Handing Off a Pony Bottle

[dumpsterDiver]

I often see people on here touting the benefits of being able to "hand off" a pony bottle to a panicked or scared diver. Presumably it is beneficial to the donor because it keeps the two divers away from each other and this mitigates the danger to the donor. After the hand off, I guess the recipient just holds the tank in one or two hands, operates their BC and goes up.

I was taught that a diver in distress should be grabbed and held firmly, establish eye contact, provide help, maintain physical contact if practical and then escort the victim to the surface as fast as is safe. So this idea of handing off being a major consideration always sounds foreign to me.

I've never seen this scenario in real life. Have any members ever done the hand off (of the entire pony bottle - that is completely detached from their rig) and then backed off and kept their distance and allowed the recipient to go up? I'm think about recreational divers here, not tech divers sharing stage bottles.

Does it really occur often? Is it really beneficial? Will a diver who is so panicked that you don't want them anywhere near you - still be able to hold a bottle and make a safe ascent without any contact or assistance?

 

[Keith.M]

First I would clip it to their BC if I was handing off. But I agree with your premise. Here you have a recreational diver, needing air so most likely close to panic. Just giving them the pony and then backing off is kind of skirting your responsibility as their buddy.

Holding on, making eye contact and escorting them to the surface is how I was taught.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Clipping off a bottle to an Out of Gas diver doesn't require you then abandon them. It does expand the range of options available.

No real downside, many possible benefits.

Tobin

 

[DaleC]

I wouldn't and haven't seen it.

 

[azmodan50]

I would never hand off my pony bottle. I don't bring it to provide an OOA buddy with air. It is a last resort. If my buddy goes OOA, they get my primary and I switch to my Air2. My pony bottle is in case I go OOA.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I would never hand off my pony bottle. I don't bring it to provide an OOA buddy with air. It is a last resort. If my buddy goes OOA, they get my primary and I switch to my Air2. My pony bottle is in case I go OOA.

Hummmmm, I'm no fan of "pony" bottles, but resources are *Team* resources…….

Tobin

 

[CamG]

I was trained to donate and help to control OOA diver's exit / ascent.
I have had some training " cave" that it was discussed about handing off bottles.
This being said Ive never had to donate outside of training or drills other that several free flows in cold water.
When a diver is panicked and if they are my buddy I am going to donate, get behind them and control their ascent if at all possible.
I am certain that in reality a real emergency is never as clean as training drills.

The few times Ive assisted or witnessed assisted ascents with OOA divers it has never been as clean of an event as in a class.
What I can say is that for sure one such event the assisted ascent made the difference between serious injury and walking away.
That is why I think it is important to help control the ascent or exit if possible.

CamG

 

[TONY CHANEY]

I would never hand off my pony bottle. I don't bring it to provide an OOA buddy with air. It is a last resort. If my buddy goes OOA, they get my primary and I switch to my Air2. My pony bottle is in case I go OOA.

That is simply too funny.

---------- Post added May 20th, 2015 at 01:54 AM ----------

No matter what you are breathing from, give the OOA diver that reg. You can donate the entire reg and tank and complete all stops together. The OOA diver can control the tank and reg and you are not attached in any manner.

 

[redacted]

I would never hand off my pony bottle. I don't bring it to provide an OOA buddy with air. It is a last resort. If my buddy goes OOA, they get my primary and I switch to my Air2. My pony bottle is in case I go OOA.

I tell my buddies that, in an OOA/LOA emergency, they are welcome to any gas I have including my bungeed octo or my pony; but I prefer they take the regulator that is in my mouth. If they as, that is the one I would offer.

 

[tbone1004]

I'm mostly with Tony on this one. This is similar to the discussion of short hose long hose donation in sidemount. Give the diver your primary, hold onto that harness and figure out what may or may not happen from there. If you are carrying a pony bottle and said diver did not panic and you don't particularly feel like being attached to that person, while you are still attached, hand the diver the pony bottle and let him switch over. Once he's switched over, then figure out if you want to follow him or let him go. If you know the diver isn't experienced with handling pony bottles, don't hand it to him, keep it for you and switch over to the pony so the diver has full access to the air in your tank.

Like everything, you plan for the worst, hope for the best. In this case you plan to ride up with the diver because he freaked out, and secretly hope that he doesn't actually suck and and you can just hand off the bottle.