Plan to conduct all or part of a dive without a buddy?

 

The subject of solo diving is one that is frequently raised within the BSAC and in answer to a specific request at the Diving Officers Conference 2004, the NDO, Clare Peddie, initiated a review of BSAC's guidance on the subject of solo diving. The full report from the NDC working group will shortly be published in the NDC E-Bulletin. However, the key finding of this report is: 

BSAC currently takes the view that based on evidence from available statistics and risk assessment, the increased risk attendant to allowing planned solo diving is unacceptable

Personal self sufficiency

One of the key findings from the NDC consideration of the topic of solo diving is that there are significant lessons that can be learned from the need to develop, train for and regularly practice with appropriate equipment set ups and the skills to use them. Such strategies will help ease the stress of situations of both an individual who encounters a problem and their buddy who may have less involvement in resolving the problem.

Buddy separation

There are defined procedures for what to do following accidental or unplanned buddy separation under water. There appears however, through reported incidents and even a public advocacy of the procedure for buddy pairs to either deliberately separate under water or if doing so inadvertently make a conscious decision to carry on with the dive and not attempt to rejoin with the buddy until the end of the dive. In recent years there have been significant numbers of serious and frequently fatal incidents where this has occurred and a telling comment from the 2005 Diving Incident Report by Brian Cumming says every year we report a number of incidents where an attentive buddy has clearly saved another's life by taking the appropriate remedial actions.?

Buddy diving is an established and proven system in sport diving. It allows not only for safer diving through the mutual support that a competent buddy can provide but also allows the buddy pair to recount and share their experiences.

Think SAFE - Dive SAFE