Pony Bottle / Spare Air

[Dr Wu]

Actually I said "full face motorcycle" helmet. AFAIK, there are statistics helmet riding versus riding without a helmet but not for full face versus other types. Or I could dig 1 layer deeper and say Top of the Line racing helmets (Arai/Shoei) versus other types. And in each case the best helmet you can buy is no substitute for proper training, experience, leathers, boots, gloves, etc....Anecdotally, I can say my full face helmet saved my face from major reconstructive surgery at least 3 times and my life at least once.

Anyway back to diving, I see logic in a few extra breaths, others do not. Anecdotally, there are numerous accounts of divers who used Spare Air to assist in an OOA situation. I could design a randomized study where I surprise turn the gas off at 70ft in typical dive situations with typical divers to see who fares better, the group with Spare Air or the control group without. Although obviously just a thought experiment, I know I'd personally rather not be in the control group.

I feel it's a personal choice where neither side of this issue should be critical of the other as long as the device is not used as a crutch to avoid proper training and experience.

You seem like an adventuresome soul. If you continue diving (which I hope you do) a few years from now you are going to look back and laugh at yourself for having had these thoughts.

It's cool tho. Everyone thinks like this when they first start out.

 

[idocsteve]

You seem like an adventuresome soul. If you continue diving (which I hope you do) a few years from now you are going to look back and laugh at yourself for having had these thoughts.

It's cool tho. Everyone thinks like this when they first start out.

You know what's even more cool, Wu?

I think that way NOW, and I've been doing this for a long time.

 

[Captain Bil]

I am a recreational diver who stays within my AOW limits. I am also Nitrox cert. I normally make about 30 dives a year.....of course I would like to increase that number. Most of my dives are on boat trips including multiple dives on multiple days.

I have done a few shore dives in kelp beds with limited visibility. I am hoping to do more.

What are the pros and cons of carrying a pony bottle or spare air?

Thanks!

I personally don't believe in either, although a pony bottle is the lesser of two evils. Use of these things creates a false sense of security and tends to make one less in tune with ones abilities and surroundings. A better solution is to know how much gas you have to within 200 psi at all times, know your RMV and plan your gas usage accordingly. If your dives require more gas, bigger tanks or doubles may be called for, but not until your RMV has reached its potential via lots of practice.

 

[DCBC]

Like the other responses that are listed below, I am not in favor of the Spare Air System. It will give you some margin of safety in shallow water diving, but from my investigation of the system, it was designed for helicoptor pilots who have to ditch in the water. Typically, they are in a situation that is close to the surface, not under 2 or more atmospheres of water. The other problem I see with a Spare Air System is that when you run out of air, panic sets in. Believe me, it happens to the most experienced divers. Chances are you can drop the Spare Air. Now, instead of going to the surface, you could dive for the unit, taking you away from the one place you need to be........on the surface.

Actually the Spare Air was not designed for emergency helicopter egress; it was designed as a means of providing a few extra breaths of air to a diver who experienced an OOA emergency. This is exactly what happened to Larry, the creator of Spare Air. He told me that all he could think of is what he would give for only one more breath of air.

The U.S. Navy wanted something to do the job for their aircrew. The Helicopter Emergency Egress Device was born HEED. The Canadian military call there's the EBS (Emergency Breathing System). I designed their training program and delivered their first training course at Survival Systems limited in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Many recreational divers will not go to the trouble of carrying a pony bottle and extra regulator with them, especially when traveling. The Spare Air does the job for which it was designed very well.

Some hunters shoot geese with a shotgun. To use a .308 for this job is overkill. More is not necessarily better.

For most shallow recreational diving situations, so is a pony bottle. If you are diving shallow, without an overhead and in a no decompression situation, Spare Air is a viable alternative to have as a back-up. That doesn't mean that I'm against pony bottles; I'm not. One should however understand the design envelope of a piece of equipment before saying anything against it.

 

[sdiver68]

You seem like an adventuresome soul. If you continue diving (which I hope you do) a few years from now you are going to look back and laugh at yourself for having had these thoughts.

It's cool tho. Everyone thinks like this when they first start out.

And I accept that you may be right, but for now I do think what a fool I would feel like if my last living thought was "wish I had a few extra breaths of air"

 

[procraft1]

I am thinking about buying the 3cu. ft. model of "spare air" but would like to know what other divers think about it. Is 3 cu. ft. anywhere near enough air in a OOA situation factoring in the panic factor, I guess some air is better than none.

 

[Arizona_SVO]

[sarcasm]Spare air, combined with split fins and an air-2 is by far the greatest combination of equipment one can buy on the market. Also, this could be a troll type post, but I will take a chance.[/sarcasm]

Okay - now that I have gotten that out of my system, here is the real deal - if you are going to dive below about 30 feet, a spare-air is not recommended for an OOA situation. What it would be good for would be things like an occasion for when you needed a seperate breath or two as you examine something but then you could switch right back to your regulator, or to your true spare-air which is with your buddy.

My personnal oppinion on them is this, if it gives you piece of mind and calms you down knowing that you have a few more breaths to get to help should something happen, then go for it. Others will tell you things like it will allow to go OOA 2 times in the same dive.

Again, if you use it to go from your malfunction to your buddy who should be close, then great - OOA from any signficant depth, probably not the best thing.

YMMV.

 

[paddler3d]

We really need a 'sticky' for this one...

 

[tedwhiteva]

Some simple math -
Typical CALM air consumption at the surface(SAC) = .8 cu ft/minute. Therefore 3 cu ft lasts 3 plus minutes.
At 33 feet = 1.6 cu ft/minute. Therefore 3 cu ft lasts about 1 1/2 minutes
At 66 feet = 2.4 cu ft/minute. Therefore 3 cu ft lasts about 1 minute

Panic situations easily double consumption, 1/2'ing (at least) the duration

Of course the above assumes you stay at the same depth - i.e. swimming towards buddy.

 

[rab1412000]

really has to be a sticky

a combination of false sense of security and a vastly inadequate air supply, plus a difficult to breath in apparatus, could transform an emergency situation into a life threatening one.
best to look elsewhere (ie pony, reliable buddies).

just my 2 psi