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Jason, >Do you want to comment on the manifold debate Carl? (you were such >fun to watch in the SA/Pony fiasco) ;) Thanks - I think :^) I think that each has it's place and that this is a *personal* decision - not like the Spare Death debate. >What information do you expect to glean from a SPG on a pony? Well, how about how full it is BEFORE I start the dive?! I actually hook up a REAL reg at the beginning of the day to verify pressure. I'm picking up one of those OMS hoseless pressure gauges (screws into the HP port) for use throughout the day. Now, on this manifold issue :^) I *WAS* concerned about the same things as you Jason (shearing of the manifold - damage - etc),but the REAL test of which is better would be which one has which one has more accidents/fatalities. Now, not knowing the exact numbers I can't provide a great answer, but, I'll make some obsevations. First, why do all the big time cave divers in the US use manifolds? I suspect George might have something to say on this (or Charles). Second, having dove twin 100's as independants I agree with Jason that switching tanks just isn't that hard. Some of the "independants" problems have come from switching to the wrong gas at depth. SO, if you're carrying several gases and switch on your back gas several times, you're definitely increasing the probability of getting the wrong reg - better make damn sure you know which regs are where... Third, just HOW MANY manifold have been damaged on a dive? Fourth, in the blown reg case with the isolation manifold... You *could* dive with the isloator MOSTLY closed, that way pressure would be equalized BUT, in the even of a catastrophic failure on on side the cross leakage would be drasically reduced. NO one has mentiond this yet, why? Fifth, Jason said... >It can be a killer too. I know of a diver who practiced opening the >isolation valve in shallow water before setting out on a big dive. >(sensible precaution!) Trouble was that really deep, he needed his >wings fully inflated. Discovered that he couldn't reach his valve! >(at +100m, in a current, on a line, after he exahusted the first cylinder) Well, why couldn't he have switched to the reg that was on the other side of the manifold - just like independants??? You DO assume that divers have regs on each side of the isolator, right??? I think your alarm here was someone panicing and forgeting that he ALREADY had access to that gas OR, he screwed up by not having a reg on both sides. Finally, I must agree with Ken, this is a DIFFERENT debate than the pony/SD issue. Ken meniond a blown burst disk - I think we went through this debate before, right, what would bent gaster, HP, LP, or burst disk (maybe the burst disk wasn't in the discussino before). We all agreed that LP would bent faster because it's designed to flow a lot of gas to the diver in need, while both other methods are a "slower" (relatively speaking) event. Again, I agree with Ken, people have died from switching to the wrong gas at depth. WIth manifolds, this would NOT have happened. How many people have died from manifold failure of ANY reason??? There may be something I'm missing so I will gladly stand corrected on anything I've said, but if anyone flames me - f**k you... There, that felt better already :^) -Carl-
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