I wear doubles for recreational dives because it gives me more time in the rig. Time = familiarity. More opportunities to practice drills and procedures also. It helps condition the muscles for dealing with the extra bulk and weight. It improves my tech diving.
Diving doubles is the 'norm' for me. I don't need to adjust anything, or brush off the rust, when I do a tech dive... and when I do dive a single cylinder, it seems like a piece of cake.
There's also the issue of redundancy. 2 dive trip = 1 set of doubles or 2 singles. Only one of those options gives absolute redundancy.
Hey Devondiver,
Sorry, this post is a little OT:
I'll bet that you have to iterate this answer quite often. Don't worry, you are not the freak. And, I believe your answer is a good one and very smart. Time-in-rig could be the difference between life or death, if you are unfortunate and get in trouble while on a tech dive.
Most recreational divers believe the PADI no-decompression dive limits, and its reliance on buddy-diving for redundancy and added safety margin. The only real redundancy that a diver has is carried on his/her back or in his BC pockets. All dives are decompression dives. We are adults here. We don't need marketing techniques that falsely train people that NDL are not decompression dives. PADI needs divers to stay viable and some divers would not certify if they new they were performing decompression dives (there are two types of dives: decompression and staged decompression dives). Rec divers who don't have redundant systems on their back are rationalizers.
On guided dives I always have a 6 cf pony and on solo/unguided dives I use a 13 cf pony. I always have a small SMB, whistle, and beacon on guided dives. On unguided dives I use a 6 foot SMB, line reel, whistle, and larger beacon. A small knife and scissors are always with me. As a former open-ocean master mariner, redundant systems on the ocean is the key to survival. SOLAS gear is also essential.
My best buddy-diver is my wife. Too bad she has an SOB attitude (don't worry, we're in the same ocean buddy!!!).
I always use nitrox. I have never had to board the boat becuase of nitrogen loading issues. It is difficult to load-up on nitrogen using nitrox while on a recreation dive profile with an 80 cf tank, a depth limit of 60 to 80 fsw, and a 50 minute dive time limit.
If I have a pony bottle that is full, why can't I run my main tank down to 300 psi while serially practicing the deployment of my SMB from 30' while under the boat? If the crew is told before-hand and agrees with the dive plan--what's wrong with 300 psi back aboard the boat and a full pony??
Rules based on orthodoxy are rediculous. Religion belongs in the church, not the dive boat.
markm
