Aquavelvet
Contributor
I would submit that there is more of a continuum of rec/tech diving practices rather that strictly either/or. Diving with a pony bottle means you have already begun to consider scenarios and practices beyond basic OW recreational diving. Even though I was introduced to the concept of carrying a redundant air supply during my SSI Deep Diving course, I found it necessary to try a couple different configurations before I found one suitable for my needs. The configuration that I settled on is the simplest one for me in terms of gear and deployment, and is the same configuration used for carrying a stage or deco bottle on more technical dives. Yes, it also means I use a streamlined one piece webbing harness with a backplate & wing. This has turned out to be the most comfortable harness and the most enjoyable one to use for all of my open water diving, warm and cold water.
As a side benefit, it was a relatively short step to move to a full tech rig for overhead and deco diving. Win-win. All the practice carrying a pony bottle rigged the same way as a deco bottle simplified the learning process. Besides, I never did find a good way to stow both the octo and the pony 2nd stage using a jacket style BC.
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As a side benefit, it was a relatively short step to move to a full tech rig for overhead and deco diving. Win-win. All the practice carrying a pony bottle rigged the same way as a deco bottle simplified the learning process. Besides, I never did find a good way to stow both the octo and the pony 2nd stage using a jacket style BC.
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