CCR Solo Diving

[JoelW]

Most of the waivers that I have signed sure look like they would exempt the boat driver for whatever I decided to do.  I think of some of the operators that I have gone out with on the East and West coast and they are only there to get divers to the site.  They won't help with dive planning, the DM stays on the boat, they don't assign buddies if someone is single and unless they are providing the gas they don't check any certification other than c-card.  The general scenario is one of "The gates is open, it will close in an hour, don't kill yourself.  The boats leave the responsibility for safe dive planning and execution to the diver.  I distinctly remember one trip north of Boston one winter with a group going out scallop diving.  I went with a friend, but when the gate opened, the twelve divers went in separate directions, came up in twelve different places and the boat did live pickups.  If I had wanted to go solo noone would have stopped me, definitely not the boat operator.


Joel