Separate Hose Mounted SPG for Pony Overkill??

[Jim Lapenta]

Yep, and some of us use identical seconds on primary, bungeed octo, and all slung bottles. That way it's all the same service kits, and you know how they all work. All of my seconds are now HOG except for my pool rig.

BTW I hope you are not getting rid of your back up in favor of the pony. Unless you plan on diving solo. The pony is your gas for emergency.

 

[ajtoady]

I sling a pony/additional air 30cu ft tank complete with a quality reg setup(HOG). For me a gauge is a must and it is a 2" on a 6" hose. Old eyes need bigger indicators. As far as charging and turning it off during the dive, my thoughts are as follows: 1- if its on, there will be no fumbling to turn it on if an emergency presents itself, 2- I inform my fellow divers it is on and where it is if needed, 3- It is slung so it is easier to monitor for any leaks or whatever.
I will use the tank as part of my plan on certain dives and will also use the tank so as to exchange the air in it and monitor how the regs are performing. A pony is sort of a personal thing with people, so do what suits your dive parameters and makes you comfortable and safe.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I do not sling my pony tank. I find the back mounted configuration significantly more convenient and does not get in the way when diving. Remember, this is a piece of gear that you will probably never use, but when you need it, you may really need it.

Slinging a pony is safer and has many advantages. This video, to some degree, shows how a back mounted pony is harder to manage than a slung pony which can be examined and manipulated very easily.


[video=youtube;Bap2PxetarQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bap2PxetarQ&feature=share&list=UU1utDku8vJ RJYgBZImLyLJQ[/video]

Scuba Failure at 80 feet: GoPro Hero 2 - YouTube

 

[DevonDiver]

One last question for all of you. I hear that it is good practice to use the same second stage regulator on the pony; as in identical to the primary 2nd stage. ???

That strategy (oversight) actually led to a diver death in the UK a few years back. The diver put the wrong regulator (the pony) into his mouth by mistake at the start of the dive. He descended (~30m) and soon ran OOA. Panic ensued and he swam for the surface. He died. Obviously, panic was the culprit, but lack of training with the pony, weak procedures and identical regs were the triggering factors...

For that reason, I'd recommend the opposite. Have a very dissimilar regulator on the pony. That prevents virtually any chance of mistaken use.

 

[KD8NPB]

I run an AL40 with the ever so popular 6" HP hose...although I'm running an old Dacor plastic SPG that has the numbers printed sideways, so I don't have mine ziptied back on itself like most do.

Also, the regulator I use is bright green...it's an O2 deco reg.

 

[CT-Rich]

I know a lot of divers say use identical regs, I have thought about it a bit and have some thoughts. if you have a reg laying around that is reliable and trusted, you may not need to spring for an additional $100-200 for a matching reg. On my set-up I am putting a 30 y.o. Sherwood octo. It is virtually indestructible, bright orange, and has a streamlined exhaust that is less likely to hang up on debris as I swim. Is it state of the art? Nope, being high performance is absolutely not the priority I am seeking. That I can rely on it is... In thirty years it has never failed and I have even used it in place of the primary on occasion. I do like that I can tell it is not my primary by look and touch. Spending money on gear does not mean you have the most effective set-up. New designs come and go, and they always get somebody to say they are the best thing since sliced bread. A reputation for relability and durability spanning many years (like Sherwoods and Scubapro's) are much more important than ease of breathing or matching configurations. The most effective rig is the one that you are comfortable with and confident in and appropriate for your type of diving.

 

[Druid]

That strategy (oversight) actually led to a diver death in the UK a few years back. The diver put the wrong regulator (the pony) into his mouth by mistake at the start of the dive. He descended (~30m) and soon ran OOA. Panic ensued and he swam for the surface. He died. Obviously, panic was the culprit, but lack of training with the pony, weak procedures and identical regs were the triggering factors...

For that reason, I'd recommend the opposite. Have a very dissimilar regulator on the pony. That prevents virtually any chance of mistaken use.

I use similar regs on all my cylinders, but different mouthpieces - Comfobite on my primary regs and a standard mouthpiece on everything else so I know as soon as I put the reg in my mouth if it's the right one or not. If you want to keep the same mouthpiece then an elastic band in a figure 8 around the mouthpiece works well, just need to check it's there at the start of every dive. Relying on colour is a bit risky, most colours look black at 30m - or 10m in the North Sea

 

[dumpsterDiver]

That strategy (oversight) actually led to a diver death in the UK a few years back. The diver put the wrong regulator (the pony) into his mouth by mistake at the start of the dive. He descended (~30m) and soon ran OOA. Panic ensued and he swam for the surface. He died. Obviously, panic was the culprit, but lack of training with the pony, weak procedures and identical regs were the triggering factors...

For that reason, I'd recommend the opposite. Have a very dissimilar regulator on the pony. That prevents virtually any chance of mistaken use.

Mixing up the back mounted pony second stage and the primary tank stage is not that uncommon I know someone who got in trouble that way too and there have been other deaths from it.

If one were to go for back mounting (less safe and more convenient in my opinion).....
Do NOT have a third reg (i.e., ditch the octopus from the primary), it only adds to the confusion potential
Wear the pony reg on a bungi around the neck..less easily confused
Use a different second stage for the pony
If you must use the same second stage, use a very different type of mouthpiece, say a comfortbite mouthpiece or something
Lastly, double check you don't have them mixed up before jumping...

 

[drbill]

My pony is mounted to my main tank to keep it out of the way when I'm filming on the bottom. The hose to the second stage is long and the reg sits on my chest so I can tell right away if it is free flowing. Currently I don't have a gauge on my pony because the last one broke, but I intend to replace it soon. In an emergency, an empty pony does me no good (I'm a solo diver).

 

[Druid]

Mixing up the back mounted pony second stage and the primary tank stage is not that uncommon I know someone who got in trouble that way too and there have been other deaths from it.

If one were to go for back mounting (less safe and more convenient in my opinion).....
Do NOT have a third reg (i.e., ditch the octopus from the primary), it only adds to the confusion potential
Wear the pony reg on a bungi around the neck..less easily confused
Use a different second stage for the pony
If you must use the same second stage, use a very different type of mouthpiece, say a comfortbite mouthpiece or something
Lastly, double check you don't have them mixed up before jumping...

No octopus and bungeed pony sounds like a bad idea to me. If your buddy has an OOG which reg do you give him? The pony is on a bungee round your neck so not acessible, the primary is on a standard 24" hose which keeps you uncomfortably close.

I don't use a pony these days, but when I did I had a back mounted pony on the right with a standard black reg bungeed under my chin. I also had a standard recreational reg setup, black reg in my mouth, yellow octopus on the left. As I was often working with student divers the setup looked similar to their own, the pony was for my use in an emergency (PONY is an acronym, it stands for Piss Off Not Yours). If I had to donate air that was what the octopus was for.

As per my previous post the mouthpieces were different to aid identification but double-checking before jumping in is always a good idea.