I had a cousin watching the compressor. There is no such thing as safe solo helmet diving, you always need a buddy.
Where did you have your greatest dive? (apart form the ones on drugs)
The Puget Sound. I got up close to a wolf eel, outside of its burrow just swimming freely. That's a rare thing to witness, as I later found out.
Of course you're absolutely right and even without a helmet I wouldn't go scuba diving somewhere without at least somebody near who might be able to help if anything goes wrong.
But then... you were tripping with a self-build helmet underwater! Who knows really how important safety was for you at that moment? But I must say, you really have a chill cousin supporting you with that idea :D
I haven't dived for way too long... gonna finish my studies soon and afterwards I'll hopefully be diving again. Just seeing the pictures of the wolf eel makes me wanna get my equipment and jump into the next lake already..