loosebits:My point is this: buddy awareness and gas planning will make you a better diver, you'll need less gear in the water (e.g. a pony) and you'll be a safer diver. If you are an aware buddy, why would you need a pony? Yes, I've lost my buddy diving Texas's murkey lakes once or twice but the total time thoughout my diving career I've been out of contact with my buddy (excluding intentional solo dives) has probabaly been less that 10 mins. What were the chances I or my buddy would have had a catastrophic air loss during those 10 mins considering I've not had one in hundreds of hours of bottomr time?
With a single tank, proper gas management will save you from everything but a first stage failure, a tank neck o-ring and a burst disk. Those 3 failure modes are covered by your aware buddy. Why have a pony?
For when you are not confident in your pick-up buddy. I don't always take it, depending on my assessment of the buddy. I had tank neck o-ring extrude and start leaking @ 1o5' and my "aware" pick-up" buddies did not have it covered even when I pointed to the valve. I really couldn't tell if it was an o-ring or a motor boat until I looked at my spg so as they blythely dissappeared around the corner, me and my pony got back to the anchor line and just hung out on the line at 50' then 20' and10' 'til everyone was ready to surface. I never had to use the pony, but it was nice to have . I basically agree with you though. Maybe they assumed that because I was carrying a pony that I was doing a solo dive and was only being an ostensible buddy? Oh yeah, I only put air in the pony.