Should we get pony bottles?

[phoenix31tt]

Hi Guys,

Me here again seeking your sage advice... I've been toying with the idea of my wife and I diving with pony bottles... but I'm wondering if we really need it. These are the items for consideration:

1. We are generally good buddies and always work to improve our buddy procedures
2. Nobody rec dives with ponies around here
3. we dive long hoses (dont know if that has any impact)
4. we will not sling, only tank attached
5. we do not dive pass 130'
6. we wont travel with ponies
7. all our diving is with single al80s
8. in 50 dives we've only ever been low on air (300psi) when we decided to do extended safety stops after deep dives
9. we currently dive with one camera between us each taking turns, but soon we will be diving with two... a gopro setup + our usual still photo setup
10. I'm thinking more for redundancy, less for extra gas
11. Doubles aren't an option... yet

What are you're opinions... would a pony for each of us make sense? Am i over-thinking it? Is it necessary if we're following safe diving practices?

 

[flots am]

What are you're opinions... would a pony for each of us make sense? Am i over-thinking it? Is it necessary if we're following safe diving practices?

This is a nearly religious argument on ScubaBoard, but here is my two cents.

The best option is to never run out of air. I've never run out and most of the people I dive with never run out, however there is always the possibility.

If you're shallow and haven't been pushing the no-deco limits, simply ascending if you run out of air is completely reasonable.

As you go deeper and stay longer and accumulate more nitrogen (possibly from multiple diving and multiple days), direct ascents become more risky and less of a "sure thing" and redundant air becomes a good idea.

If you and your buddy always stay within a fin kick or two of each other and always keep your air sharing skills sharp, and you both always reserve enough gas to do an air-share to the surface from any point in the dive, you could just share air with your buddy if you run out. However if there's a chance that might ever be a problem, I'd get a pony bottle.

If you dive with it every time, it becomes a non-issue. It doesn't weigh anything underwater and completely eliminates any probems with sharing air.

flots.

 

[KD8NPB]

I would not dive an AL80 deeper than about 60 feet without some form of redundancy.

I go by the idea of 1 cf per foot of depth with a little safety margin added.

 

[mala]

you cant be a good buddy and a photographer

get a small sling tank each

 

[rhwestfall]

What do you feel the implementation of a pony achieves in your current diving? With your current good buddy skills, would each diving an HP100 give you a better gas cusion if that is what you are seeking?

I have implemented a pony due to diving in harsh conditions. Deep & cold water being the main reasons. Free flows frequently happen to divers I am around here. I'd rather be able to shut down a tank, have someone on a different first stage than mine (thus, doubles, h-valves, or pony) with adequate air, and less stress on the equipment. Its there for me, or to hand off to my buddy.......

h-valves, though useful, do not provide the gas cusion I want for deeper diving, and I am not yet ready for doubles...... pony solved the need.

Others may not choose this for their own reasons.

PS - a pony is not a substitute for solid dive skills and good judgement.

---------- Post added October 28th, 2013 at 04:50 PM ----------

question: If you are not going to sling, why not go some form of doubles?

 

[phoenix31tt]

I would not dive an AL80 deeper than about 60 feet without some form of redundancy.

I go by the idea of 1 cf per foot of depth with a little safety margin added.

first time i've heard of this... is there any reason for that limit (1cf per foot)?..

What do you feel the implementation of a pony achieves in your current diving? With your current good buddy skills, would each diving an HP100 give you a better gas cusion if that is what you are seeking?

good question, i will update the original post with it... its less about a gas cushion and more about redundancy (in case of a failure etc)

PS - a pony is not a substitute for solid dive skills and good judgement.

agreed 100%

question: If you are not going to sling, why not go some form of doubles?

2 reasons:

1. My wife hasn't yet made the transition to bpw and she loves her current BCD, I'm not gonna push for her to switch so she's limited to single tank diving until she decides to transition

2. I'm not sure how accommodating dive ops will be seeing that we will be using 2x the tanks that everybody else is.. although i sense that this may not be a big deal.

 

[rhwestfall]

first time i've heard of this... is there any reason for that limit (1cf per foot)?..

"starting point" for Rock Bottom philosophy of gas management.

 

[drrich2]

5. we do not dive pass 130'
6. we wont travel with ponies
7. all our diving is with single al80s
8. in 50 dives we've only ever been low on air (300psi) when we decided to do extended safety stops after deep dives

If I understand correctly you're talking about tropical local ocean diving, I assume with good viz. and warm water. But sounds like you guys do 'push it' a bit, diving that deep with an 80 cf tank.

This reminds me of another thread where TS&M (I think it was) posted some calculations for a buddy pair with one failed gas system (e.g.: regulator malfunction, blown o-ring) needing to air-share on ascent from great depth (let's say 120 feet?) at a safe rate, while stressed with higher-than-usual SAC rate, and do safety stops, after getting together and past the confusion of 'what's going on' at depth, on the remainder of air in just one tank.

Put simply; you guys do one of your deepest dives. Late in the dive, your gas system fails; you get nothing. You have to signal your wife, dash over, and get on her octopus (is it a cheap one that doesn't breathe real well?). How deep are you? What's the lowest PSI the biggest air hog between you two might be at ending the dive? You're exciting, gas consumption higher than usual...how secure do feel about heading up?

A pony will require you to buy (& get occasional servicing) or rent another reg.

I suppose one of you could get a pony, as a compromise solution?

Richard.

 

[Max Speed]

Yes. Get one minimum. Breathing is good.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[phoenix31tt]

Oh the 130 was Max we'll go regardless of gear, our deepest was 110, hilma hooker and a local wreck.. And most of the dive isn't spent that deep...



I won't make Getting/maintaining the extra regs an issue if I deem it necessary



@max speed.. If I get one for me then the best option would be to sling so I can hand off?


Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920