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why not dive without her... the arrangement sounds ridiculous.
Dozens of potential problems come to mind
Dozens of potential problems come to mind
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spectrum: whats been done to mitigate weight/hassle? most everything we can think of except the steel tank idea. She dives a backplate/wing with an integrated inflator/safe-second. Were warm-water divers, so her exposure protection is just a Lycra skin or at most a shorty. On longer shore hikes, I carry the gear. We both pick the sites. Ancillary reason to dive? No, we just enjoy reef diving critters and coral. A 40cf for a pony? I was thinking more like 19-20cf based on her relatively low air consumption and this thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/tanks-valves-bands/144006-pony-bottle-size.html.
Please let me know why you feel she needs 40? The intent of the pony is just for emergency OOA and safe ascent from our normal dive depths of 40-80 feet or so.
Many have suggested steel tanks. I dont think dive operators normally rent steel tanks, do they? Maybe Im wrong. Bonaire is one of our favorite locations. We normally head out for the day with four tanks to support two dives. So we have to fly four tanks with us on the plane, right? Even with that idea, its still at best an incremental change in her situation. My hope was for a sea change (pardon the pun) in what she deals with. In other words, yes, we add a 25 foot low pressure hose but the vast majority of her rig disappears - no backplate/wing/harness/STA, no BC inflator/safe 2nd, no pressure gauge w/HP hose, no 1st stage, 80 cf main tank replaced by 19cf pony, and no need for buoyancy control.
Dont get me wrong. Im not hell-bent on doing this, and am taking every comment in this thread seriously except maybe Lee Taylors dive without her" :depressed:
thomjinx: Congrats to your Philippines buddy!
Thanks for the follow-up!She will most certainly need bouyancy control
Thanks for the follow-up!
Regarding weights: Yes, she would use the same weights she uses when snorkeling to make her approx neutrally bouyant.
Regarding bouyancy control: No, other than making herself approx neutrally bouyant at the start of the dive, she will not need any further buoyancy adjustments. This is for warm water diving only (no thick wetsuits that change bouyancy during a dive) and since she is not carrying a tank that changes bouyancy, she doesn't need to adjust bouyancy. She can reach and remain at depth at any depth. Same concept as standard hookah-diving - no BCD needed. To descend, she just fins downwards. To head back up, she fins upward - at a safe rate of course.