Specialities
Solo Diver
The Solo Diver class offered by SDI is designed to equip divers with the skills and knowledge required to dive alone effectively and confidently. The course covers essential topics such as equipment selection, preparation, and maintenance, dive planning, risk management, and emergency procedures.
The following skills are a prereq to this course:
- Navigation
- Deploy SMB and/or Lift bag at depth (both shallow and deep)
- Use of redundant air suply, including switching to backup gas at depth
- Deploying backup mask
- Self rescue using SMB/Lift bag to lift you to the surface at a safe accent rate
**Any loss of bouyancy control during any part of the open water session will require you to redo the entire open water session.
Don't see a class that works with your schedule? Contact us to talk about additional class options
Please download and fill out your medical and liability forms as soon as possible and bring them with you to class.
Please ensure you have all of the required equipment for your class
Please see our cancellation policy page for information on our class cancellation policies
Availability: Contact us for booking information
What gear is included in the cost of the class:
- Use of weight for the pool session
- Students are responsible for bringing all other gear required for class. We do offer 50% off rentals to any student taking a specialty
- The SDI Solo slates are required for this course and will be automatically added to your cart as part of checkout. They can be picked up the first night of class.
Who this course is for:
The certified SDI Advanced Diver (or equivalent) who is interested in learning how to dive independent of a dive buddy, or looking to strengthen your buddy team diving skills.
Course prerequisites:
- Minimum age 21
- Certified SDI Advanced Diver or equivalent
- Provide proof of 100 logged dives
What you can expect to learn:
The SDI Solo Diver course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:
- Why solo dive?
- History of buddy diving
- Pros and cons of buddy diving and solo diving
- Legal liability assumed by buddy diving
- How to use the SDI Solo Diving waiver and release
- Who must solo dive?
- The solo diving mentality
- When not to solo dive
- Equipment for solo diving
- Planning and conducting a solo dive
- Navigation
- Management of solo diving emergencies
- Review the SDI Solo Diver Liability Release and Express Assumption of Risk Agreement Form
Some of the required skills you will have to demonstrate include all of the following and more:
- 200 metres/600 feet surface swim in full scuba equipment, configured for local diving conditions; must be non-stop and performed in an open water environment
- Demonstrate adequate pre-dive planning
- Plan dive limits based on personal air consumption rate
- Plan exact dive
- Properly execute the planned dive within all predetermined limits
- Equipment configuration appropriate for solo diving
- Proper descent/ascent rates
- Proper safety stop procedures
- Monitoring of decompression status equipment; tables, computers, equipment, etc.
- Navigation skills – demonstrate proficiency of navigation with compass
- Demonstrate emergency change over to redundant air supply (not to exceed 30 metres/100 feet)
- Deploy surface marker buoy (SMB)
- Use of audible signaling device
What’s in it for you?
Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in solo diving activities without direct supervision of the SDI Instructor as long as the following limits are adhered to:
- The diving activities approximate those of training
- The areas of activities approximate those of training
- Environmental conditions approximate those of training
The SDI Solo Diver certification counts towards a single specialty rating to complete the SDI Advanced Diver Development program or SDI Master Scuba Diver Development program.
SDI Solo Diver minimum requirements:
- Satisfactorily complete the SDI Solo Diver Knowledge Quests with a passing score of 80%, followed by 100% remediation by the Instructor.
- Complete all open water requirements efficiently
- Demonstrate mature and sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution
