Question about pony bottles

[Txredneck]

My son (14 years old) and I are relatively new to diving, 3 years and about 40 dives, over half are salt water boat. Our max depth is about 80 ft, diving with steel 100 singles. Both of us are AOW with nitrox certification.

My question is about pony bottles. I just bought 19 cf bottles for each of us. I am going to rig with primary off the tank, and octo off the pony. I've review our previous dive sac rates, and 19 cf should be more than adequate for the diving we do.

It seems to me only logical that carrying your own back up air would be far superior to depending entirely upon a buddy in an OOA/equipment failure situation.

And my question... Since it SEEMS a no brainer that a pony is superior to a single tank with octo, am I missing something???

 

[redacted]

There are advantages and disadvantages to dive buddies and to ponies. The idea of always carrying a pony will become excessively burdensome in many cases; especially if you have a good buddy. I prefer to keep both those options (and others) in my kit and use them appropriately.

How were you planning on flying with that pony set-up?

 

[Txredneck]

How were you planning on flying with that pony set-up?

Single engine, low altitude, unpressurized Toyota Tacoma.

I work for an airline as an Aircraft Inspector, and keenly aware of traveling and such. Aware that the pony may at times not be viable due to travel. But back to my original question, or a rephrasing of the original...

WHEN POSSIBLE, is a pony not a no brainer over a octo and single air source? Am I missing something???

 

[Tony387]

Redundancy is never a bad thing. That being said, developing good buddy skills and practicing them, the types of which would address OOA or equipment failure, is of the utmost importance. IMO, pony bottles are for solo divers and people who dive with "instabuddies." If it was me, I would focus more on me and my son diving together well as a team, and less on adding an additional piece of equipment. Just my two cents.

 

[rhuntley]

I probably shouildn't even comment on this, as my views are different and irrelative to your question. Good job on not getting a Spare Air, many people go wrong there. Personally though, if looking at a reductant air source, I'd personally move on to sidemount or doubles, although the first option, which I highly recommend isn't possible for your son's age (15 yoa required for the course) and the second isn't in any way needed for your style of diving. Honestly, a reductant air source isn't needed based on what you have described. You aren't in an overhead environment, nor are you diving alone. Personally, I say continue to dive within your limits and as taught, save a reserve of air in case of an OOA or equipment failure situation. That is just my two cents though, and I am not familiar or have dived with anyone that has a pony (everyone around here just switches to sidemount if it comes to that)

 

[Txredneck]

...developing good buddy skills and practicing them, the types of which would address OOA or equipment failure, is of the utmost importance...

I agree with you 110%. We've come a long way from the first dives, when he was 12. I used to turn away for 10 seconds, literally, and turn back and he would be 50 feet away. He would see a turtle and swim toward it like there was no tomorrow without signaling me whatsoever. Some serious scolding, reviewing and stressing that we depend entirely upon each other has solved most of that. But we are still developing. We will be taking rescue diving end of June, which I think should be a really good class for him, and me. Developing and developed are two different things.

So as we are DEVELOPING, is there something about pony bottles that we should stay away from, something I'm not understanding?

 

[Phil_C]

In the UK it is very common for people to dive with a pony, and almost universally they dive with a primary and octopus on the main tank and a single regulator on the pony.

That is how I dive when I am not side mount. My rationale is that unless a failure occurs at a late stage in a dive you almost always have more air available in the main tank to help your buddy and to air share, you can't use this option if you don't have an octopus (unless you are practised at single regulator air sharing). The pony is just for emergencies and if you do the calculations does not have all that much more air than what is necessary to ascend safely and do a stop. Why lose access to the extra air available in your main tank and only have a pony to help you buddy when you could have both.

Incidentally I also dive with 40% Nitrox in my pony, so if I do ever have to bail out and get up quick I am maximising the pressure gradient and off gassing and increasing the safety of a quicker than normally recommended ascent. Only issue using 40% introduces is watching your MOD, but at the depths you refer to that won't be an issue.

Phil.

 

[MrChen]

I just bought one myself. I still have 2 second stages on my first stage on my main tank. I don't want to make any equipment changes should I decide to leave it on the boat or at home.

 

[industrious95]

Most of the divers I see in the Northeast (NY, NJ) dive with Pony's. Most of the divers I know prefer to be prepared, even if you have a regular dive buddy you can depend on. In this area, good vis is 15', so it's easy to get separated from a partner.

I prefer having redundant air (Nitrox in my case). If a regulator fails, a buddy's great, if he/she is there. If you can plan your OOA and equipment failures, your buddy's octopus is reliable. Otherwise, I prefer a redundant backup system.

I've never traveled by air with my Pony, but I'm a little less concerned on a vacation dive trip, where all the divers tend to stay together and there's a guide nearby. And, I take good care of my regulators with annual regular service, although sometimes I feel like I'm just throwing money away, I figure better safe than sorry.

I've never seen a diver with a primary & octopus on a single tank, plus a pony, but I've never dove in the UK like the previous poster. But there's certainly no harm in being over-prepared.

 

[T.C.]

You still should have an Octo. What happens if your ponies run out of gas? You want access to that big tank on your backs without buddy breathing. In this case, you can have your cake and eat it too. Carrying a pony is a good idea, especially with a buddy as young as your son. But what happens if another diver comes up to you OOA? Are they going to breath your pony? That's YOUR backup gas supply, not his! But without a Octo, he has to use that pony to breath.

---------- Post added May 19th, 2014 at 03:22 PM ----------

Here's a good thread about Ponies; I hope it can help answer some questions. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ta...pony-what-size-how-mount-other-questions.html