Info Are Pony Bottles Dangerous?

[MyBuddy]

New topic split: "When is a pony considered a horse?"

When the slung bottle (ex. 120cf) is bigger than the backgas (ex. 80cf) of course. Question is, why would anyone want to dive a horse.

 

[jborg]

Intro To Tech right now.

Just dive doubles, don't mess around with the stagy-pony-whatever.

 

[-JD-]

Just dive doubles, don't mess around with the stagy-pony-whatever.

I intended (and have LP50 and HP100 twinsets at home) but things are currently "sporty" here (port is currently closed due to conditions and things will be unsettled even when we can get out again) and I'm trying not to re-aggravate my back at the moment. We decided to focus more on the new to me stuff like handling of stages (0, 1 or 2 40s at any point in the dive) and will move to slung 80(s) next.

Besides, twins are not always practical when travel-diving ... Equine redundancy can be more practical.

 

[SlugLife]

A pony can be used to safely extend a dive.

Usually, it's called something other than a pony, and taken into consideration as part of your dive plan.

If one does take this route, I'd suggest reserving enough air to safely reach the surface with either tank you're carrying. For example, if you calculate (or test) that you need a 19cu bottle to safely surface in an emergency, and are carrying a 40cu, you'll want to reserve at least half of that tank until you start surfacing. That way you always retain redundancy at all times.

I dive SideMount, however many of my dives are shallow, so I'll often swap one of the bottles for a 19cu and treat it as a pony. In a way, the pony is simple redundancy, that I don't have to think about that much since I already tested it and know what it can handle. It's always 2500+ psi, which is plenty fine for 100ft for me. However, typically past about 70ft, I'll just switch to normal SideMount for extending the dive and a bigger reserve, while maintaining redundancy.

Redundancy is my real goal, and the pony bottle is just one way of getting there.

edit: The advantage of a "pony" that is mostly unused, is that it's redundancy that's always available. If you use your pony during a dive, it's not available for the next, unless or until you top it off again. It's also that people who are new to multiple bottles (or less disciplined) are less likely to use them in dangerous ways, if they simply don't use them as dive extenders.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If you’re going to beat a dead horse there’s no reason it can’t be a pony.

Well that would just be beating a dead pony.

We better watch it before PETA sees this.

 

[Nemrod]

New topic split: "When is a pony considered a horse?"

At 15 hands?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If a 19-40 CF bottle is considered a pony, then is a slung 80 CF tank considered a horse bottle as long as it’s used for bail out and not used as a “stage” or sidemount?

 

[Tracy]

They certainly can be. If you pack one with tannerite and shoot at it, it would make a heck of an explosion.
Keep that in mind when you are around pony bottles. Any one of them could be a sniper plant ready to take out your whole group.

 

[Nemrod]

If a 19-40 CF bottle is considered a pony, then is a slung 80 CF tank considered a horse bottle as long as it’s used for bail out and not used a “stage” or sidemount?

Only if it has a saddle and bridle on it.

 

[Waterwulf]

Do Pony's and Stage Bottles, etc. require Hydro's and VIP's or are some of them just filled in the boat off of a spare full sized tank with a cheater hose? I watched a guy fill his Pony bottles from a full size tank and wondered when was the last time that tank had been looked inside of. Those are the ones that worry me.