Carrying Three Regulators

[captndale]

Take a look at the post right above yours for my primary reason as to keeping the second stage. I would argue that my kit is rather minimal. It's in keeping with the DIR equipment setup, my "pony" will be used as a stage/deco bottle well down the road, I'm using it as a pony to get used to handling it underwater.

Who told you that ponies are DIR? Your pizza-stained Doria tee shirt is showing.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

I'm very new to this, so please forgive my naive question about ponies. All of the pony users so far seem to suggest that they carry enough back gas for their buddy in case the buddy goes OOG. Some have gone so far as to state that their pony is too small to air share, it is just for themselves.

So, each pony user has enough gas for their own OOG emergency. Under the circumstances, why reserve enough back gas to share air, why not simply get your buddy to carry their own pony and solve their own OOG situation?

It seems to me that planning for your buddy to go OOG and to simultaneously lose their own pony is overkill. If your buddy doesn't own a pony, they can be rented cheaply enough from most charter operators or dive shops. Why does your buddy need your gas if you don't need your buddy's gas?

Just asking, I do not own a pony and haven't been trained in its use.

 

[atedeschi]

Reg,
You should plan you gas in your main tank to allow you to do your dive and surface properly, with some reserve in the tank so it is not empty when you surface. The pony bottle is incase you make a mistake and run out of gas, or have a failure on your main. if you buddy is OOA then you give them one of your 2nd stages, because there should be enough gas for both of you to surface, one on the main tank and one on the pony.

 

[Dtaine]

Who told you that ponies are DIR? Your pizza-stained Doria tee shirt is showing.

correction - it's in keeping with the DIR setup when I'm not diving with the slung tank, I'm not a DIR diver (although Rick Gomez is the instructor for my science diving training)

the point was that I'm diving a relatively minimalist gear configuration

Also, I've been in the water about 3 times a week over the last 2 to 3 months (both for recreational dives and for science diving training), so if you want to accuse me of being all talk feel free, but that would be highly inaccurate.

I don't recall when I insulted you. I'd at least wish to have a level of respect accompany this discussion.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

You should plan you gas in your main tank to allow you to do your dive and surface properly, with some reserve in the tank so it is not empty when you surface. The pony bottle is incase you make a mistake and run out of gas, or have a failure on your main. if you buddy is OOA then you give them one of your 2nd stages, because there should be enough gas for both of you to surface, one on the main tank and one on the pony.

If that's the plan, it sounds like a diver with a pony bottle needs two regulators, not three. She could strap the pony to her back and necklace its regulator, then put her back gas on a long hose. She always donates her back gas through the long hose and always uses the pony herself as her back up no matter what goes wrong.

Now that I describe this setup, it seems simple and minimalist, but makes me wonder: if someone's going to carry two tanks and two regulator setups, why not go with doubles? Anyways, please don't answer that, I think I'm guilty of thread hijacking. My idle speculation is that you only need two regulators, but seeing as I have no experience in the matter, that's probably a sign that two regulators is a bad idea, not a good one.

 

[atedeschi]

DIR divers do not sling tanks with singles.

Scientific Diver, thats not anything special, I am not trying to insult you but you should open up to new ideas. You are not really minimizing your gear.

 

[Dtaine]

DIR divers do not sling tanks with singles.

see my latest post above

Scientific Diver, thats not anything special, I am not trying to insult you but you should open up to new ideas. You are not really minimizing your gear.

When the **** did this discussion start getting personal?

 

[Web Monkey]

If you use an alternate air source such as a pony bottle (with its own regulator and spg), should you still have an alternate regulator on your main tank? I have been carrying three and frankly the jumble is annoying.

I have never had issue telling the regulators apart (pony from main). My pony reg is identical to my main (Titan). The alternate is bright yellow and the flat regulator type. I have used it but I certainly wouldn't use it for anything other than UP.

Switch your octo for an Atomic SS1 or an Air-2. that way you'll eliminate the extra reg that seems to be in the way but still have access to your main tank for two divers if necessary.

Terry

 

[captndale]

correction - it's in keeping with the DIR setup when I'm not diving with the slung tank, I'm not a DIR diver (although Rick Gomez is the instructor for my science diving training)

the point was that I'm diving a relatively minimalist gear configuration

Also, I've been in the water about 3 times a week over the last 2 to 3 months (both for recreational dives and for science diving training), so if you want to accuse me of being all talk feel free, but that would be highly inaccurate.

I don't recall when I insulted you. I'd at least wish to have a level of respect accompany this discussion.

Sorry if you took offense. That was my poor attempt at humor. The point is that DIR is not a *relatively* minimalist gear configuration, but it incorporates a *strictly* minimalist gear configuration. You really should not throw out the D word unless you are ready to walk the walk. You will attract fire every time.

For all the reasons I have already articulated, DIR divers do not carry ponies.

 

[captndale]

If that's the plan, it sounds like a diver with a pony bottle needs two regulators, not three. She could strap the pony to her back and necklace its regulator, then put her back gas on a long hose. She always donates her back gas through the long hose and always uses the pony herself as her back up no matter what goes wrong.

Now that I describe this setup, it seems simple and minimalist, but makes me wonder: if someone's going to carry two tanks and two regulator setups, why not go with doubles?

You ask a very good question. The answer is that going with doubles is the optimal way to dive. It solves all the problems in the simplest, most reliable fashion.