stealthtransam: I think what rjack, blackwood, and others are trying to tell you is that "I always want enough air for emergency stops" doesn't cut it if you're as serious about dive planning as you claim to be. Bob (NWGratefulDiver) has an excellent primer on gas management that will give you some sense of the calculations you should be planning for. Blackwood's questions (what happens if you're delayed by 5 minutes on the bottom? Hint--it's *huge* difference in gas reserves needed) should be a starting point.
I think if you actually run the numbers based on conservative assumptions you'll be shocked at how much more gas you need than you think you do. And it starts with not just planning air for emergency stops, but factoring in delays on the bottom, sharing air with your teammate in case of gas loss, and increased RMV from being in a stressed state if anything goes wrong.
I think if you actually run the numbers based on conservative assumptions you'll be shocked at how much more gas you need than you think you do. And it starts with not just planning air for emergency stops, but factoring in delays on the bottom, sharing air with your teammate in case of gas loss, and increased RMV from being in a stressed state if anything goes wrong.