Scuba Detecting Alone

[QMaze]

I've been thinking of learning how to scuba dive just to detect is in shallow water, does anyone here scuba dive in shallow water by themselves. I mentioned this to a coworker and he said you can't scuba dive on by yourself.

 

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[QMaze]

I have no salt water even close to me, so no sharks. Unless Bass attack, lol. I'm around Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair all fresh. Never heard of a hookah system, pretty cool sounding. Thanks for all the info.

 

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[Jason in Enid]

Hookah is nice, but it would mean literally dragging the pump around with while you dive. Hookah makes much more sense when I dredge for gold because I move very little. Scuba and detecting, I would rather scuba.

Heh, bass are fun to play with underwater. I will flip rocks and grab crawdads. The rock flipping brings the bass to you for a free meal. When you get one following you around, throw that crawdad towards him and watch him nail it like lighting!

 

[Madmox]

I'll second EMT shears. It's WAY easier to cut braided or stainless leader or anything else with it. And just to play devils advocate and though I wouldn't advocate it necessarily, especially for a beginning diver. On my path to becoming a Diving Instructor we were always taught, diving with a buddy is the biggest liability you can have. ALWAYS be prepared to get yourself and of trouble without having to count on anyone else to do it for you. Again, our dive training was somewhat unique. But I fervently believe we put out the safest, most proficient divers in the world. Know your limits. Again let me reiterate, this outlook isn't the generally accepted practice for the diving community. Merely a counterpoint for debate.


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[rc2125]

Pretty much always alone when diving and detecting, usually just 8-15ft.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I'll second EMT shears. It's WAY easier to cut braided or stainless leader or anything else with it. And just to play devils advocate and though I wouldn't advocate it necessarily, especially for a beginning diver. On my path to becoming a Diving Instructor we were always taught, diving with a buddy is the biggest liability you can have. ALWAYS be prepared to get yourself and of trouble without having to count on anyone else to do it for you. Again, our dive training was somewhat unique. But I fervently believe we put out the safest, most proficient divers in the world. Know your limits. Again let me reiterate, this outlook isn't the generally accepted practice for the diving community. Merely a counterpoint for debate.


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Yeah, the agencies all teach to always dive with a buddy, but none of them teach HOW to be a good dive buddy. Some instructors are good enough to teach that to BOW students, but from what I have witnessed, most do not. It's basically 2 blind people watching out for each other! I could go on and on with stories, but I'll digress.

 

[mnruxpin]

I have no salt water even close to me, so no sharks. Unless Bass attack, lol. I'm around Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair all fresh. Never heard of a hookah system, pretty cool sounding. Thanks for all the info.

Ive been attacked by large bass!! divin since early 90s. some are mean and some are just pickin food off your legs that you kick up when you detect, have been looking right face to face with them, thinkin we are bonding. and hey hit my mask as hard as they can. some times love is so one sided!!

 

[TooManyHobbies]

mnruxpin, most likely the fish sees it's reflection in the mask and gets territorial.

I'd love to scuba, but I have too many hobbies already. I'll stick with wading....but I'm getting Casper's full face snorkel. That looks cool.

 

[QMaze]

The Keene HydroAir looks like a nice system.

 

[Anduril]

Rule #1 of diving.

Well..., might depend on who you ask?

When I lived in Tampa years ago, my regular dive buddy was on the Tampa Police force.
Dave had this (I'll call it a "contraption") of a speargun that had at least a 50-foot reel on it. (Not making this up!)

And Dave was pretty fearless. Fish size didn't seem to matter too much to him, and he was an excellent shot.... generally speaking.

I say "usually" because on those occasions he wasn't -- you could sometimes wave "Bye-bye" to your dive buddy as he gets taken for a little swim.
Or, he'd be waiting 20 minutes stalking several fish in a tire or something waiting for that perfect "two-for-one" shot.

I think it's hard to have a "true" dive buddy when the activity is spearfishing.
It might be the same for underwater metal detecting too?

PADI Advanced Open Water, here - since 1981.
With Night, Wreck and Rescue Diver add-ons since then.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I thought the #1 rule of diving was to have the number of surfacings equal the number of dives.

 

[G.I.B.]

I thought the #1 rule of diving was to have the number of surfacings equal the number of dives.

Eventually they equal out...

Dive to your experience and comfort level.

I dive alone, and was trained for free ascents from 30', carry a knife and don't be stupid.

(I have a spare air attached as well)

By stupid I mean wandering into caves, wrecks or tight spots without a buddy or the proper training.

It's pretty hard to get in trouble hunting sharks teeth or rings in 18' of water where there is really nothing to get hung up on.

 

[Madmox]

I thought the #1 rule of diving was to have the number of surfacings equal the number of dives.

Fact! First and most important rule to follow right there!


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[ARC]

I am also PADI certified...
First cert was JR open water... in which this was the very first rule.

I must confess that I too have dove by myself.
In fact... I spent more time in water by myself than I have with someone...perhaps triple. :/

 

[Anduril]

I thought the #1 rule of diving was to have the number of surfacings equal the number of dives.

That's a good starting point for sure.
I was on a "head boat" off Riviera Beach, FL and we arrived at the dock with +1 diver more than we left with.
The diver somehow got separated from his own group.

A lot of those dives are drift dives (as opposed to anchor dives), but still.... pretty inexcusable, even for novice divers.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I can understand getting on to the wrong boat when you have multiple dive boats all in the same spot at once. It happens on occasion in Cozumel, but whats inexcusable is heading in with an extra person. DMs not doing headcounts?

 

[can]

I can understand getting on to the wrong boat when you have multiple dive boats all in the same spot at once. It happens on occasion in Cozumel, but whats inexcusable is heading in with an extra person. DMs not doing headcounts?

Captains had to be talking.

 

[Madmox]

I can understand getting on to the wrong boat when you have multiple dive boats all in the same spot at once. It happens on occasion in Cozumel, but whats inexcusable is heading in with an extra person. DMs not doing headcounts?

Or heading in short a person! That's arguably worse!


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[vince76]

I have thought about it too. Diving there where u can't walk anymore, in two or three meters. Is it possible without having lessons? Can't i buy the stuff and get there?

 

[Hand Digger]

Solo diving has always been frowned upon, but I (and many others) do it all the time. If I had to wait for other people, I would never be able to dive.

Scuba diving is it's own reward, so I say don't wait to get certified. I would recommend getting a lot of dives under you belt, and focus on fundamentals and situation awareness on every dive before you start bringing in a distraction like a metal detector. Scuba is deceptively simple, but that deception can kill you. But as long as you have a solid foundation and always know where you are, your depth, your air, along with a few other things, there is no reason you can't combine the hobbies, and do it safely alone.

I believe the first rule of diving is always breath - never hold your breath. You can burst a lung with as little as 5 feet of change in depth. Diving IS deceptively simple. Though with a little training it is very safe. Without the training it can be deadly. I highly recommend getting that training BEFORE you start diving for your own safety. As far as diving alone it would depend on the situation. If you really want to dive alone you can take some precautions like diving in shallow, fairly clear water while having a surface observer who has a fully charged cellphone, your dive plan and a plan on what to do if you do not surface at the planned time or you become entangled. Just a thought.

 

[frogmaster-riviera]

I have thought about it too. Diving there where u can't walk anymore, in two or three meters. Is it possible without having lessons? Can't i buy the stuff and get there?

Scuba detection in shallow water is not so difficult, but passing at least a level of certification will help you to understand the buoyancy and the material technical aspects.

For Italy, prefer the CMAS level 1, last choice will be the very basic PADI Open Water. Try to have at least 15/20 dives beforescuba detect alone.

Keep in mind, scuba detection from the beach/coast is physical, everythings heavy. To detect in less then 5m (17ft) you will have to carry a lot of extra weight. If you use a 7mm wetsuite, it'll be around 14 to 16% of your weight to be confortable.

When you have have finished and you want to get up after 3 to 4 hours of underwater detection, you will feel how russian astronaut can suddenly realized how HEAVY they are

For the little story, my detecting mate AQUAMAN didn't had any land detecting experience prior to scuba detection. We had the opportunity to use our detectors on land almost a year after he started to scuba detect... he was supprised how easy it was...and most important how easy it was to pack everything and go home.

Last thing... prior to dive, take a few minutes to have a look to the sand condition in apnea. Once you've put your tank and with all the weight you will carry, you are not going to move so much or take your car for another spot.