Is there a valid reason for a pony bottle

[Storker]

You solo dive in B.C. cold water with a single tank? To me that feels like russian roulette. No offense but sounds frightening if anything happens

BC ain't that cold. If I ever were to dive solo (which I, incidentally, don't), I'd either sling a pony or carry manifolded twins. And I'd make sure i was trained to deploy my redundant gas supply (which I suspect quite a few of those slinging a pony aren't)

But I'm not, and I won't take the bother.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

BC ain't that cold. If I ever were to dive solo (which I, incidentally, don't), I'd either sling a pony or carry manifolded twins. And I'd make sure i was trained to deploy my redundant gas supply (which I suspect quite a few of those slinging a pony aren't)

But I'm not, and I won't take the bother.

So you are saying you are my long lost identical twin brother?

 

[Storker]

I find a pony to be far, far less complicated than a buddy.

I find a buddy to be far, far less complicated than a pony

 

[NAUI Wowie]

I find a buddy to be far, far less complicated than a pony

that buddy is completely unreliable if you are just meeting them on a liveaboard or a random boat dive.

 

[Storker]

Ha! Dont dive? lmao. You are joking right? That was actually funny.

It's - usually - a lot better sitting topside wishing you were underwater than sitting underwater wishing you were topside.

I've called dives. I've called them underwater, and I've called them before even splashing. I've never regretted any of the times I've called a dive. Anyone can call a dive, for any reason. The ocean will always be there, and I really prefer sitting topside wishing I was underwater over the opposite. I hope - for your and your family's sake - that when you get enough experience you will think the same.

 

[caruso]

I find a pony to be far, far less complicated than a buddy.

I find a pony bottle to be far, far less complicated than an instabuddy of unknown skills, experience, temperament, physical condition, medical history, demeanor, attitude and possible personality disorders.

 

[caruso]

The ocean will always be there, and I really prefer sitting topside wishing I was underwater over the opposite.

The ocean will always be there but in most areas, the reefs and the wrecks are deteriorating rapidly. Takes me a lot of time, effort and expense to get to the better dive destinations and sitting topside thinking the ocean will always be there is no consolation when a dive needs to be skipped. So I'll take every precaution to prevent that from happening.

Including carrying redundant gear such as a pony bottle.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

You base every argument and every reply on YOUR diving style ONLY. You dive 35 to 60 feet and plan your dive at end to be shallow. Thats cool but what about everyone else? What about divers in Cozumel at 100ft or Indonesia in deep dives? For you you DONT need a pony. We get it. But arguing against ponys for everything else is nonsensical. You have always replied based on your boat and your little area of the world.

What if you are diving the Devils Throat? Are you going to Cesa from a tunnel at 110 ft? And I get it you may not want to put yourself in that situation. But tons of divers do that vacation dive every day. What if you are doing an east coast dive down to 80 feet to check out sunken barges and during the dive a lot of bullsharks show up and start circling above you? And they seem very active. That happened to a manager at my company. Hes got 30 plus years of diving experience. He ended up taking a hyperbaric chamber ride as they had to try to wait out the bullsharks and then had to make a relatively quick ascent. a large pony would have been helpful.
Diving isnt just doing one situation.

As I told you before, I don't like to dive deeper than the cubic feet of gas I'm carrying. With the aluminum 80s that are common in Cozumel, I wouldn't be swimming through the Devil's Throat at 110 feet. I also don't dive where there are schools of sharks. If I did, I would plan to leave the bottom long before I needed a pony. What if the sharks hadn't left? Would the pony make any difference? You continue to make excuses for diving a pony that could easily be remedied by better diving. If I'm diving deep, I'm wearing isolated doubles. If I'm making a planned deco dive I carry a stage bottle or two with enough gas for me and any buddy I might have. If you enjoy putting yourself in situations where your only escape is with a pony, go for it.

 

[Storker]

Takes me a lot of time, effort and expense to get to the better dive destinations and sitting topside thinking the ocean will always be there is no consolation when a dive needs to be skipped.

For me, life is infinitely more valuable than getting that particular dive in. I guess we have a different outlook. Remind me to send flowers to your family.

 

[J-Vo]

I find a buddy to be far, far less complicated than a pony

You must not dive with your wife.