Without trying to sound like a dick, I would suggest if you are interested in the standards of practices for technical diving to get training in the filed rather than learning from the internet and completing deco dives as it sounds like you have, without training or instruction on gear use and technique.
My question originated because, on another thread, a technical instructor (a SB moderator) seemed to be indicating that he was OK with no redundancy on a deco dive. I did not want to hijack that thread and due to the fact that I have no technical training, I decided to seek guidance about what is "required" for decompression diving
from the standpoint of the certifying agencies.
It is my recollection that in the past, I have been banned from the forum due entirely to the accusation that I was "advocating" unsafe dive practices when I discussed doing a dive with a known fixed (maximum) depth, with my own timing device (watch) and used my buddy's computer as a sanity check on the time and decompression status of a non-deco dive that I had performed several dozens of times in the recent past.
It seems that it can be a very slippery slope between discussing a dive that was inconsistent with most agency recommendations versus being found guilty of "advocating" for unsafe dive practices (which as I recall, is a valid reason for banning of the individual). Personally, I think we should be able to discuss ANY type of diving, just as long as we are not advocating for that kind of diving.
I personally have performed many dives that were a little past the No-deco limit and I have worked as a dive boat crew, safety diver etc. during several technical dive training classes in the ocean - and I have been "unimpressed". I have witnessed things from some of the people (who were engaged in technical diving) who are ostensibly among the most highly regarded technical divers, and was again"unimpressed" by
some of the things I saw. I find it interesting to observe much more accomplished and more highly trained divers than myself, because it helps me to pick up a few tricks here and there.
I see no real need to dive much past 200 feet and I am not comfortable with a lot of decompression and have a bad back which would make diving large double tanks impractical, so I don't see myself pursuing technical training in the near future - primarily because I doubt it would change the way I dive. Rebreathers are too expensive, too unforgiving for someone as careless as myself and are illegal for spearfishing in my local area, so those don't look to be in my future as well. Please note, I have come to that conclusion with respect to rebreathers simply by reading stuff on the internet, no training was needed!
I think it is quite unfortunate that you feel it is necessary to suggest that someone should be hesitant to ask an honest question about gear requirements for a particular type of diving.
Maybe you think my attitude is arrogant; it took years to refine it.
