Optimal Pony Bottle Size for Failure at 100ft?

[Lorenzoid]

You GUE guys need to come to terms that people are going to continue to use pony bottles for redundancy. It is a perfectly valid configuration for recreational diving. Just let it go.

I'm persuaded that for the most common flavors of rec diving there is usually a better alternative than a pony, but I'm not going to attempt to persuade anyone else. Go on, sling that thing!

Indeed, in post #2 I commended the OP for at least appearing to have thought through the gas usage estimate, which some pony-slingers likely don't.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Yet the seem to create almost as many problems as they solve. Maybe they aren't as valid as they appear.

What problems are those? I dived with pony bottles for many years. I just lost the preference. I don't see any problems they create. Mount it or sling it and go dive. What's so complicated?

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I'm persuaded that for the most common flavors of rec diving there is usually a better alternative than a pony

My question would be....... do you believe that a pony is a better alternative than no redundancy at all?

 

[lowwall]

My question would be....... do you believe that a pony is a better alternative than no redundancy at all?

I'm not GUE trained, but I believe they'd say that if you can't count on your buddy/team for your redundancy, you shouldn't make the dive.

 

[jborg]

I believe they'd add that when there is a marginal solution to a problem and a good one, you should choose the good one -- even if the marginal one might be better than nothing.

When there is a choice between two items of equipment with the same purpose, and one is clearly better than the other for a reason that affects risk and safety, the DIR philosophy insists that only use of the safer item is doing it right.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I'm not GUE trained, but I believe they'd say that if you can't count on your buddy/team for your redundancy, you shouldn't make the dive.

if that was put into practice, over 90% of the dives made wouldn't happen. While I love the quality of GUE training and recommend it ad nauseum, team based diving doesn't appeal to most people. Let's accept that reality.

 

[Wants2divemore]

if that was put into practice, over 90% of the dives made wouldn't happen. While I love the quality of GUE training and recommend it ad nauseum, team based diving doesn't appeal to most people. Let's accept that reality.

I agree. Regardless of whether or not it would appeal to most people, you also have to acknowledge that many divers don't have a reliable buddy to dive with all the time. When I travel, I don't have a buddy to dive with. My options for deeper dives are to carry a pony, hire a private guide (not always an option), to hope that an instabuddy is a great buddy, or not dive. For me, carrying a pony is the best of these options.

 

[Wants2divemore]

I'm persuaded that for the most common flavors of rec diving there is usually a better alternative than a pony, but I'm not going to attempt to persuade anyone else. Go on, sling that thing!

As a newish rec diver without someone to dive with when I travel, I'm honesty curious what the better alternative is for me than using a pony for deeper rec dives? I'm not a pony zealot, just someone who's tried to think logically about the problem and a 19 cuft pony seems to be the best solution (I did the math about my estimated air usage in case of an emergency and 19 cuft worked - just as it did for @scubadada )

 

[Aquaviolator]

I just strap a few Spare Airs to every appendage.

 

[gordonscuba]

I just strap a few Spare Airs to every appendage.

Oh, so someone found a use for them outside of filling soccer balls or whatever!