LariatAdvance:
Yes, I’ve met a lot of divers who are so, experienced, they feel comfortable riding the needle down towards ’0.’ If you are diving solo, as you were, that is your prerogative, though I would think ill-advised to others in that while you’ve dove a certain environment 1000 times, sea conditions and things on the bottom can change.
My bigger concern, diving with the below 500 PIS crowd is that if I am their buddy, and we are both at 500 PSI at 100 feet, what happens when one of us needs to buddy breath? 500 PSI is not enough gas for 2 grown men to make a safe ascent on — especially if one or both is panicked or tired from exertion.