pony or spare air?

[sharkbait2010]

Lets keep this simple. You are a new diver. Congradulations. Enjoy recreational diving and keep it simple until you gain experience and additional instruction. The last thing you need to be doing is complicating your dive with additional equipment, which also adds to an additional expense as well.

You said that you were concerned about having spare emergency air. Well, you do. it is called a buddy. That is your spare air and your support. He/she should be within reach in case you get into trouble (obviously).

The better place to spend money is on a quality computer. Good computers will sound an alarm when your air gets to a preset pressure, letting you know that "hey dummy, get your ass out." I call it the idiot alarm, as only an idiot does not monitor his/her tank pressure. Does the computer help with a catastrophic failure? No. Of course not. The chances of that are slim to none with well maintained gear, even rental equipment from a reputable shop. Shops do not want anyone to get hurt. The shop that I help instuct at regularly services their gear. How do they know when theres a problem? The instructors and helping divemasters usually catch most issues during training, take that item out of service, and the shop repairs it.

On the subject of spare airs vs. pony bottles? Spare airs are extremely limited and very dependent on your air consumption rate. General rule of thrumb is if you have to use a spare air you will need to to a CESSA with it, especially if you are deep. They just do not provide much air. Pony bottles will at least allow you to do an immediate abort of the dive, a normal ascent and safety stop and return to the surface.

I have several hundred logged dives, both deep and shallow, and have never had a need for one, nor have I ever seen anyone have a need for one. That is basedon recreational diving, not tech, wreck and any other extreme specialy diving.

Final thoughts. When it comes to recreational diving, which most of us are doing. Keeping it simple makes diving much more enjoyable. Staying as stream lined as possible makes it enjoyable.

Start with a good computer, keep safe buddy diving practices and enjoy the sport. Good luck.

Mark

 

[doctormike]

You said that you were concerned about having spare emergency air. Well, you do. it is called a buddy. That is your spare air and your support. He/she should be within reach in case you get into trouble (obviously).

As mentioned upthread, while the buddy system is good for a number of reasons, I do not think that your buddy's gas should be considered equivalent to an RAS. It is so easy to get separated from a buddy - this is probably the most common dive plan deviation there is - that if you need an RAS, you should not assume that your buddy fills that role.

The better place to spend money is on a quality computer. Good computers will sound an alarm when your air gets to a preset pressure, letting you know that "hey dummy, get your ass out." I call it the idiot alarm, as only an idiot does not monitor his/her tank pressure.

Tank pressure alarms are set to go off at 500 PSI (although I suppose this could be changed). If you are saying that it's a good idea for a new diver to have a tank pressure alarm, I would have to disagree with that. Situational awareness and knowledge of your gas pressure are a prerequisite for diving. No one should be diving anywhere without mastering that first. Similarly, you wouldn't look for a computer that would sound an "idiot alarm" by detecting if you were holding your breath during an ascent, because if you need a computer to remind you of that, you shouldn't be diving.

Besides, what good is the 500 PSI tank pressure alarm when what you really needed to know was your turn pressure or your ascent pressure, both of which come much earlier in the dive. Again, a new diver shouldn't be looking for a gadget to compensate for a lack of basic skills. A computer that just tells you "OK, 500 PSI, lets start thinking about getting home" is not what you or anyone else needs...

 

[billswearengin]

Have dove with both for many years and have never had to use either one in an emergency. Spair air is the last ditch life or death chance, it will last for just a few breaths and with no safety stop. Tested from 60 feet worked ok. Went back on main tank for safety stop. As a new diver plan your dives with an extra safety margin and choose your dive partners well. Best of Luck.

 

[I meant to do that]

I bought a pony bottle as a brand new diver and was set straight before I ever charged it.

 

[jaysea]

I am a somewhat new to the sport (38 dives). It is mandatory on the NJ boat that I dive on to have a redundant air supply, I use a 19 cu pony. More pricy than spareair, but my life is worth it.

 

[Floatingtheflats]

Go with a pony and u will thank yourself down the road. Good luck

 

[NotLloydBridges]

All the focus here vis-a-vis Spare Air seems to be on using it to get to the surface, and the futility of getting there from any significant depth. But what about having the Spare Air as a last ditch to get to a buddy in a catastrophic reg failure or some other calamity? Yeah, your buddy should be close enough so that you don't need a few breaths to get to him or her, but that's a rule often honored in the breach.

 

[sanchoshark]

I tried to search on the subject but ended up with, well, lots of crap. That is how I knew it would stir things up. Sorry in advance.

I haven't calculated my air use yet (SAC) (just finished my scuba certification). I suppose that I want to know if I should spend my money on redundant air or on a regulator or computer.

I like being under water. I think that having an extra source of air would make me feel a whole lot safer - you never know with rented gear.

Ohmygawd, if you have none of the three items mentioned, by ALL means, buy a computer. You can rent a decent reg, but you need your 'puter to have YOUR data stored. Every dive is a multilevel dive; every dive is a deco dive. The second of the three items to buy is a GOOD regulator and read all the reviews you can before buying. I have owned a spare air. I own pony bottles - but carry one very rarely. If you're not in an overhead environment; if you're diving with a buddy; if you're in normal diving limits; the pony will get you in more trouble than it will get you out of. The only times I've used a pony is when the knowledge it was there made me push things in a very non-conservative manner.

 

[doctormike]

...the pony will get you in more trouble than it will get you out of. The only times I've used a pony is when the knowledge it was there made me push things in a very non-conservative manner.

Not sure how a pony would get you into trouble (although a few of the local divers here feel that it is an entanglement hazard, I don't agree but I see their point).

But a pony should simply never have any effect on your gas management calculations, and therefore it shouldn't make a diver "push things", IMHO. As I said before, the presence of a parachute in the cockpit doesn't have any effect on the flight plan.

 

[danvolker]

I have split fins.

They work. Particularly for the diving I usually do.

You need to come diving with me.....I have some very cool carbon fiber freedive fins for you to try.....you will NEVER be the same again...

Regards,
DanV