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

[Celt]

It clearly states watching him not looking for him. Maybe it is you that is making stuff up to support your argument and not me.

Stop digging

 

[grf88]

It clearly states that it was a fast ascent except for diver B who started fast but slowed down at the 10m point. He was an ex Navy diver and a paraplegic, maybe just maybe he knew what was best for him. Did you even read the damn post.

 

[grf88]

Stop digging

You are the one in the hole.

 

[Nitrox_DiverNY]

I use a pony below 60ft. I don't use a pony because of any lack of planning, I use one incase of a major failure in my rig, OOA for myself or buddy, or the possibility of getting separated. When your diving at 80-100plus feet I feel a pony is a good backup item incase all else fails. People can use pony bottles and still plan and execute dives properly. It adds some complication to the dive but as other have said its not rocket science and I feel the benefit of slinging a pony outweighs the risks, especially on deeper dives. Make your own Risk vs Benefit analysis of your dive profile.

 

[rsingler]

When I'm diving my JJ-CCR in a wreck with less than 15 min of planned deco plus less than 8 min needed to find a hole to exit (think Spiegel Grove, 120ft), I just sling a pony. Everybody else calls it an AL80 bailout bottle, but it's My Little Pony.

 

[rmssetc]

There’s no such thing as total gas failure ( instant) it’s a myth.

I've got about 150 dives, so I'm an "experienced beginner". Almost all my diving is in Cozumel, and I do not have a regular dive buddy. What I've seen here exemplifies "same-ocean" buddies -- people may be nominally assigned as 'buddies' on the boat (rarely), but once everyone's in the water, people are often 20~40' from the nearest diver, who may be behind a coral head or facing the other way. The only attentive buddies I've ever seen here are parent/child or some married couples. Oh, virtually every dive here is a drift dive, so it's difficult to stay close, and could be very strenuous to swim up/cross current even a short distance.

Dives often have single-file swim-throughs, many with twists or elevation changes that would make it very difficult to reach another diver (even if your buddy was close) or the surface directly.

I've read the first 36(!) pages of this epic because I've somewhat considered maybe getting Solo (Self-reliant) certified and diving with a pony. Someday. Later. Always after my next vacation.

That thought was pretty academic until yesterday.

During the surface interval -- after a dive with a max depth of 80ft, and before a dive with a max depth of ~65ft -- I left my regulator pressurized for about 10 minutes, intending to check the nitrox mix. Suddenly the first stage emitted a very loud "pop" and began loosing gas. Loudly. Fast. Much faster than a leaky tank o-ring. About as fast as opening a tank halfway with no regulator attached.

When it was leaking, I don't know if any gas was making it's way through the 1st stage and to the 2nd stage, or how long the tank would have taken to empty if it had leaked 10 minutes into the dive...say at 60'...in a suddenly zero-viz swimthrough due to all the silt stirred up by the bubbles. Even if this happened with no overhead obstruction, even after having practiced a CESA in a pool, I'd rather have some alternative than an emergency ascent from 50ft+.

I had the regulator serviced yesterday (they said the leak was from a loose hose or hoses, which I somewhat doubt, but I'd like to know more) and it dove fine today.

Now I'm thinking a pony bottle really isn't a bad thing to have. You know, for that time when myths like total gas failure actually happen.

 

[Gone for diving]

Sigh,,,,
if only everyone dove LP double 50s or bigger.
All this discussing would be over...

 

[grf88]

Sigh,,,,
if only everyone dove LP double 50s or bigger.
All this discussing would be over...

Or if everyone dove doubles using only standardized gear and gases, dove with similarly trained buddies who they took on vacation and didn't dive to more than 100 ft. without trimix this entire thread would never have been started. ( love that smiley)

 

[MichaelMc]

I don a worry, with my a pony (or full sidemount) beside me, it not a my problem.

(Though I'll help if things go sideways and watch my buddy if I have one.)

 

[Celt]

I've got about 150 dives, so I'm an "experienced beginner". Almost all my diving is in Cozumel, and I do not have a regular dive buddy. What I've seen here exemplifies "same-ocean" buddies -- people may be nominally assigned as 'buddies' on the boat (rarely), but once everyone's in the water, people are often 20~40' from the nearest diver, who may be behind a coral head or facing the other way. The only attentive buddies I've ever seen here are parent/child or some married couples. Oh, virtually every dive here is a drift dive, so it's difficult to stay close, and could be very strenuous to swim up/cross current even a short distance.

Dives often have single-file swim-throughs, many with twists or elevation changes that would make it very difficult to reach another diver (even if your buddy was close) or the surface directly.

I've read the first 36(!) pages of this epic because I've somewhat considered maybe getting Solo (Self-reliant) certified and diving with a pony. Someday. Later. Always after my next vacation.

That thought was pretty academic until yesterday.

During the surface interval -- after a dive with a max depth of 80ft, and before a dive with a max depth of ~65ft -- I left my regulator pressurized for about 10 minutes, intending to check the nitrox mix. Suddenly the first stage emitted a very loud "pop" and began loosing gas. Loudly. Fast. Much faster than a leaky tank o-ring. About as fast as opening a tank halfway with no regulator attached.

When it was leaking, I don't know if any gas was making it's way through the 1st stage and to the 2nd stage, or how long the tank would have taken to empty if it had leaked 10 minutes into the dive...say at 60'...in a suddenly zero-viz swimthrough due to all the silt stirred up by the bubbles. Even if this happened with no overhead obstruction, even after having practiced a CESA in a pool, I'd rather have some alternative than an emergency ascent from 50ft+.

I had the regulator serviced yesterday (they said the leak was from a loose hose or hoses, which I somewhat doubt, but I'd like to know more) and it dove fine today.

Now I'm thinking a pony bottle really isn't a bad thing to have. You know, for that time when myths like total gas failure actually happen.

You just described a leak, possibly at a hose o ring, why do you doubt the maintenance people did you breath from the reg. if you think a pony bottle will be of benefit to you then obviously use one for whatever reason you have.