Do you actually see people diving with pony bottles?

[Bob DBF]

I do. It IS a hassle. The alternative for me is short dives where I have to constantly be concerned about my air -- swimming higher than others, go back early (and often alone), etc.

Could you explain why. I use the same gas plan with or without a pony. I carry the pony as emergency bailout, not as additional back gas so I can extend the dive. Don't get me wrong, I have used a pony to extend a dive, however I was under no illusion that the pony was for safety at that point.


Bob

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
Seems like the serious cold(er) water divers I know of tend to have them if they're diving single tank BM and carry them habitually even if in warmer water. . . .

I'm not challenging what you have observed--I too have seen plenty of people carrying pony tanks--but I would just like to point out that there is a whole school of "serious" and/or cold(er) water divers who do not carry a pony because they and their buddy's training instills in them that each is carrying the other's redundant gas, and they are trained to donate it whenever it is requested. It's just a different school of thought or philosophy. That the diver may only have a single tank doesn't mean they are less serious--on the contrary, some who follow the "team diving" philosophy might be MORE serious than the average pony carrier--or that their diving is limited to warm water. In the team diving philosophy, the divers figure out how much gas they will need to get both of them out, even if one loses all their gas at any point in the dive, and then they ensure the tanks on their backs are of sufficient capacity for that.

 

[mcohen1021]

On just a regular recreational dive in the Caribbean vacation, I would not even get on the boat if someone was going to use a pony bottle. Just a sign that I am about to dive with an incompetent. Sorry.

 

[DanielRJones]

On just a regular recreational dive in the Caribbean vacation, I would not even get on the boat if someone was going to use a pony bottle. Just a sign that I am about to dive with an incompetent. Sorry.

Down to 30m I would just like to have a pony. My wife is my buddy we are always a tight buddy pair with no more than 2m between us. Her leading the way and me following, (my natural speed is faster so I go second thus limiting my speed).

Below 30 then pony

 

[Wookie]

On just a regular recreational dive in the Caribbean vacation, I would not even get on the boat if someone was going to use a pony bottle. Just a sign that I am about to dive with an incompetent. Sorry.

Enjoy your poolside sit.

 

[mcohen1021]

Enjoy your poolside sit.

Never seen a pony used on vacation in 28 yrs! My point is that there is a time and a place for them. Wrecks, caves/caverns, deep dives, and other scenarios. Just not on a recreational dive.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Never seen a pony used on vacation in 28 yrs! My point is that there is a time and a place for them. Wrecks, caves/caverns, deep dives, and other scenarios. Just not on a recreational dive.

I would say that using a pony on even a relatively benign "vacation"-type dive could be a wise decision if one could not rely on a buddy to provide redundancy. I don't dive with insta-buddies, but if I did, I might consider a pony. Anything can happen, even at 60 feet, and a CESA from 60 feet is farther down my list of last-resort options than a pony.

 

[Wookie]

Never seen a pony used on vacation in 28 yrs! My point is that there is a time and a place for them. Wrecks, caves/caverns, deep dives, and other scenarios. Just not on a recreational dive.

I consider any dive to be one my regulator could fail on. So I carry one on every dive. I also carry an SMB on every dive.

 

[mcohen1021]

I also carry an SMB on every dive.

Now that is something we can agree on. I changed the way I do safety stops years ago so that I'll never need the smb by remaining over the general group BUT i carry it anyways. And a flashlight attached to bc.

Maybe I am more trusting of my equipment, but I've never had an equipment failure during a dive in 28 yrs. I also properly and meticulously maintain it though.

 

[Trailboss123]

I sling a pony for all solo diving. I don't travel out of the country with mine, but will instead find one to rent. For example, on Bonaire, you can rent one from Chris @ the TDI shop located at Captain Don's. He has his own tech shop on site and rents them completely set up and ready to sling for $5 or $6 a day. However, in response to @Marie13 - I do not commonly see others using them in warm water locations and honestly do not see hardly any in our temperate waters in the Channel Islands. More common up in the PNW- but even there, I see more people in doubles or sidemount than with a pony. Technical Diving Services - Captain Don's Habitat - Bonaire