Equipment for Solo Diving

[wedivebc]

Maybe he wants to do some penetration on the way up?

Or maybe he's just trying to illustrate just how much extra gas an average diver would have from 130ft even after a safety stop and a very conservative ascent rate.

An OOA diver would have to be very disciplined to actually ascend at that rate. I will bet most wouldn't.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

An OOA diver would have to be very disciplined to actually ascend at that rate. I will bet most wouldn't.

You are exactly right, an OOA diver with a 13 cu ft or similar sized pony with no spg, that he/she has been carrying for several dives since he topped it off last is going to make a fairly rapid ascent from 130 ft as he/she is going to be wondering just exactly how well the math compares to reality and will be wondering if they REALLY do have the air needed for a normal ascent. Been there, done that, retired my 15 cu ft pony the next day.

Most OOA divers with a small pony will hedge their bet with a faster than normal ascent as they will regard the risks of that faster than normal ascent as being better than ascending slower, using the air down deep and running out of air at say 30-40 ft and then having to esa to the surface.

The same diver with a 30 cu ft tank or a set of properly configured doubles is going to be far more comfortable with the margin for error and the amount of reserve air in the pony and/or isolated tank and will be far more likely to make a normal and stress free ascent.

On the other end of the continuum there are cases of divers with small ponies who are overly confident and intentionally delay their ascent to finish some task or square themselves away who then do in fact run out of air on the way up.

In my opinion if you are serious about solo diving, serious about anticipating and planning for the unexpected, and serious about configuring your self properly, then you need to get a serious pony bottle or, even better, a set of doubles.

 

[redacted]

In my opinion if you are serious about solo diving, serious about anticipating and planning for the unexpected, and serious about configuring your self properly, then you need to get a serious pony bottle or, even better, a set of doubles.

The problem with depending on doubles or larger ponies is they can be a problem for the traveling diver. I don't think I have ever used more than 500 psi from an Al80 to do a safe ascent including a rest stop. And that equates to a 13cf pony. Yes, the pucker factor is not in play and a 19cf pony is just a bit larger & heavier when traveling. But for the traveling diver, these seem to be reasonable options that will significantly reduce risk in an OOA situation.

 

[CRDiver]

Couple years ago, I installed a full-size SPG on my back mounted 19 cu.ft. pony bottle. Previously I had always just checked the pressure with my main reg prior to every dive, but I decided to give it a try. One day I was diving with my buddy at about 110' at Wazee Lake in Wisconsin (which translates to 33 degrees F year-round) and my Apeks decided to freeflow badly. I tried to get it to stop, but no luck (with my drysuit, I can't reach my valve). I simply inserted my pony reg, signaled by buddy, started a nice slow ascent, did my safety stop, and had about half the pony left. My buddy was able to shut down my main cylinder, turn it back on, and it was fine before we surfaced. In any event, it was awfully nice having a SPG handy at the time. I had never experienced a freeflow that deep, and being able to track my pony's pressure was very reassuring. I knew I was going to have plenty. Plus, by knowing exactly how much air I had left, I was able to switch regs back-and-forth and practice breathing on the freeflowing reg while ascending, all the while knowing I was in no rush.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The problem with depending on doubles or larger ponies is they can be a problem for the traveling diver. I don't think I have ever used more than 500 psi from an Al80 to do a safe ascent including a rest stop. And that equates to a 13cf pony. Yes, the pucker factor is not in play and a 19cf pony is just a bit larger & heavier when traveling. But for the traveling diver, these seem to be reasonable options that will significantly reduce risk in an OOA situation.

Familiarity with the area and comfort with the conditions are two of the things I personally require to conduct a solo dive. If it is the first time I have ever been to a particular dive site, I don't do it solo.

So in my opinon, solo diving should not be a frequent occurrence for a traveling diver. But given that the Buddy du Jour could end up being pretty scary, a pony is still not a bad idea.

 

[SeaYoda]

I have a 19cf pony and for my own peace of mind I have a button guage to check at the beginning of the dive. I also have "test breathed" the tank at 30' (while I still had plenty of air in my main 80cf) to see how much air I use. I used it for 10 minutes (swimming arround) and still had 1000 lbs left. It is also connected to my Shadow Plus so I check consumption after every dive. Use for bouyancy has been almost none in several different conditions. I have concluded that 19cf is sufficient for the 55' that is my normal depth. Should I go deeper, I would test my air consumption again at deeper depths before trusting that 19cf was enough. Every body uses air at different rates and though the math is nice, I want to be sure I'm not a bigger air hog than the average guy .

 

[MikeFerrara]

I have a 19cf pony and for my own peace of mind I have a button guage to check at the beginning of the dive.

I take that to mean that you have the tank mounted where you can't see the gauge?

If you can't see it "now" you don't know that there's anything in it "now". There are any number of failures that can let gas leak during the dive or even just roll-off the valve.


IMO, you need to be able to reach the valve and you need to be able to see the gauge. You also need the reg stowed where you won't get it by accident.

 

[AADiveRex]

When doing deco dives a spare mask is quite important because you need to see gauges to get back safely. An older ACUC instructor told me they used to teach OW students how to cup an air pocket around their eye to allow them to read a gauge without a mask.
I would not like to try that in 42' water but it is suppose to work.

It does work. It should be considered a basic skill for of every technical course that involves any form of overhead. (Cave, wreck, deco, etc.)

 

[SeaYoda]

I take that to mean that you have the tank mounted where you can't see the gauge?

If you can't see it "now" you don't know that there's anything in it "now". There are any number of failures that can let gas leak during the dive.

It's one of the evils of a pony bottle. If the valve is closed the tank isn't available for immediate use and if it is open you could be loosing gas.

IMO, you need to be able to reach the valve and you need to be able to see the gauge. You also need the reg stowed where you won't get it by accident which means that it may not be available for rapid deployment.

Since it's attached to my BC, I know pretty quick if there is no gas. I have been wanting to get a hose to thread down to where I can see the guage, that would make me feel better.
The valve is always open and I have access to it as my octo -sort of a combination. I have heard both sides of the "how many regs to carry" issue. I lean toward the less regs the less failure points side. I would not be opposed to rigging the whole thing as it's own entity and slinging it- just have not tried that yet and would need to buy another second stage.

I also do what might be considered another no-no and mount it straight up on the back of the main. I do that for several reasons; 1) I've got some displacement in my shoulders that makes it hard to get to the valve anyway (vs mounting to the side) 2) Mounting upside down would need more hose to get back over my shoulder to reach the inflator 3) I dive open water so no bumping overhead stuff / low entanglement risk where I dive 4) Trim is OK - would need weight to balance if mounted to the side 5) Current is strong here sometimes and I hug the bottom to take pictures - I'm crawling across the rocks many times - back mounting keeps it out of the way.

Attached is a picture of my gear - unlike some DIR folks who were eager to roast a STROKE, please feel free to make some suggestions that would not drasticly alter but rather gently improve the chances of my coming home safe. I carry a knife, shears, sausage, whistle, and extra mask. Thanks for any suggestions.
Image by SeaYoda (Copyright) posted at ScubaGallery

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Attached is a picture of my gear - unlike some DIR folks who were eager to roast a STROKE, please feel free to make some suggestions that would not drasticly alter but rather gently improve the chances of my coming home safe. I carry a knife, shears, sausage, whistle, and extra mask. Thanks for any suggestions.

Mounting your pony like that just screams to be reached out and touched by monfillament and anything else that may snag dvers. I also think snags are a potential problem everywhere, or at a minimum need to be treated that way. Mounting the pony on the side makes it less of an entangelment risk.

I do agree that back mounting the pony upright helps keep the hose lenghts under control and back mounting does keep the pony off the bottom and out of the way in situations where an unobstructed chest area is preferred. But having an SPG that you can read is a trade off you do not want to make if you decide not to sling the pony, as is tucking the pony as out of the way as possible. Shifting a pound or two to the other side is not a major problem and is worth the effort.