Regulator Necklace...how?

[loosebits]

Ill give you my line of reasoning: I back mount the pony bottle, its a 40cf (so it can be used as a stage bottle too in other diving and it has plenty of capacity) its on my left with the reg on a shorter hose coming over my left shoulder onto the necklace (which I did figure out how to make BTW). I have my main tank and its reg and octo coming over on the right. This works for me in the following scenarios:

- Diver is OOA/Paniced/Confused and grabs my primary, since that hose is longer the panicked diver is away from me (granted closer than with a separate hand off pony). I can either look down to the necklace and use the pony or go for my octo. This gives me a benefit over handing off the pony, it preserves my access to two independent air sources.

- Solo diving my primary reg/tank/whatever fails: I have super easy access to the pony bottle's reg and air. A necklace is easier than undoing the bungee on a sling...IMHO

- I am stupid and run OOA myself: easy to get to pony reg

- In a highly unlikely and probably deadly entanglement situation: it is easier to get to the necklace than to a reg that is mounted further away.

I know divers who rig their pony bottle this way and it seems fine for them, I also know one or two divers who have some sort of octo/BC inflator rigged so that they technically have 2 second stages and then they clip the pony bottle reg to their BCs. As far as I am concerned thats basically the same as having it on a necklace only harder to get to.

I am open to any criticism or alternative ideas.

You really might want to consider slinging the pony... I dive with an AL40 all the time and it really isn't noticable. Of couse when you start doing deco, you're going to want it there anyway, why not start now?

You mentioned still having 2 independent air sources as a reason not to donate the pony. What are the chances that you have a failure on ascent *after* you donate the pony? Do you think that is a bigger risk than being teathered via your backgas reg to a possibly panicked OOA diver? Make that diver as independent of you as possible so if he decides to rocket to the surface, you don't have to follow him.

So, in a situation with OOA divers running all over the place, I'd want a 5 - 7' hose, a necklaced octo and if I were to have a pony (especially a 30 or 40 cf one), I'd want it slung. Donate the primary, switch to the secondary and when things settle down either make a nice slow ascent or hand off the pony. It's a fairly standard setup that many divers would be familiar with.

 

[ffdiver]

my set up is, short hose on my primary, air 2 (which people have alot of opinions about ) and a necklaced pony no octo on my set-up. For the diving I do there is no need for an octo, if you have a diver going through panic they will most likely go for your primary having either the Air 2 or necklaced pony gives you quick and easy air. now remember we as psd alot of times dive solo, or in blackwater were having a necklace allows you to know exactly where the reg is, no screwing around with bungie or unclipping an octo.

 

[darkstar]

The idea behind the bungee for the secondary (octo, short hose, whatever) is that you give (or let be taken) a working reg from your mouth, and then pick up the secondary that is sitting just under your chin. If done correctly, you should be able to pick it up with your teeth (no hands). Lots of experienced divers worked this out. It works. I know this because each week, my buddy rips my primary out of my mouth in an OOA drill.

I started with a back mounted pony and used to practice switching to it. (Zeagle Tech, Zeagle mounting bands). One day, I forgot to turn the pony on. Had that been the day I was stupid enough to run out of air, well... you get the picture. When slung in the front, not only can you turn it on, but you can turn it off if it free-flows. And you can hand it off.

I bet that if you dive 5 dives with the pony mounted on your back, and one dive with it slung in the front, you'll E-bay the mounting bands. And bungee your secondary.

 

[ffdiver]

What I have is a quick release harness on my pony, so you would be able to give to an ooa diver, or you could keep it yourself. One thing you have to remeber is that your pony may be just used for you and not to be handed off. If you need to ditch your gear at the bottom, having the pony reg right next to your chin is a great reasurance if your trying to get out of your gear or the entaglement.

 

[Nemrod]

Since this is not a DIR forum I can answer also that I necklace the donated regulator quite often. I do this because my primary is a Royal Aqua Master double hose. So, in keeping with earlier training I donate my octapus which I now necklace but which in the past was clipped in the center of my chest. I necklace it in part because I dive solo often and that keeps it close to me and often again it is not an octapus but a redundant regulator. I also necklace it as an octapus now because it keeps it close and streamlined and yet visible to me and the OOA diver. Since I now rig it--thanks to suggestions here-- with a slide off bungee loop instead of the old style "strap and snaps" it is easy to present it to the diver in need. I don't use that long cave diving hose, I use anything from a standard length over my shoulder up to a 40 inch routed under my arm. Usually with my double hose as primary I use a 40 inch hose on the secondary under my arm so I can hand it off easy but not have to deal with wrapping a hose around my neck which would interfere with my primary double hose.

Since I don't always dive the same rigs or set ups I have to be versitile. I have bungeed the pony which is now side slung but usually would agree that it should generally not be bungeed to your neck. However, again, I have experimented with a side slung pony with a long hose that wrapped around behind me and then across my shoulder or under it with the regulator bungeed to my neck. Again, this was for solo with my Royal Aqua Master as primary but if diving in loose company it would still be easy to hand it off with the pull free necklace arrangment. I kinda like the yellow hose thinking because it signals the OOA diver whch one is the one he/she needs to grab for assuming I have not already presented them with it. In these rigs I would generally be using a BP/wing system.

Since I no longer cave dive I don't need a cave long hose, a swivel connector on a short-er hose allows it to present well enough and especially if on the 40 inch hose. Since I much prefer the performance, reliability and ease of maintenece of a double hose the long hose neck wrapping cave method just does not really work for me. I already have two hoses there. N

 

[EliotD]

I tried slinging the bottle last night on a night dive (clearly)....I just find it easier to back mount it, but at least now I know for sure.

 

[dherbman]

It's not always about easy. Easiest would be omitting the pony entirely. Your call, of course, but compromising safety for what you percieve as being easier may not be the ultimate solution.

How did you rig and sling the bottle? What do you find easier about back mounting?

 

[EliotD]

It's not always about easy. Easiest would be omitting the pony entirely. Your call, of course, but compromising safety for what you percieve as being easier may not be the ultimate solution.

I agree completely with that, I do not, however, think that back mount is appreciably more or less safe then a sling. I used a dive rite sling kit that I have used in the past for stage bottles. It works fine, I just like having the tank on my back.

 

[BLD_THRST]

Guys, just a quick question.... when u attach yr octo to te bungee necklace, does the mouthpiece face away or to you? the reason i am asking this is that my octo will purge especially when i rinse it with a low pressure garden hose at the front of the octo i.e. where the purge valve is located..... so, if i attach the octo with the mouthpiece facing away from me, will the same happen especially when i swim and the water is directed at the purge valve.... alternatively, if the mouthpiece is facing me, would things get caught in the mouthpiece when the water is rushing into the octo?

 

[vablackwater]

Check my profile pic, I necklace a pony octo. If we are doing a PSD dive, the pony is a 19 or a 30 cu ft to a kirby morgan (bypass valve for tank switching), with a quick disconnect to the the kirby morgan. The kirby morgan allows me to switch to my pony while keeping my FFM (AGA) on. If that fails, I can remove the FFM and grab the octo and still have a source of air right off my necklace. Easy to find it when I can't see. Additionally, the pony can removed from a harness and donated to teammate via the quick disconnect. I rarely take a backup mask.