Do you actually see people diving with pony bottles?

[Marie13]

My instructor for the PADI Deep course had me sling a pony, but we sure didn't go into the kind of detail that 2airishuman refers to about configurations and procedures. I duly slung it, I breathed from it during the safety stop, and that was it.

I carried my own pony on my SDI Deep class. Instructor said I was the first student they'd had with their own pony. Switched to it during safety stop, as well. The other student in the class breathed off the instructor's pony.

I'll admit that I was heavily influenced by a friend who's had some training with Jim Lapenta. I've also read Jim's books. He's a big advocate of at least a 30cft pony on deeper dives. I just started take it with me on pretty much all dives to get used to it. Had it in the pool a few times over the winter and then out at the quarry before I started diving the Great Lakes this summer. I knew right from the beginning I wanted to sling it. I wanted it easily accessible and not behind me (on back tank). I pretty much figured out the rest myself.

 

[shoredivr]

I think this thread is the poster child illustrating the dramatic differences between the average Scubaboard poster vs the other 99.9999 % of scuba divers. I have never ever seen anyone on any recreational dive trip doing side-mount, or slinging a AL80 stage, maybe once or twice I've seen someone with a small pony bottle. (I've been diving since 2001)

I'm happy to have too much gas on deep dives.
YMMV

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

When I took the course a couple of months back, the CD who taught the course had a Padi "instruction manual". I think it's a matter of time before the students manual is available.

I think you'll be waiting a while.

 

[barth]

Here's a picture of a 13 story building (~130ft.). The equivalent of rec depths.

I like my aluminum buddy compared to relying on an error prone human or prayer.

I've never done a CESA in a real emergency, looks like it would suck on likely empty lungs.

View attachment 429935

When I dive single tank I never use a pony.

That I don’t use a pony bottle doesn’t mean that I rely on an error prone human or prayer.

When I dive to 130ft/39m I would use doubles + deco stage and my buddy would have also doubles + deco stage.

I do also a lot of training in the water with buddy’s, training oog and valve drills.

 

[CuzzA]

When I dive to 130ft/39m I would use doubles + deco stage and my buddy would have also doubles + deco stage.

That seems like overkill for a NDL recreational dive.

 

[scubafanatic]

I'm happy to have too much gas on deep dives.
YMMV

I'd be all over the pony tank option, IF I could get the Scotty on the Federation Starship Enterprise to beam it into my hot little hands once I'm on-site, but since I fly to dive I ain't schlepping a pony bottle as I'm on vacation and don't have the time, energy to fool with all those logistics.

 

[barth]

That seems like overkill for a NDL recreational dive.

130 feet is not a NDL/rec dive for me. It is to deep for a single tank for me.

I could use a use a single tank and pony bottle. The pony bottle would just be for safety.That would give me 5 minutes bottomtime when using air or 10 minutes bottomtime for ean28.


That wouldn’t worth diving. I would take doubles and a deco stage and have 30-40 minutes of bottomtime.

 

[CuzzA]

130 feet is not a NDL/rec dive for me. It is to deep for a single tank for me.

I could use a use a single tank and pony bottle. The pony bottle would just be for safety.That would give me 5 minutes bottomtime when using air or 10 minutes bottomtime for ean28.


That wouldn’t worth diving. I would take doubles and a deco stage and have 30-40 minutes of bottomtime.

I don't disagree, but being this is a pony bottle thread in the basic forum and not a technical diving topic, my point was simply to illustrate just how far 130 ft. (rec limits) is. I could post an 8 story building or a 6 story and it's still a very long CESA on likely near empty lungs just after a catastrophe.

I've advocated on here divers should be self sufficient. Redundant gas source eliminates a diver relying on someone else carrying his emergency gas. Considering buddy separation is one of the leading initial causes of diving fatalities, divers need to learn how to dive on their own. Even if they have a buddy.

 

[Dan]

Interesting comment from Fling Charters
"We do allow pony tanks up to 30cf. Pony tanks are for emergency use only and will not be refilled without the permission of the Captain."

Apparently some divers there had been using the pony bottle as an air-tank extension in the past & the operator put a stop on this bad practice.

 

[CuzzA]

I'll add @barth, I've done deep dives in caverns and sink holes where I'll spend 10 minutes deep and spend substantial time shallower. I imagine this is a common profile for not only caverns, quarries and sinks, but also wall dives and some of these island dives in California.