Northern Tilefish

Tilefish

Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps

Size: to 42" and 50 lbs.

Habitat
Deep waters around offshore canyons

These strange deep-sea fishes are found in the walls of the offshore canyons, far below the range of scuba divers, although they are caught by deep-sea fishermen. Their population is extremely cyclical, with large die-offs from excessively warm water, and this precludes any long-term commercial fishery.

Tilefish
Tilefish

By Bret Gilliam - 3/16/01
Technical Diving Editor and CEO
Technical Diving International

Are we hypocrites, or just following established guidelines established by reasonable people to protect our clients??

The April 2001 issue of Rodale's Scuba Diving has numerous articles acknowledging the practice and practicality of Solo Diving. I'm going to enter the articles and acknowledge the authors of each (rather than plagiarize these good peoples work)

Let's welcome the new millennium by finally ending the absurd controversy over solo diving and grant certification status to experienced divers through formalized process.

Codifying solo-diving with practical standards makes sense for two reasons: First, divers are who currently diving independently without formal training will be encouraged to receive the instruction they need. Second, the buddy system is deeply flawed. It fosters dependent behavior in many divers and is a proven not to enhance safety. In fact, it may do just the opposite for many divers forced into the role of buddy.