That said, keep watching out for the trolls. Many of them have one actual dive for every hundred posts they make.
It takes a while but they are eventually crushed in the threads and are forced to change their screen name to avoid further embarrassment.
Let me remind you that this is a flame free zone. If you don't have something productive to add to the conversation then maybe you should move to another thread. I personally have no issue with you commenting on SB with repetitive semantics, trolling and baiting but perhaps THIS area isn't the place, respectfully. SOme people post a lot on SB because they like to help other people and that's a good thing. Maybe some of these people with thousands of posts to their hundreds of dives may help someone to actually "be secure instead of feeling secure." Ultimately though, "arguments" like the one above are not an insult to the person you are talking to but rather to SB in general.
No. I don't think so.
Pony bottles have become quite popular with divers that have not fully explored the reason for their existence or what use they can be.
That's why you see so many "It just gives me a feeling of security" responses.
Feeling secure is not being secure.
I read this the first several times you posted it in this thread. Like I said before, SEMANTICS. That said, here was my response for you AGAIN since you seem to like repetition......
Nothing wrong with a little redundancy in situations where it is warranted. Diving in Wreck Valley warrants it for sure. It may be the least recreational recreational diving in the US. I lived in NYC for 12 years and diving off a boat in NJ or the NE is no day at Dutch Springs or Key Largo for sure at times.
Sure, a diver shouldn't improperly rely on a pony bottle for security BUT I don't think the OP was implying that one should. I think the OP meant that his gear (in this case) his pony bottle, makes him feel more comfortable in the water. I can understand this. IMHO safety while diving is ALL ABOUT feeling comfortable. If you don't feel comfortable while diving then you have given the avalanche of panic a foot hold. I like my dry suit, my regs, my BP/W, and my fins and I don't feel AS comfortable when I am not using them as I do when I am. We can all understand this. The OP feels this way about HIS gear too and that is how he learned and how he was taught.
Come dive in Wreck Valley if you have a chance. Some of you have been in like conditions, some of you haven't. If you haven't, my bet is you would feel more comfortable with a pony bottle assuming you had a chance to train with it.
So dive with your favorite stuffed animal if it makes you feel better. I don't care, as long as it helps to bring you back to the boat safely.
As for diving in Bonaire with one, well that's kinda silly IMHO.