emcbride81
Contributor
I think what this boils down to is an issue of philosophy versus logic. We can go back and forth about whether or not his reliance on his buddy is a effective safety strategy, but the fact of the matter is until the crap hits the fan you can never truly know.
Yes having a pony makes your dives safer for the most part, that part is the logic, more air is usually better . Philosophically though, I think is analagous to carrying a concealed weapon. A lot of us take the "better to have it and not need it, than not have and need it" stance, but honestly, since getting my permit 5 years ago I have never had a reason to use it. There are plenty of other people that I know that never got their permit, they too have never needed it.
In both scenarios, neither side is wrong. Millions of dives have been done successfully without any form of redundancy other than a buddy. However, there are always those cases we hear about in which a pony would have saved a life.
I dive with a pony, becuase that is my philosophy. It is one more tool that helps me make sure I come home to my wife after every dive.
Yes having a pony makes your dives safer for the most part, that part is the logic, more air is usually better . Philosophically though, I think is analagous to carrying a concealed weapon. A lot of us take the "better to have it and not need it, than not have and need it" stance, but honestly, since getting my permit 5 years ago I have never had a reason to use it. There are plenty of other people that I know that never got their permit, they too have never needed it.
In both scenarios, neither side is wrong. Millions of dives have been done successfully without any form of redundancy other than a buddy. However, there are always those cases we hear about in which a pony would have saved a life.
I dive with a pony, becuase that is my philosophy. It is one more tool that helps me make sure I come home to my wife after every dive.