fyrdyvr
Registered
...Now we give some teams pony bottles. We may be tempted to think that the teams with pony bottles are much safer than the teams without. And they may be safer. But the theory tells us that those teams will behave in riskier ways to try to maximize their enjoyment, perhaps by straying further away from their buddies, perhaps by checking their SPGs less often, perhaps by turning their dives much later because "they have plenty of air in reserve."....
Maybe I am an anomaly in this situation. I am still new to this sport, but safety is the number one priority, and that was instilled in me by the instrutor from the start. For me the pony bottle is an emergency only air supply. Using one was a decision that I made during my OW class. I knew that if I had to make an emergency OOA ascent from deeper than 60', the outcome wouldn't be good. Why risk an overexpansion injury or DCS or worse when I could have a simple peace of mind with me. I still monitor my gauges continuously while diving, and always plan to surface with at least 500 psi in my tank as a safety margin. For me, the pony bottle does not exist in my dive unless I need it, and I would never consider using it to extend my bottom time. I have never had to use it, and I hope that I never do, but I will always take it with me just in case
All of these threads on this subject still have one common denominator....TRAINING! If someone learns, not necessarily from an instructor because we all set examples for others, that the redundant systems can be used to get a little extra out of their dive or allows them to take extra risks, then we have all failed. We have failed in promoting safety in the sport that we love.