Diverman68
Registered
One word can sum up this conversation you want to go solo dive "Sidemount"
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Whether one believes in pony bottles or unicorns or not, for the SDI Solo certification you will need one. That is a pony bottle, unicorns, not so much.
N
23.8No, you don't need one.
Check 23.8 for required equipment.
https://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/files/sandp/currentYear/SDI/part 3/pdf/individual/SDI Specialty Standards_23_Solo_Diver.pdf
I've done SM for Intro cave. I dive a 13 or 19 solo boat. I can get 2 normal ascents from a 19.Onc you go sidemount you will never go back.And a 19cf not a chance,get a 40cf attach a 40" hose to it ,no worries just dive.
Whether one believes in pony bottles or unicorns or not, for the SDI Solo certification you will need one. That is a pony bottle, unicorns, not so much.
N
I've done SM for Intro cave. I dive a 13 or 19 solo boat. I can get 2 normal ascents from a 19.
Can you just imagine the chaos on the average recreational dive boats if all divers with ponies switched to doubles/SM?
Again, this will all depend on the OP's planned diving environment.
basically what they said above. I sit firmly in the camp of "rely on your buddy because that is what you trained and planned for", if you don't want to/can't rely on your buddy, dive doubles, sidemount, etc. Yes they're bigger/heavier, but it's the same amount of equipment to carry around total, and you don't have to swap tanks out, nor do you have a finite amount of time.
My biggest issue with pony's is most people that I have been around use pony's that are way too small. I would not dive a pony smaller than an al30, ideally an AL40 because of the buoyancy characteristics, but 30 is the bare minimum for me to be comfortable with a completely normal ascent. "oops, my first stage exploded, oh well, I'll switch to pony and just call my dive from here and if I see something cool on the ascent, I can stop for a minute and look at it without worrying". If I'm going through the hassle of doing that, I would rather dive doubles where I don't have something clanging around on my left side etc.