Rainer
Contributor
Reliance has no place in technical diving.
Bollocks.
If I didn't believe there were situations that I couldn't get out of without team support, I'd start solo diving. Instead, I recognize that a competent buddy offers me solutions to problems I otherwise couldn't handle alone (regardless of approach, additional gear, or preparation). Reliance is nothing more than acceptance that factors in the world can eventually overwhelm what you alone can overcome. This certainly isn't an excuse for slacking or not being as (reasonably) prepared as possible. The line in the sand where YOU dispense with reliance is simply the demarcation of what situations will prove fatal should life conspire in exceeding it.
Only a fool would state we are not reliant on certain gear, training, conditions, procedures, teammates, responses, instincts, and good judgment when doing "technical dives".