what applications would you use of a pony bottle

[KY]

seeing an increase in use of ponys down here, with people giving up with twin sets (they really are just so inpractical) and going back to old fashioned single setups, but with ponys as backup. On many instances, the pony's being 11l's or so,, so.. enough air for the second dive as well

 

[Dr Wu]

I took a wreck course from an instructor who absolutely was against pony bottles. He made some good points like it adds unneccesary drag and it would contribute to alot of divers becoming too lax in their air monitoring because they feel like they could always fall back on the pony. He stressed maintaining good buddy contact, air monitoring, streamlining you gear and sticking to the dive plan. It made sense to me the way he explained it. Of course if I was going to do some deep/wreck diving with a buddy I didn't know or just me I'd prob. feel a bit better with a pony anyhow....

I imagine that was his point. He was afraid you were going to feel safer rather than actually be safer.

People get that mixed up all the time.

 

[Rich Keller]

I use a 30cu/ft pony attached to a Miller harness for a bailout when I am diving surface supplied and I also find a lot of use for it in shallow short dives as my primary air supply.

 

[Searcaigh]

I use a 13 cu ft pony attached to my main cylinder with the second stage on a 7 ft hose bungeed to the tank.

Anyone I dive with I point this out and inform them that this is my alternate air source should they also require air.

Personally I have never had use it or deploy it to another diver.

Most of my diving involves photography and I am frequently so absorbed in what I am photographing I would fail to notice a buddy with OOA situation, as I am sure my buddy would fail to notice if I was OOA also, or I am diving solo.

I frequently check my gauges during dives as pure habit

 

[knowone]

A 25cf and homemade harness attached to a later model horse collar
hooked up to an air II, for a quick scramble down a cliff to get lunch.

Long before the rapid diver, after the ABLJ, in the middle somewhere.

No hotch potch, I can sew and have and have access to heavier industrial machines.

So I guess I'm also a SEAmstress.

 

[Travis B]

have you considered stageing? do you dive al80s? consider stageing another instead of a pony,, in an emergency situation on a deep dive your smaller ponys wont get you to surface safely.from what i know and have talked about with other divers it all depends on your diviing,WHat do you dive the most? Wrecks,depths,just making bubbles? do you dive cold water? that will also affect your pony size.

 

[Kern]

Most of my diving involves photography and I am frequently so absorbed in what I am photographing I would fail to notice a buddy with OOA situation, as I am sure my buddy would fail to notice if I was OOA also, or I am diving solo.

If you & your buddy aren't going to notice an OOG situation, you aren't buddies. You're just 2 divers in the same ocean.

 

[FritzCat66]

Not much to add here, except that, speaking as a purely recreational diver, some of us prefer to keep the pony very consistent. So, my 19cf pony is there on every dive, whether buddied or solo, whether a 90' reef or a 12' shore dive. I practice with it all the time (usually ascending on it the last dive of the weekend, although of course it's not part of the gas plan). It's simply part of my standard gear config so it's ALWAYS there if I ever need it as bailout, which I hope never happens.

 

[Hatul]

I take a slung pony on solo dives and on some deeper buddy dives where there is a risk of separation, such as the Yukon in San Diego. If for nothing else it's reassuring and I'm more likely to stay cool if something goes wrong. There is also something to be said of just taking it all the time when possible.

Adam

 

[Chris K.]

Pony bottles are just another piece of expensive gear the industry is trying to tell you that you need. make the last 1000PSI of your primary tank part of your "gas plan", and you'll be fine. Do you carry a spare gas cannister in your car? I used to, when I was a teenager, because I thought everyone did. I never ever used it, because I always got gas in time before I ran out. Same with diving. Monitor your air consumption, know what you are doing, and don't rely on some gadget to save your butt. I have no use, nor do I understand the purpose of a pony bottle. It's just meant to make you look more important. I went diving yesterday at one of our local "holes" - the amount of expensive gear present could pay the national dept of a small country! Ease up, people! Use your naugin instead of your wallet. I get a kick out of playing stupid and asking some of these heavy-hung divers "What's that for?" I usually get a startled look and a "Well, it's for in case I run out of air, of course!" My "Why would you run out of air? Don't you have gages?" gets the defense mechanism going, and before you know it, we're knee deep in an argument over how to dive safely. I used to teach boating courses, and one of the rules we taught was the rule of thirds: 1/3 of the fuel is for the way out, 1/3 for the way back, and 1/3 for what you didn't expect. I apply the same to diving. I always have 1000psi by the time I get to a shallow, safe environment. Then I just hang out and do either my deco obligation, safety stop, or just surface with still some air to spare. Who says you have to suck your tank dry? Just because you have a pony bottle hanging off your waist doesn't mean you can plan your dive to the absolute limit of your air capacity. If that's your philosophy, then invest in twins, or high pressure steel tanks - or both. Remember the old J-valve? It had an internal pressure valve which would constrict air flow at (I think) 800psi, and then you could flip the lever down and get the extra 800 "reserve". It was supposed to work like a "built in" pony bottle. Problem was, people were likely to rely on that reserve, and incorporated it into their dive plan. This could have disastrous effects when some realized that the'd forgotten to flip the lever up before the dive, and when the air flow restricted, they were actually out of air, not at their reserve stage. I once had a J-valve tank, but I never used it as such.