To shop owners or owners of spare air tanks

[drrich2]

I view it as a 'CESA aid,' whereas in theory a pony bottle ideally has capacity to return you to the point of entry (e.g.: mooring line, anchor), ascend safety, perform a regular safety stop & then exit.

If I were at 100 feet & had an abrupt OOA situation, I'd rather have a Spare Air than not (being mindful a safe ascent rate would put me somewhere close to 2 minutes, possibly starting with having exhaled). I've got one on order; haven't received it yet. Mainly for solo diving. There are distant destinations I probably wouldn't take a pony, and they're not always easy to find for rent.

Richard.

 

[KDAD]

Ok, understand. If you have a pony, I would use my pony whenever solo (or with an unaware buddy) past 30 feet or so and forget the spare air altogether. Muscle memory and familiarity with your gear is extremely important, especially when in a situation.

 

[redacted]

Ok, understand. If you have a pony, I would use my pony whenever solo (or with an unaware buddy) past 30 feet or so and forget the spare air altogether. Muscle memory and familiarity with your gear is extremely important, especially when in a situation.

That makes perfect sense as long as you have room in your baggage allowance or do not mind paying excess baggage charges.

 

[Attreui]

I view it as a 'CESA aid,' whereas in theory a pony bottle ideally has capacity to return you to the point of entry (e.g.: mooring line, anchor), ascend safety, perform a regular safety stop & then exit.


Richard.

I think that is a perfect way of putting it.

 

[JohnN]

I think that is a perfect way of putting it.

I prefer the way RJP described the Spare Air, as the only piece of scuba equipment that lets you run out of air twice on the same dive

 

[drrich2]

Think about that. You're at 90 - 100 feet on a solo dive, and suddenly, you can't get air (for whatever reason). What's a customary safe ascent rate? 30 or 60 feet/min., depending on what I've looked at in the past (not sure the latest recommendation). Split the difference & say 45 feet. No safety stop. Assume you exhaled right before this happened.

Sitting at the computer, relaxed & without physically exerting, exhale & watch the close for 2 minutes. Count it out. That's a long time, at least for some of us.

Would you like to be able to breathe on the way up? Even a good portion of it?

Even without a safety stop, is a slow ascent safer than a rapid one?

Richard.

 

[redacted]

I prefer the way RJP described the Spare Air, as the only piece of scuba equipment that lets you run out of air twice on the same dive

Better to run out of air twice and tell about it than to run out of air once and never take another breath.

 

[JohnN]

Think about that. You're at 90 - 100 feet on a solo dive, and suddenly, you can't get air (for whatever reason). What's a customary safe ascent rate? 30 or 60 feet/min., depending on what I've looked at in the past (not sure the latest recommendation). Split the difference & say 45 feet. No safety stop. Assume you exhaled right before this happened.

Sitting at the computer, relaxed & without physically exerting, exhale & watch the close for 2 minutes. Count it out. That's a long time, at least for some of us.

Would you like to be able to breathe on the way up? Even a good portion of it?

Even without a safety stop, is a slow ascent safer than a rapid one?

Richard.

So you're saying a Spare Air is a better equipment choice than a small (19 cuft) pony?

Really?

My understanding is the Spare Air was developed for emergency evacuations from helicopters. For SCUBA it's a poor solution for a potentially serious problem

---------- Post added December 8th, 2015 at 06:59 PM ----------

Better to run out of air twice and tell about it than to run out of air once and never take another breath.

Or carry better thought out equipment (like a small pony) and not have that problem. You choose.

 

[drrich2]

So you're saying a Spare Air is a better equipment choice than a small (19 cuft) pony?

Really?

It sounds nuts on the surface (didn't even see that pun coming), but consider this metaphor. Which camera is better, a nice consumer SLR like the Canon Rebel 6s, or a small, pocketable little point & shoot like the Canon Elph (pick a number)?

The SLR is more versatile for a much wider range of situations, has a larger sensor for lower noise, higher ISO shooting, has more convenient on-body manual controls, and can, in skilled hands, generate significantly superior photography.

Surely nobody would even own an Elph, unless they couldn't afford 'better.'

And yet, they do. Even some of those SLR owners own little compact point & shoots. Why?

Because it's so compact & convenient they're more apt to have it with them when they're out & about, and it's good enough for some snap shooting.

Now, to your example. A guy's packing for a live-aboard trip. Plans to do some solo diving. Boat he'll be using doesn't offer pony rentals, & he's to fly in & taxi direct to the boat & get on, not drive around town looking for pony rentals. He's packing his 2 suitcases...and that 13 cf pony with full-sized regulator just looks kind big & heavy, compared to a 3 cf Spare Air. Will he take it?

For some, the added size/weight & need to get the bottle filled on site (hoping the op. won't insist on a visual inspection since it's been opened) of a pony won't be a deal breaker, & the smaller size/weight & option to fill off your main tank (not asking the op. to do it directly) won't be a deal maker.

But maybe for some people it will. Which one is better? Sometimes it's the one you've got with you.

Richard.

 

[JohnN]

It sounds nuts on the surface (didn't even see that pun coming), but consider this metaphor. Which camera is better, a nice consumer SLR like the Canon Rebel 6s, or a small, pocketable little point & shoot like the Canon Elph (pick a number)?

The SLR is more versatile for a much wider range of situations, has a larger sensor for lower noise, higher ISO shooting, has more convenient on-body manual controls, and can, in skilled hands, generate significantly superior photography.

Surely nobody would even own an Elph, unless they couldn't afford 'better.'

And yet, they do. Even some of those SLR owners own little compact point & shoots. Why?

Because it's so compact & convenient they're more apt to have it with them when they're out & about, and it's good enough for some snap shooting.

Now, to your example. A guy's packing for a live-aboard trip. Plans to do some solo diving. Boat he'll be using doesn't offer pony rentals, & he's to fly in & taxi direct to the boat & get on, not drive around town looking for pony rentals. He's packing his 2 suitcases...and that 13 cf pony with full-sized regulator just looks kind big & heavy, compared to a 3 cf Spare Air. Will he take it?

For some, the added size/weight & need to get the bottle filled on site (hoping the op. won't insist on a visual inspection since it's been opened) of a pony won't be a deal breaker, & the smaller size/weight & option to fill off your main tank (not asking the op. to do it directly) won't be a deal maker.

But maybe for some people it will. Which one is better? Sometimes it's the one you've got with you.

Richard.

Odd choice of allegories Richard. but I travel with a 19 cuft pony with no problems. Maybe I should take your advice and not bring along those EMT shears, finger spool and DMSB too. They sure are bulky and take up valuable luggage space.

From the tenor of your comments my guess is you don't dive with a pony.