How do you stay balanced with a pony bottle?

[DiverDAD!]

I am in the process of preparing for my 1st NJ wreck dive after only doing caribbean diving. I will be required to carry a pony (or other redundant air supply) by the boat. I was able to borrow a 19cf pony. I tried it in the pool, and found it tended to roll me over to the side it was on, throwing me completely out of balance, and made me very uncomfortable. Diving like that would, in my view, be unsafe and increase air consumption fighting to keep my balance.

If I like the NJ diving, I'll purchase my own redundant equipment, but for starters I'd like to stick with the borrowed pony for simplicity.

How can I better balance myself for this dive? Can I place more of my weight on the side opposite the pony to balance it? I've never slung a tank, and don't want to try too much new stuff and "task saturate" myself, so a balanced pony rigged to my tank would be my 1st choice. How do you do that?

Help!

Thanks.

 

[Rick Murchison]

... Can I place more of my weight on the side opposite the pony to balance it? ...

Sure.
Rick

 

[joe rock]

I am in the process of preparing for my 1st NJ wreck dive after only doing caribbean diving. I will be required to carry a pony (or other redundant air supply) by the boat. I was able to borrow a 19cf pony. I tried it in the pool, and found it tended to roll me over to the side it was on, throwing me completely out of balance, and made me very uncomfortable. Diving like that would, in my view, be unsafe and increase air consumption fighting to keep my balance.

If I like the NJ diving, I'll purchase my own redundant equipment, but for starters I'd like to stick with the borrowed pony for simplicity.

How can I better balance myself for this dive? Can I place more of my weight on the side opposite the pony to balance it? I've never slung a tank, and don't want to try too much new stuff and "task saturate" myself, so a balanced pony rigged to my tank would be my 1st choice. How do you do that?

Help!

Thanks.

Don't know what your rig is like, but yes counter balance with weight on the opposite side. With a 19cf. pony, 2 lbs. should do it for you. My BC has trim pockets and that's where I add the weight. If you're local I'd suggest you go do a couple of dives at dutch springs to play with your balance and trim with the pony before you do the Jersey wreck dive.

JR

 

[String]

You can. It sometimes works, sometimes doesnt depending on how closely the pony stays to the tank and shape of the jacket.

My suggestion - side sling it. No problem balancing then and needs no weights shifted.

 

[Alex777]

What about slinging it from left armpit to right hip?

 

[chilie]

What about slinging it from left armpit to right hip?

That is how I do it, seems to hang there naturally and underwater you dont notice it. And the reg and valve is always within reach

 

[String]

tend to find it gets in the way of suit inflater, D-rings and other things there.

 

[dkktsunami]

If possible remove weight from the pony bottle side. I use a smaller bottle for recreational diving, 6 cu.ft. attached to the plate. Bottle and reg weight 7 - 8 lbs. on land - to compensate for this I remove 2 lbs. of weight from my left side where the bottle is located.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

If a 19 cu-ft, neutrally bouyant tank throws you "completely out of balance" in a pool, I suggest you do a few warm-up dives in a cold water quarry and test out the rig. You will be dealing with many more challanges on a NJ wreck dive than a tiny imbalance in your weight distribution.

As others have said, you can shift 2-3 lbs of lead around depending on how heavy the regulator you use is.

 

[Nemrod]

Generally an aluminum 19/30 cf bottle is so close to being neutral that the added weight does not casue you to roll. I hardly notice it is there. I don't think cross clipping it from left to right is a good thing. Keeping it clipped to the left rings allows it to drift up and tuck in on the side becoming virtually invisible to the dive. The main addition of weight is the regulator you have on that pony bottle, get a button type spg and as small and light of a regulator as possible. I love using the Mrk V clone firsts for stage and pony. N