Recreational Pony Bottles, completely unnecessary? Why or why not?

[Nemrod]

To be a pedant (moi?), you need to plan that the Pony contains sufficient gas to get you out of trouble. Meaning you plan to need it when all else fails at the worst possible time. Therefore the the deepest point and you've a "safety stop" to do (not deco, oh no). You will be stressed so need to use a stressed SAC and allow a minute or two to sort your act out.

You're right that this isn't part of the primary gas plan, just the backup -- bailout? -- gas plan.

I agree, so to be more specific the pony is not a part of the main gas plan. It is sized or as you say, planned, to be sufficient for the depth, and other considerations, of a recreational profile dive.

James

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I manage to do 90 minute recreational dives taking photos and video and finish the dive with 50 bar. Divers are responsible to look at their gauges and know if they are getting low on air. I do not need a pony bottle just because I do photography on my dives

So you don't plan on catastrophic gas loss? That's fine if you dive that way but no single solo/self-reliant/independent course from SDI, PADI, SSI, or IANTD teaches solo diving without redundant gas.

You may feel differently if you ever have a hose burst, first stage failure, or burst disk rupture. All unlikely events, but they do happen.

 

[Celt]

And I did not say there is. Thus 36 pages long thread on pony bottles to provide redundancy for what you say cannot happen. Apparently others do not agree.

Running out of air is a total failure , on multiple levels. And the one time I ran out of air, some 40 or more years ago, my Tekna T2100 supplied air to the last breath and I was preoccupied to notice any difference until there was no air. My wife came to my aid, we buddy breathed from 90 feet to 30 feet where I let her go and did an easy ascent on my on. Yes, it was before octopus regulators were in common usage, we buddy breathed.

James

It’s easier to watch your gas pressure. Empty at 90 feet is at least one breath on the way up . I’d sooner learn not to find myself in that situation than to put in measures to counter it.

 

[Celt]

LOL. Keep on believing that. Maybe you'll be lucky.

In the extremely unlikely case of a first stage complete shutdown I’d simply surface.

 

[Nemrod]

It’s easier to watch your gas pressure. Empty at 90 feet is at least one breath on the way up . I’d sooner learn not to find myself in that situation than to put in measures to counter it.

And again, you say there are no catastrophic failures and you say it is easier to watch your spg. And I am not disagreeing that well maintained gear does not generally fail and that yes you can get a breath on the way up but CESAs, breath or not, have their dangers and of course it is best not to run out of air. You are going outside the edges of the topic with CESAa and as to back gas failures, you may find me not in particular disagreement but if I was to lump in with you, we would be in a minority opinion, thus now, what 37 pages and going----.

James

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

In the extremely unlikely case of a first stage complete shutdown I’d simply surface.

So simple to surface from 100 feet down with no gas in that scenario

 

[grf88]

So simple to surface from 100 feet down with no gas in that scenario

No chance of getting bent either. Anybody found the sarcasm emoji yet.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

No chance of getting bent either. Anybody found the sarcasm emoji yet.

Why on earth would you think I was being sarcastic?

 

[grf88]

Why on earth would you think I was being sarcastic?

So who is going to be the first to tell us that DCS never happens.

 

[tursiops]

So who is going to be the first to tell us that DCS never happens.

Well, it has never happened to me so it must be a myth.


【/sarcasm]