Survey Results: Solo & Self-Reliant Diving

Scuba Diving Survey Results: Solo & Self-Reliant Diving

In March & April of 2026, we conducted an exploratory survey among scuba divers about solo and self-reliant diving.

InDepth Magazine and the Business of Diving Institute collaborate on a series of scuba diving industry surveys to better understand where we stand on dive industry issues, identify workable solutions, increase awareness of opportunities, and, most notably, fuel discussions among dive professionals.

We thank the following scuba diving industry leaders for directly supporting this initiative: DAN Europe and GUE. We also thank all of you who took part in these surveys and studies.

This post is part of our Dive Industry Compass series by the Business of Diving Institute and Darcy Kieran, author of:

TL;DR Overview

The 2026 survey of 768 scuba divers (primarily instructors and tech divers) reveals that solo and self-reliant diving is highly prevalent, with 84.4% of respondents having completed a solo dive and 53.2% maintaining a “self-reliant” mentality when diving with a buddy.

While the lack of an available partner is the primary reason for diving solo (75.1%), open-ended responses show divers also choose to dive alone for underwater photography, relaxation, or to avoid the risks associated with incompetent or unreliable buddies.

Interestingly, 80.7% have experienced diving with a buddy who acted like a solo diver, and 73% agree that bringing a solo mindset to a group dive compromises team integrity.

The open-ended survey results strongly emphasize that a self-reliant” mentality is valued as a proactive safety measure. Participants noted that the ability to manage one’s own emergencies without relying on an unknown buddy ultimately makes them a stronger, safer team diver who does not become a burden to others.

To support this independence, 66.2% of solo divers bring redundant gear they wouldn’t normally carry on buddy dives—most commonly independent gas sources, dual dive computers, and extra masks—though many respondents argue that carrying backup equipment should simply be standard practice for all dives, regardless of whether a buddy is present.

Solo & Self-Reliant Diving – Detailed Survey Results

Have you ever done a SOLO dive (i.e., alone, without a dive buddy)?

84.4 % of survey respondents indicated they had done at least one solo dive in their lives.

Positive answers by groups:

Dive instructors: 92.9%
Tech divers: 92.1%
Recreational divers: 69.5%
USA: 88.0%
Western Europe: 82.3%

Have you ever dived with a buddy who acted like a solo diver (e.g., became unresponsive, wandered off, or exited the water without you)?

80.7% of survey respondents indicated they had dived at least once with a buddy who acted like a solo diver.

Do you agree that dive team integrity is “fragile” when one member carries a solo mindset into a group dive?

73% of survey respondents agreed that dive team integrity is “fragile” when a member brings a solo mindset to a group dive.

Positive answers by groups:

Dive instructors: 69.4%
Tech divers: 70.1%
Recreational divers: 78.5%
USA: 72.4%
Western Europe: 74.7%

When diving with a buddy, do you have a SELF-RELIANT mentality?

53.2% of survey respondents indicated having a self-reliant mentality when diving with a buddy.

Positive answers by groups:

Dive instructors: 87.4%
Tech divers: 90.5%
Recreational divers: 75.6%
USA: 89.6%
Western Europe: 86.1%

Do you identify more with the concept of “independence” (solo or self-reliant capability) or “interdependence” (skilled individuals working together), on a scale of 1 (independence) to 5 (interdependence)?

1 (independence): 23.0%
2: 20.5%
3: 24.8%
4: 18.0%
5 (interdependence): 13.7%

Do you agree that the camaraderie and shared experience of a dive are as important as the dive objectives themselves?

Yes: 46.1%
No: 5.5%
It depends on the dive: 48.4%

About Scuba Divers Who Have Never Done a Solo Dive

The following question was answered by survey respondents who had never done a solo dive.

Do you intend on diving solo at one point?

50.8% of survey respondents who had never done a solo dive indicated they intended to do one eventually.

Positive answers by groups:

Dive instructors: 38.5%
Tech divers: 35.0%
Recreational divers: 59.0%
USA: 59.9%
Western Europe: 48.7%

About Solo Scuba Divers

The following questions were answered by survey respondents who had done at least one solo dive in their lives.

Did you receive formal training (diving course) on solo diving?

Yes: 48.5%
No: 51.5%

Have you ever had a near-miss on a solo dive that made you decide to never dive solo again?

Yes: 1.5%
No: 98.5%

Have you ever done a solo dive simply because of a lack of an available dive buddy?

Yes: 75.1%
No: 24.9%

Why else do you dive solo (besides the lack of an available dive buddy)?

You will find the answers to this question here.

Noteworthy: Numerous survey respondents indicated it was safer to dive solo than with an incompetent diver.

How comfortable are you with sharing with other divers that you dive solo, on a scale of 1 (not at all comfortable) to 5 (very comfortable)?

1 (not at all comfortable): 4.4%
2: 5.2%
3: 13.1%
4: 16.4%
5 (very comfortable): 60.9%

When solo diving, do you bring dive gear/redundancies that you do not normally bring on a dive with a buddy?

Yes: 66.2%
No: 33.8%

When you dive solo, which redundancies do you actually bring most of the time and do not normally bring on a dive with a buddy? (Select all that apply.)

This question was only answered by survey respondents who had indicated bringing redundancies on solo dives.

Independent gas source (pony/stage/doubles): 92.4%
Two computers/timers (or computer + bottom timer): 75.0%
DSMB + spool/reel: 69.7%
Redundant lights (at least 2; or 3 for overhead environments): 66.6%
Two cutting devices: 64.5%
Redundant buoyancy (e.g., drysuit/dual bladder/backup wings): 57.9%
Navigation backup (compass + slate/notes): 53.7%
Audible surface signal (whistle/air horn): 38.0%
Surface tracker (GPS/PLB/AIS/etc): 14.0%
Other: 5.4%

You will find here the list of what survey respondents indicated under “other.” Noteworthy: a spare mask & a mirror for bubble checks.

About Self-Reliant Scuba Divers

The following questions were answered by survey respondents who indicated adopting a self-reliant mentality when diving with a buddy.

Did you receive formal training (diving course) on self-reliant diving?

Yes: 53.2%
No: 46.8%

What is the value to you of a self-reliant mentality when scuba diving?

You will find the answers to this question here.

Noteworthy: Numerous dive instructors indicated that they cannot rely on their student-divers. Many others showed a lack of confidence in the dive buddy’s ability to help them.

Who participated in our exploratory survey on solo and self-reliant diving?

768 scuba divers participated in our survey on solo and self-reliant scuba diving. Thank you!

47.8% of them were dive instructors.
65.9% of them were tech divers.

Age groups of survey respondents:

1928-1945 (The Silent Generation): 1.0%
1946-1954 (Boomers I): 4.4%
1955-1964 (Boomers II/Generation Jones): 18.2%
1965-1980 (Generation X): 43.8%
1981-1996 (Millennials): 26.7%
1997-2012 (Generation Z): 5.9%

Geographic region of residence of survey respondents:

Western Europe: 41.3%
United States (including AK & HI): 32.6%
Eastern Europe (including Russia): 6.5%
Australia, New Zealand: 5.0%
Canada: 5.0%
South Pacific, Indo-Pacific, Other Tropical Asia-Pacific Region (incl. Maldives): 3.9%
Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, Tropical Atlantic: 1.8%
Middle East (including Egypt): 1.3%
South America: 1.3%
Africa, Madagascar: 0.8%
Japan, Other Non-Tropical Asia-Pacific Region: 0.3%
China, Hong Kong, Macau: 0.2%