No such thing as a Pony Bottle

[fire_diver]

Just want to say "What they all said above". I highly recommend finding another shop, this one is going to get someone killed.

 

[PantherDiver]

Can someone help me understand the complications that may arise with a bailout/pony? Other than an obvious first/second stage failures, possibility of getting caught on something, adjustments for buoyancy etc? I'm just trying to check if I may of missed something. I'm now completely not wanting to do this dive.

 

[beaverdivers]

I'm now sitting in the PADI deep diver class where it talks about oh what's this?! Pony Bottles or Alternative Air Source. Thoughts?!

Are you sure it is not side-mount?

 

[kelemvor]

I'm now sitting in the PADI deep diver class where it talks about oh what's this?! Pony Bottles or Alternative Air Source. Thoughts?!

For those who don't have access to this, the following is on page 25 of the 2010 version of the instructor manual for the course:

You may want to consider a pony bottle – an independent
air source that provides additional air; it helps assure that you
have ample gas to reach the surface safely in an emergency. It is
important that the regulator used for the pony cylinder is easily
identified, and that it cannot be mistaken for the diver’s primary
regulator. This can be achieved in many ways including:
a. Color of the second stage
b. Color of the mouthpiece
c. Shape and style of the second stage
d. Shape and style of the mouthpiece
e. Coloration of the pony cylinder hose
f. Use of a physical item, which covers the mouthpiece and must
be physically removed before the regulator can be used.
Buddy teams should confirm the procedures that will be used,
should a diver need to switch to a pony cylinder and end the dive.

There's your solution, point out to him that his manual recommends the use of a pony. Does the student manual mention one?

Pity you're in an area where you're stuck with no other options for a shop.

 

[fire_diver]

Can someone help me understand the complications that may arise with a bailout/pony? Other than an obvious first/second stage failures, possibility of getting caught on something, adjustments for buoyancy etc? I'm just trying to check if I may of missed something. I'm now completely not wanting to do this dive.

Not really complicated, you hit the items to be observant about when carrying a pony. The added weight on one side, but after a few times your body kind of learns to adjust and stop actively thinking about it. You need to be aware of bottle pressure and that you aren't bleeding air out. Keep the hoses tucked and strapped so they don't hang up on anything. Practice deploying it so it's second nature in an emergency.

Other than that, it's pretty simple.

 

[BUDMANOK]

this may be off topic I'm not sure. But here goes. Since when do we need someone else's blessing for anything past OW certification? I know that some people take this to the extreme and I'm not advocating that but these are personal decisions we make based on input from others and our own experience. They don't get to tell me I can or cannot do anything. I make the decision I take full responsibility for my decisions. In case I do something stupid I have DAN insurance if it costs me my life I have a huge amount of life insurance to make sure my family is covered.

Guess what I dive dry - no certification OMG I have a huge camera - no certification OMG I sometimes dive solo- no certification OMG I carry a pony/bailout bottle- no certification OMG I sometimes dive deeper than 60 feet- no certification OMG. I own my own boat and dive off it- no certification OMG.

If I paid for all these certifications guess what NO MONEY TO DIVE.

Rant over.

 

[Akimbo]

… I'm just trying to check if I may of missed something. I'm now completely not wanting to do this dive.

I wouldn’t be too concerned about your safety on this dive. You will be surrounded by a bunch of divers and one or two will be watching you like a baby hen. Take your bailout or leave it on deck, there will be plenty of octos around to get you to the surface.

I have serious doubts about investing anymore with this organization, but your safety on this training dive isn’t one of them. Calling 130' a “deep dive” is marketing silliness in the first place.

---------- Post added September 25th, 2014 at 05:34 PM ----------

In the event you continue to use a bailout bottle, I highly recommend that you actually think about it before each dive. I am dumbfounded that anyone would embolize themselves because they forgot that they are wearing a bailout. :headscratch:

Dive Training | Lessons For Life | Scuba Diving Accidents and Safety Tips | Scuba Diving

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I spent a lot of time on these boards lurking through pages of peoples thoughts about Pony Bottles. I selected a 30cf Worthington bottle, with a DIN Atomic Aquatic reg, Dive Rite Travel/Sidemount for sling rigging and a 1" gauge on a 6inch hose.

Done a lot of pool work connecting, disconnecting from my BCD, exchanging regulators, boyancy etc. I was left on my first open water dive when my buddy had low air and the instructors left me alone at 80 feet while helping them. That whole stick with your buddy thing doesn't always happen.

Today the dive shop owner approached me said he saw I had a "stage bottle" an that I don't have the training for it that it's a tech level requirement and they go through hours and hours of how to use it. I said it's a pony bottle and he told me there's no such thing, people just use that phrase as an excuse and that having one causes more problems than it's worth. He doesn't want me wearing them on any training dives with his shop. He said "you don't see anyone else in my shop wearing one?!"

I'm now sitting in the PADI deep diver class where it talks about oh what's this?! Pony Bottles or Alternative Air Source. Thoughts?!

I would stand very close to the instructor while discussing the nature of the bottle. Then while examining the valve, I would drop the tank, aiming for his big toe. Apologize profusely and then remind him that he is probably right, you should have received many hours of additional training to learn to manage the tank properly.

 

[mk706]

I've lost count of the untrained recreational sport divers carrying stage bottles. I'm not one to criticize others divers form, but often ask why they carry it. The common response is safety, especially when diving with kids. I follow that up with asking how and how often they rehearse emergency drills. The response has almost always been the same, in that they didn't train its deployment. If they have trained, it wasn't at depth or recently practiced. If you chose to carry an alternative gas supply you should be proficient in its use.

A better question is why don't most divers practice better fundamental skills? The vast majority of recreational divers I've observed this summer have had horrible skills, specifically poor buoyancy and trim (didn't know we we're suppose to dive like sea horses), poor gas management, and little to no dive planning. Have seen much poor coral finned by these divers.


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[tursiops]

this may be off topic I'm not sure. But here goes. Since when do we need someone else's blessing for anything past OW certification? I know that some people take this to the extreme and I'm not advocating that but these are personal decisions we make based on input from others and our own experience. They don't get to tell me I can or cannot do anything. I make the decision I take full responsibility for my decisions. In case I do something stupid I have DAN insurance if it costs me my life I have a huge amount of life insurance to make sure my family is covered.

Guess what I dive dry - no certification OMG I have a huge camera - no certification OMG I sometimes dive solo- no certification OMG I carry a pony/bailout bottle- no certification OMG I sometimes dive deeper than 60 feet- no certification OMG. I own my own boat and dive off it- no certification OMG.

If I paid for all these certifications guess what NO MONEY TO DIVE.

Rant over.

You are right, nearly off topic. Your desire to not play by any rules is a fantasy. You want to dive off somebody else's boat, you play by their rules. At a resort? Play by their rules. In another country? Play by their rules. Taking a class because you might actually want to learn something instead of reinventing the wheel, play by the class's rules. I'll bet good money there is something about your drysuit, or your camera, or diving solo, or using a pony, or going deeper than 60 feet, that you do not know from learning it on your own. Hopefully what you don't know won't kill you. Sadly, you are probably not getting full value from any of those activities from having approached them as an untrained person. Note I am distinguishing between training and getting a blessing, as you put it. It is nice you want to take full responsibility for your actions. Can you guarantee your family is willing to care for you as an invalid forever, because you did something really stupid on a deep dive with your drysuit while solo, absorbed in your camera, and took a giant Type II DCS hit, and are paralyzed from the neck down?

There, how's that for a rant?