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Tom, I wasn't saying George's configuration was the best for all divers on that dive, I was just saying that it is a valid configuration for someone like him doing the dive he did. This is what I said: > >Nevertheless, I agree that "naked with the magic stone" is a valid diving > >configuration in many cases, including the dive you described. I meant the dive that George did - i.e., a short bottom-time dive by an experienced diver to that depth range. This brings up an interesting point, however. What is all this "technical" diving stuff for? Is it to allow experienced divers to exceed their previous air-only limits? Is it to allow experienced divers to add extra margins to safety to dives they used to do on air? Or, is it to allow *inexperienced* divers access to dives they couldn't possibly do they way you and George and I and many others on this list used to do routinely? I hope it's not the last of the three. What I'm trying to say is, anybody using "technical" configuration for this wreck of yours should also be the sort of person who is fully capable of doing the dive the way George did - with a single tank on a relatively short bottom time. I have no problem with somebody using doubles to prolong their bottom time. I have no problem with someone like you using doubles so you can get back on the boat with 2000psi (as you'll see below, that applies to me as well). My problem comes from your statement: > I would submit to you that even most(not all) good divers cannot complete > that dive on a single tank Does this mean that the technical configurations are to allow someone who lacks the skill to do the single-tank dive (say, 12-15 minutes bottom time with full air deco and at least 1000 psi left in the tank) to make the dive? I.e., is technical diving a "crutch" for the inadequately qualified? Now, I know you, and so I know what you probably meant was that very few divers could do a 35-minute bottom time with full deco on a single tank. I doubt even George could (unless he really likes to roll the deco dice loaded against him). That, then, would fall into the category of extending the range of experienced divers, and I have no problem with that. > And yes I do surface with close to 2000 psig so I have a large surplus of > gas. On my personal dives I do a 40 min + BT and surface with 1400 psid > which is well over 1/3 reserve. For what it's worth, I now use twin 72's on all the 180-200' ledges that I used to do with a single steel 95. (well, I now use the rebreather, but for a while before I got the rebreather, I used twin 72's). I surface with 1500-1700 psi after a 20-minute bottom time plus all air-deco (I don't over-fill, they start at 2400 psi). So basically, I'm of the same mind that you are in terms of adding extra conservatism. However, all my friends continue to use single 95's or 104's for those dives, and I never try to convince them to do anything differently, because I know they know what they are doing. Aloha, Rich
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