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> 
> <sorry to repost this.. the subject was hosed on the first round>
> 
>  Hi Tom,
>  
>  Does this type of training make sense? I don't think 
>  this was part of the curriculum when I went through the mill.

This kind of training makes a great deal of sense for students that have
finished cave training. The only way to learn cave diving is by cave
diving. Actual bottom time is more important that simply the number
of dives. A beginner can get a lot more out of a long dive, assuming
that the dive is within his ability, than he can out of a bunch of short
dives that sum to the same bottom time. One thing that Tom didn't state
is that stage dives are an option that students are not obliged to
participate in. Don't forget that students are paying to dive with
capable divers, their instructors. It is to their advantage to get as
much bottom time as possible.
This marathon dive was probably optional and done after the students had
satisfied training requirements. For these students, it was their first
really long cave dive. Don't you think it is a good idea to do this with
an instructor? Remember that an important part of learning  to cave dive
involves diving with people that have abilities superior to your own.

>  Why not require the student to be in Good++ physical condition
>  so that this type of situation is very unlikely?

Being in good physical condition does not mean that the techniques you
have learned have been fully ingrained. Practice makes perfect.

>  I have never been so tired that I could not maintain technique.
>  I have been tired enough that I had to slow my pace down a bit.

Yes, but you implied that you never did this kind of dive when you went
through the mill. So, who is to say that your techniques wouldn't have
suffered had you done such a dive at that time.

>  (As a silly question... Why not train them to maintain technique
>   when they suffer from hypothermia? See what I'm saying? )

You are right. Not only is it silly question but it is a non sequitur.
I don't see what the problem is when an instructor offers to do a
post-training stage dive with students that are interested.

-John

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