Ponies

[erikenger]

Hi All,
I got my solo certification in March in Bonaire, did about 8 solo dives, and am now looking to buy a pony to dive more locally here in the mid-Atlantic region & areas within driving distance (e.g.- NC, St. Lawrence). Clearly the depth one is diving determines the size of the tank - I'm mostly looking for viewpoints on other considerations. I have some thoughts but I'm going to leave the question open ended for the purpose of a fuller discussion. What factors did you/would you consider in choosing a pony bottle and fitting it out?

Thanks in Advance,
Erik

 

[DaleC]

I have also recently purchased a pony and chose a 30cu.ft.
At the moment I mainly see myself solo rec diving so a smaller pony would do I suppose for redundancy sake but, having regretfully already purchased some gear that is limited in scope, I wanted a bottle size that could be used for other types of dives as well (if/when I choose to do them). I looked at 6 and 13 cu.ft. (attracted by their smaller more manageable size) but, after discussions with other divers, decided that the smaller size limits their utility in other applications. At least the 30 can be used as a stage bottle, a safety stop bottle or a realistic bail out for deeper dives.

Some other things that came up:
1.) Deciding on which 1st and 2nd stages to go with. I went for basic and bombproof. Lot's of different opinions out there but I finally chose SP stages (my main tank stages are already SP). I don't think SP is particularly better than other brands (shrugs) but I decided (after discussion) to maintain consistency for servicing sake. I almost bought two separate brands until I discovered my LDS didn't service one of them. This would have meant using a different LDS (I like mine) or splitting my rig up for servicing (not so good). Definitely something to check on before purchase.
2.) Thinking about how it will be mounted/slung, what side the reg will come from and whether you might need a left/right hose attachment.
3.) Hoses. I've been wanting to switch to a longer (5ft.) primary hose so when I ordered the 1st/2nd stage assembly I ordered it. Now I will use the 5ft. for my main tank primary, short hose for my necklace secondary (backup) and my current 39" octo hose for my pony. One less hose to buy down the road.
4.) SPG. Button or full gage. If you are just using the pony for redundancy and not breathing off it to extend dives etc... then a button might be ok (it's either full or it's not) but down the road, if you are thinking about switching to independent twins or using the pony for other uses, you may want to go with a more comprehensive SPG. Something to think about anyways.
Just my thoughts on the subject.

 

[kagey747]

DaleC has excellent points. I am also now using a 30cf pony (plenty of air, ready for future use as a stage or deco bottle), sporting the most basic, bombproof SP reg setup (because that's what my LDS services), but use a button SPG (currently only need to check the fill and is half the price of a standard). I do have a standard SPG and 6" hose ready to rig if/when I start using it as a planned part of my dive air supply.

After trying a couple of different carry styles, I've decided that slinging the tank works best for me, not only in the water (it basically isn't there during normal ops) but also doing the solo set-up and moving to and from the water. Best directions I've found for rigging the bottle for slinging is on dirdiver.com.

I'm using a 40" Miflex hose, retained by the innertube bands, which allow me to comfortably deploy the hose around the back of my head for a normal (for me) over-the-right-shoulder regulator feed with no restriction of movement.

I also make a point of deploying the rig and taking a couple of breaths off both my alternate reg and pony reg during the safety stop on every dive; familiarity breeds comfort and I like to be comfortable with my equipment when I dive solo.

 

[spectrum]

Depth plays into sizing as does your desired margin. Having enough air to go from A to B is one thing but is your choice predicated on a perfect fill, a perfectly accurate gauge, no interruptions in your ascent and stuff like that? If you haven't actually dried to sized one for your intended solo depths here's an old post. Remember that you want to drill on the deployment. If you cut the size too close you will be wanting a top-off every few dives. Owning a trans-fill whip can be handy for this if you own some higher pressure cylinders.

Being solo there is nobody to assist you in using or inspecting the pony so you need to decide if you want it out back or slung where you can keep an eye on it. If it will also be used on buddy dives then having a configuration that lets you hand it off to another distressed diver can be desirable.

If your use may be impromptu such as; buddy was a no-so, buddy bagged second dive then the grab and go simplicity of a sling is real handy.

I went with a 19CF and rigged it to sling and I don't even notice that it's there. For my rig it works best on the right hand side.

Pete

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have both 19 and 40 cu ft bottles. Both side slung. Sherwood Blizzard reg for both with button guage currently but switching to small spg on 6 inch. Diving solo however I prefer my manifolded doubles. 72's, 85's, or 95's. If going beyond 100 feet I may sling the 40 along with them depending on the profile.

 

[BobbyT22]

I spent quite a bit of time thinking this through for myself. The answer for me is a slung 19, left side. I actually bought some awesome zeagle pony bands for back mounting the pony, but I decided that when soloing I needed full access to my bailout bottle, hence my decision to sling. The link below is one often used on scubaboard for how to sling a bottle....works great.

DIR-diver.com - Stagebottle rigging

For a reg, I bought a used Conshelf XIV 1st stage on ebay and had it overhauled by my LDS. This reg has a bulletproof reputation, which is exactly what I wanted, and buying it used, even with the cost of the overhaul, was still a good bargain. I put coupled it with a Tusa Platina II 2nd stage octo regulator on the end of a 22 inch Miflex hose. The Tusa is nice in that you can attach the LP hose to the left side of the reg, which is nice when slinging from the left side. The short 22 inch hose is nice to bungee to the bottle, but plently long enough to deploy, especially with the hose on the left side of the 2nd stage. The only way I can see to improve the setup is to find a metal, rugged, simple, reversible second stage (the platina is plastic), so if anyone has a suggestion I am interested.

I experimented with a button SPG and a mini SPG on the end of a thin HP hose, but in the end I went with no gauge at all. The only thing coming out of the first stage is the LP hose to the second stage. I check the pony pressure by putting my main reg set on and pressurizng it before each dive. As long as I know the pony is full when the dive starts that is enough for me, and since it is slung I can see it the entire time so I can detect a leak if one occurs. I also reasoned that if I ever had to deploy the pony for real, the dive is over and monitoring the gas level at that point was superfluous, I was ascending to the surface as fast as safely possible, period.

Diving with a slung 19 is really simple. It completely disappears when underwater, and 19 cu ft is plenty of gas for me to ascend from the depths at which I solo (60 feet max) and then some. I also sling a 13 in the same manner, and I actually prefer the 19, as it lays better in the water. I use the 13 for travel, but prefer the 19.

Just my .02, on how I approach the pony setup when soloing. I am open to critiques to my thought process as well, I can always improve, so let me know what you think...

Rob