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Since you are asking about me and I just returned from Cozumel, I can tell you what I actually did under those exact circumstances. First, I never strayed further from an assigned or agreed buddy than I was comfortable swimming to obtain air or assist the buddy if they were in trouble regardless...

First off, I am not arguing against a pony, just chattering away on SB. But in response to the quoted line, it does increase task loading slightly more than ditchable weights: You have to check its pressure before dives or you have a failure mode that is not possible with weights. Also, we are...

I'm honestly not trying to increase the consumption of popcorn, however... A seatbelt is a passive safety device. It does not increase task loading. There is no decision to be made as you slide towards another car in an intersection: "Should I activate the seatbelt and brace for impact or try to...

I'm getting out the popcorn for this one: :popcorn: The very premise of your statement begs your conclusion. When you talk about something happening due to the lack of a pony, you are implying that the lack of a pony was the cause of their misfortune. If you point to someone doing a CESA...

Ask and ye shall receive. I dived steel 120s with Aldora in the Spring. But I was looking for an option when working with an operator that does not supply steelies. This last trip, I was meeting folks who had already booked with Blue Angel.

FWIW, a number of cave divers enjoy the no-bcd lifestyle. Steve Bogaerts ether dives without a BCD or uses a modified water bladder as a minimalist BCD in the small of his back. This seems to give some of the benefits of buoyancy compensation while offering the streamlining and freedom of...

It sounds like your mind is made up! I agree that the data on people with pony bottles being killed is not statistically significant. As they say, "the plural of anecdote is not data." But following the same reasoning, what evidence do we have that not carrying a pony bottle will get you...

Wet notes, shears, spare double ender, SMB, and finger spool, all clipped to a ring inside the pocket. My dive light and backup light are clipped to the front of my harness and my very small knife is in a sheath on my crotch strap. I use the SMB on nearly every ascent whether drifting or not.

And Divemasters. While I respect and love Matteo at Blue Angel Resort in Cozumel, I was suprised with the following: I asked him for 4lbs of weight to go with my 6lb plate, and he deliberately handed me two three pound weights.

There is such a thing as a Pulmonary Shunt. Persons with this condition can get bent on dives that seem conservative by every normal standard. It is also highly unpredictable, one dive can be fine, another can bend the afflicted. I am not saying anything about your particular situation, just...

The thing I wonder about is what to do about two things that change buoyancy: compression at depth (if you wear an exposure suit) and the increasing buoyancy of your tank as you deplete the gas. It is clearly possible to choose weighting such that at a given depth and with a given quantity of...

I was offered a chance to dive Maracaibo on this last trip to Cozumel. It goes from 90' to the drop-off at 140'. Likewise I have been there twice and passed on Punta Sur and its trophy dive "The Devil's Throat" with a swim-through that exits at 130'. While plenty of divers there are happy to...

Ok, I know zip, nada, zilch about side mounting other than what appears to be obvious: Independent doubles slung under each arm like stages. Over in Basic Scuba a few folks are re-debating pony bottles and arguing that they make a good travel option since taking manifolded doubles can be...

Why could a wing be superfluous for side mounting two or more tanks but necessary for back mounting two or more tanks?

Oh, I wasn't arguing with your personal choice, but rather I was pointing out that any time person A points at person B and suggests that their choice is sub-optimal, we must accept the possibility that person C says the same thing about person A. This says nothing whatsoever about A, B or C...

Anything could be argued. What I argue is that additional equipment introduces additional modes of failure that introduce new risks. It also introduces a potentially false sense of security that modifies the behaviour of the diver. The objective is for the new equipment to address existing...

Since this thread is heading towards "Best of Scubaboard clichés" status on its own... Here's an oft quoted maxim to debate:

Ask and ye shall receive.

I know you're joking, but I care about you and your safety. Do what you need to do without regard for the opinions of others. The first rule of diving is that anyone can thumb the dive for any reason without questions or recriminations. I suspect that this s roughly the same thing: If there is a...

Three questions: Can you check a pressure guage for the pony during the dive? If you plan your dive and dive your plan in such a way that your main tank has enough air for you and your buddy should he go OOG, is your pony strictly for the case where you have an equipment failure? When you...