but netting is everywhere at last the shot line comes into view. i take a strap from my pocket and snap it onto the line and a d ring, just in case anything happens at least they will find my body! moving back up the line for the obligatory deco and 170 minutes later I’m on the boat.
another dive i look forward to the next time we arrive back in Plymouth in time for kit scrub and a few beers, the feeling of I’ve do it feels good and i notice the shakes again but only until the first beer hits my lips
Graham
February 20th, 2007
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The diving community are a funny lot, now take me i have very few people i would dive with, and that trust has been brought about by diving and the way they are, but there are some in the diving community that are in my mind a royal pain in the arse!
You know the types you have the “Ive been on the course therefore this is it” brigade and then go around shovelling there new found knowledge down anyone who will listen to it, now these people are easy to spot as they quote books and scenarios of dives they have only read about but haven’t done. Then you get the “holy than thou” divers these are the ones who chose an agency and follow it to the letter, It’s either their way or they don’t listen, or worse still argue until they are right, these people are also easy to spot, as they have a reputation of A, pissing skippers off and B, pissing divers off so that they only dive in there little crowd, which is fine as they will preach to them and will get all the back slapping they need. personally i like to dive with the select few and if they are not about I’ll dive solo, as i couldn’t stand the continuous drivel, thats not to say if anyone needs help, well if i can i will and i don’t expect to be told how brilliant i am for it.
I like to think of myself as a thinking diver i take items from all agencies and incorporate them into my diving if it works i keep it if not then i don’t, i would never tell anyone how to dive as i think everyones diving style will be different. there always talk about how to do things in a Pooh fan interface but unless you have been there you don’t know how you will react, i have seen soldiers who are trained over and over freeze at the sight of a friend in bits, in a life and death situation people react differently, most agency’s train for minor issues and expect all the divers to do as they have been taught, but in training you know that there is still air in the cylinders and you can switch back if need be. you also know what your going to do because the test is the same as the conversation you were just talking about. But lets take a what if dive,… well we all talk about them so we know what to do, don’t we ?????
So now you get the scenario and everyone discuses it but just say you get separated from your dive buddy/buddies your in a dark wreck vis has just dropped to zero and you were on the turn point to get back to the shot. In the short oh bollocks stage you now knock the torch and the light goes out, you pull the SPG to your face and you have 80 bar left and the only other gas you have is unbreathable at that depth, you Scrabble around on the floor for the line, and the vis drops even worse than it was (if Possible) 2 minutes ago. fear grabs you and breathing increases, you start to shake and think of family friends and how the fuck did this happen, then you will reach a calm, at this point you need to be very focused on what you need to do or your natural reaction will be to give up! what would i do … to be honest i don’t know and would only relay know if it ever happened to me and i was in this situation. but what about the diver outside the wreck, you exit and turn around to find they are not there, silt billows from the exit point and looking in it’s darker than a witches cauldron, you light has little effect as it reflects off the dirt particles, you look at the SPG, 80 bar and you know you mate will have the same or less, you have a 75 min deco obligation before the surface which is 70 meters above you, if you leave it’s a decision you have to live with for the rest of your life, or do you stay. it’s the same dilemma you have when you kill someone for the first time. again you have done the training but when you pull the trigger and the bullet finds it’s mark it throws a body back like a rag doll arms flailing blood splashed over the wall as the bullet exits and in a breath it’s over. then you have the thought and dreams that follow, so to leave someone is harder than you may think.
Just a thought before we end this, take a good look at yourself is there someone you once dived with you don’t call or dive with anymore, could you be more helpful instead of patronising and the ask your self do i do this and don’t realise it, if i do i have Gary who soon puts me right, and makes me apologise a true friend and a great dive buddy
take care this year and make an effort not to be a royal pain in the arse as i will
Graham
February 1st, 2007
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