At what point do you consider redundancy?

[robzr]

WHAT!?!?!?!

If you're separated from a buddy, you NEED a redundant air source, since one will not be available. Twin tanks completely fit that, even you stated this when mentioning solo. This is really basic stuff, please stop misleading newer divers who might be reading this.

Agreed, that makes no sense. You don't need to be stronger - just have a better speargun or sharper dive knife!

Rob

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Was diving doubles most of this year even with students on checkouts. It was nice not having to switch out tanks, and in the drysuit not having to use any weight. Since it's warmed up a little and I'm in a 5 mil now for checkouts it's a single pumped lp95. BUt solo or anything below 70 feet I'm in doubles. Nice thing about doing this is that when I am toting a 95 it feels like having nothing on my back and with a 5 mil and my plate I still don't need any weight.

 

[Nemrod]

Mostly dive solo, mostly dive single tanks, mostly carry no redundancy. Much prefer simplicity and reliable equipment to multiple failure prone equipments.

Around 100 feet I start thinking about some redundancy, strictly arbitrary and depends much upon the conditions, viz, current, temperature (read as cold), overhead (deco) then I may carry a pony and or stages at much less than 100 feet or even go to doubles. I don't have a magic depth, generally the surface is my redundancy. I have been well beyond most of the depths many dive at with no redundancy and have been doing so for decades. Much of this redundancy and buddy stuff is just oft repeated scuba-isms.

N

 

[Alex777]

I dive solo a fair bit & carry a fully redundant air source if the dive is deeper than about 60' or in caverns. Above that, a CESA is my preferred bailout strategy.

 

[Scott M]

I am looking at redundency but before I do I have to get a little more comfortable with the dry suit before taking on anymore new gear. Right now I am thinking about it because I plan to do some cold water diving this fall/winter and even though I am going to be diving with some very experienced cold water divers I want to have some back up should I run into any issues with the regs in cold water. I have Apeks regs which I bought knowing I was going to cold water dive some day but after the last rebuild I am not as confident in them as I once was.

 

[joe rock]

Interesting discussion. I dive doubles when doing boat dives in the northeast. Most good NJ wrecks are at 90' or deeper. When I dive a single tank I always use a Pony so I always have redundant air. Also, regardless of the dive, I have redundant computers.

JR

 

[nereas]

This is an interesting thread as currently I am pricing out setting up doubles - going to have to put it off at least six months, maybe longer, given how much money it will cost. So pretty much I have decided not to dive below 30m with just a single tank as I am not comfortable diving to that depth with that amount of gas. Instead I am considering hiring a 40cf pony for dives I want to do below 30m, there a few wrecks I am very keen to check out in the 30-40m range. I will do this until I can afford twins. Have dived with this set up before (side slung) and have been comfortable with it. Though from what I see, the use of ponies seems to be a very heated debate! :11:

If you have a buddy, and you can trust your buddy to stick with you, then you really do not need a pony.

If you cannot trust your buddy, then you need an alternate air source of your own. The alternate air source can be the sky, as long as you can ESA (emergency swimming ascent) from your own depth, and you have good neutral buoyancy at all times.

If you are deeper than an ESA would allow, then you need either a pony or else twin tanks.

As for me, I prefer doubles. But on those rare occasions when I am diving a single, then I bring a really big "pony" with me of 40 cu ft.

This does often become a debate and does get heated, yes. No reason for that, though.

 

[nereas]

... Also, regardless of the dive, I have redundant computers.

JR

This is a really good point, which most agencies have not even thought about yet.

My primary computer is a DiveRite NiTekHE, and my backup is a SUUNTO Vyper. For technical deco diving, I can set the SUUNTO to gauge mode, and use it as a backup with a wrist slate.

 

[Sas]

If you have a buddy, and you can trust your buddy to stick with you, then you really do not need a pony.

If you cannot trust your buddy, then you need an alternate air source of your own. The alternate air source can be the sky, as long as you can ESA (emergency swimming ascent) from your own depth, and you have good neutral buoyancy at all times.

If you are deeper than an ESA would allow, then you need either a pony or else twin tanks.

As for me, I prefer doubles. But on those rare occasions when I am diving a single, then I bring a really big "pony" with me of 40 cu ft.

This does often become a debate and does get heated, yes. No reason for that, though.

I only have one buddy I would trust to dive with below 30m and yes, I trust him to stick with me and be able to get me out of an OOA situation should it occur. However, there are a lot of things that can go wrong on a dive that have nothing to do with whether my buddy is trustworthy or not. So I will carry a pony as an extra precaution.

I agree that there is no reason for a heated debate. Different strokes for different folks. If I had the cash, then I would get doubles but not everyone can fork out a few thousand for that set up

 

[String]

I carry redundancy on every dive. On short or no stop shallow dives that's often just a 3l pony which is more than adequate. On deeper or longer dives that'll be a twinset.

My view is a buddy is a human being therefore cannot be 100% guaranteed to react in a certain way in 100% of situations therefore you shouldn't blindly trust them with your life.

My view is every diver should be equipped to dive solo, that way if anything goes wrong and the buddy is AWOL they can still help themselves.