When Rich Courtney was still working at Cave Excursions East, he and I had a discussion while he was filling my tanks that began with how we would handle a jump which would require team separation if performed "by the book." Doug Mudry had asked me my opinion earlier on the matter and I decided to take up the topic with Rich. That lead to all manner of "What if's" regarding a host of other procedures. In the end, Rich provided the two words that I find myself employing the most in my cave diving and when teaching others. Those words are, "It depends."
That day, Rich elevated himself to be included among the greatest minds of all time in my book. He assumed his rightful place alongside a college professor who addressed the fact that education often means sacrificing learning for grades and a former Navy UDT frogman, working as a security guard, who counseled me that as I live my life, I will probably come to realize that the grass will always be greenest over the septic tank.
Would I exit a cave from an unverified exit? It depends.
What is the nature of the emergency? Is it life-threatening to a teammate or student? Will a different route allow for better medical evacuation of a bent or unconscious diver? Are we out of gas? Is everything working or have we lost lights, bottles, etc? Have I been through the exit before, but just not recently? What are the chances there has been a collapse compared to our chances for not making it back on our original path? Have I actually exited there or just assume I can fit? For example, how many of us have actually tried to surface through Pothole or just think we can because there is an up arrow there telling us emergency exit only? Would a different path catch the express train of outward flow better than the return path? Is my return path a series of more complex directional changes when another route would provide a more direct swim home? Would a different route be more favorable for reducing a decompression obligation on back gas? Would a different route be more favorable for a gas sharing exit? So many factors would contribute to making a decision that would go against the "rule book" that all I could say is, "It depends."
Two of my favorite teaching situations are to put students in an OOG after they have run line through the catacombs in Ginnie's Devil's System to see if they'll go back through or just take the gold line out and to hit them with an OOG along with a non-fixable failure of the donor's tanks after they cross the mid-point of the run between Pothole and Olsen in Peacock Springs. The latter I normally do after making the traverse to Olsen. Are they going to continue toward Pothole (an exit they haven't been out) and hope to make the 500 feet from there out P1, or will they turn back toward Olsen, the shortest way out at that point, but on the "wrong" side of the arrows. When are they right or wrong? It depends.
That's why I teach my students, "When in doubt follow the rules." But, if you know better, you must be willing to live or die with that decision.
