You guys must be reading my mind! The story:
The day before yesterday I was sitting in the passenger lounge at Truk International Airport talking to a fellow who had spent the week diving from the Thorfin. Since Truk is mostly deep dives, the discussion revolved around that subject.
In particular, we discussed multi-dive days. Since my buddies and I stayed at the Blue Lagoon Resort we did a max of 3 dives a day, but the Thorfin guys (and the Aggressor and Oddessy Guys) could do up to 5 dives a day. In my reconing that made it harder for them to avoid reverse profile diving if they changed sites. He told me that they were told that it did not matter what order one did the dives in and that the issue had been studied aboard the Thorfin with the various computer mfgs, scientists, etc.: the study indicated absolutely no difference. Interesting.
Then, I told him about my suspicion about the algorithms used in dive computers: for most human behavior there is a gausian distribution of responses, behavior, abilty, etc.; so, if you did the model so that 95% of the population fit within the curve, you would be fairly safe in assuming that most divers would be safe diving with a given computer; then, if you put in a 25-35 "safety" factor, you could be reasonably certain that, if a diver adhered to the computer's info, he would fall into the 100% "safe" category.
Finally, there is the non-technical consideration of liability. My bet is that corporate lawyers make damn certain that, if hauled into court, the company scientist/engineers would be able to state that within a 100% certainty no "healthy" diver would be at risk using the computer--i.e., the gausian distribution and safety factor would cover everyone save the diver with a medical pb or the diver who ignored the computer.
Now, that does not mean you should play fast and loose with the computer, but it would be consistent with a "relaxed" attitude toward reverse profiles.
At any rate, what I am now concluding and want to be assured about is that with a good dive computer and an adherence to its "advice" on deco, etc. reverse is okay.
It is also true that I have reversed a few times due to circustances and all seemed well. It is also true that under those circumstances I made very ample SI.
Have I drawn the correct conclusion and was the Thorfin diver correct?
Joewr