H2Andy:
ok, that's it. i'm not talking to you again until you can show me you can have an argument without resorting to name calling and with a little bit
of respect.
I did not call you any names. I gave you criteria for a hypocrite and allowed you to discern whether you were or were not one. From your response, I take it you believe yourself to be one.
H2Andy:
by the way, it's spelled "hypocrite"
Wow, you've got no argument, so you're resorting to correcting typos?
Look, the point is, you cannot prevent someone from violating rules, but you can allow them the best chance of survival if they do (or do not) violate those rules. Your argument is fundamentally flawed in that you assume that if you have doubles, then you will violate rules. One is just as likely to violate rules with or without a set of doubles on their back, and they are more likely to come home alive if there is a problem with more gas than less. The only real added problem you get when violating the 1/6th rule on doubles is that you are more likely to go into deco, since we've established that 1/3rds is usually enough gas to get you out on doubles (and isn't on singles).
I do not have statistics, nor do I need them to justify this argument. We should *always* dive with the best equipment for the job. That should go without saying. At your own admission, doubles are the best tool for the job. If people misuse that tool, that is their problem. We've already established that you can get yourself into *more* trouble on a single LP120 on 1/3rds than a set of double 80s since you'd be penetrating close to twice as far on the single, so where does that leave us?
A burst disk failure is a realistic failure that has and can occur and the equipment is not cognizant of whether you are within a realistic air-sharing swimming distance of the exit. That is the very reason for having an isolation manifold. If you accept that diving singles in a cave is acceptable behavior, you must also accept that an isolation manifold is an unnecessary piece of equipment for diving at the full cave level since you stated that the only reason why you are carrying doubles is to extend your penetration distance, not as an added safety device. So, you would be better suited with a crossbar and eliminate those added failure points in the manifold valve.
(Those last two sentences are *very* tongue in cheek, but follow from your argument).
I could almost accept diving 1/6ths on a single in a cave. That would give you sufficient gas reserves to exit in the event of a serious failure at maximum penetration.
