Cozumel OOA

[eanxgirl]

I recommend Cozumel Equalizers. I dove with them last month and the rental equipment was brand new and very reasonably priced. We dove Punta Sur and surfaced because we ran out of time, not air.

 

[IceBergSlim]

I took the thing (a slung AL80) on every dive because I want to become comfortable with it.

Just curious, you sling an 80 on tropical/ NDL dives?

Once I’m in the water I barely notice it, it is pretty much buoyancy wise neutral.

Until you use it of course.

 

[Michael Schlink]

I've done the very same thing but used a 65 instead of an 80. It would be nice if there were a few 40's around.

 

[markfm]

Question -- do the folks who use a big "pony" also carry enough lead to compensate for the change in buoyancy if you actually had to use that air source? In other words, do you carry roughly an extra 6 lbs of lead (an AL80's worth of air), so that at the start of a dive you're around -11 to -12 lb, and at the end of the dive around -6 lb?

By definition, when I need a pony it has hit the fan. The last thing I would want is to be placed in an uncontrolled ascent condition. That means I carry enough lead to compensate for the delta if I actually have to use my pony.

I think I'll stick with my 19CF...

 

[DiveMonkeys]

Question -- do the folks who use a big "pony" also carry enough lead to compensate for the change in buoyancy if you actually had to use that air source? In other words, do you carry roughly an extra 6 lbs of lead (an AL80's worth of air), so that at the start of a dive you're around -11 to -12 lb, and at the end of the dive around -6 lb?

By definition, when I need a pony it has hit the fan. The last thing I would want is to be placed in an uncontrolled ascent condition. That means I carry enough lead to compensate for the delta if I actually have to use my pony.

I think I'll stick with my 19CF...

Since the diver is using the AL80 as a "bail-out" on an NDL dive, it is unlikely they would consume the full tank during their ascent to the surface, including a safety stop. Just like with your 19CF pony--the 80 would be used to complete the dive (make the appropriate ascent when there is an equipment malfunction) rather than continue the dive ("but gee, I had 40 minutes of bottom time left over"). Otherwise you would need a third bottle as a redundant to your redundant. But then I guess I'm being redundant....

 

[WeekendDiver]

I take an AL80 on every dive. Partially to practice / be comfortable, partially because you never know when you need it. Obviously I'd prefer something smaller but the reality of most rental shops is that they don't have smaller tanks around. I tried a 65 but found it to be a bit "floppy. An 80 moves around less underwater. A 40 would be ideal but I i've rarely seen them (in tropical rental places, that is).
I added 2lb (which obviously made me a bit heavy, given that the pony (including the kit and reg (a zeagle, and they're heavy) made me more negative at the beginning than I'd have to be, but I figured that if I have to use the pony, whether it be for me or somebody else, I /we abort the dive anyway. I don't use it to extend bottom time, just as a bailout.

 

[markfm]

So you're carrying enough added lead to compensate for about 1/3 tank (1000 psi). Good stuff, I was just curious.

I went the 19 route as it was the largest I could comfortably pack for travel. No problem with local fills (I just make sure it has a current VIS)

 

[goatfish]

Thanks for sharing that experience. It points out the importance of not losing your head and the importance of good buddy awareness. Time to practice OOA drills.

m.

 

[DandyDon]

Nice post, thanks - but it could have just as easily been his own reg that caused the problem. You have no way of knowing when it was last serviced. My tech found problems in my pony bottle valve last time, probly from when I forgot to turn it on before going in - had to rebuild it. I had both of my regs serviced immediately after that.

Slinging an 80, wow. Slinging my 19 is plenty of extra weight and gear for me, but it goes where I do, dives where I dive anytime I plan to 60 ft or more, and on all Coz walls, as I have been blown off the top of a Coz wall and down.

Interesting post. Thanks and for the record, I'd dive with you anytime.

I am surprised the OOA guy grabbed the new found buddy's Octo and not the one in the other guy's mouth. He must have not been panicked and was still a thinking, reasoning human being.

Really, discussions and polls on SB have indicated that OOA divers are more likely to take the Octo - the panic causing divers to grab the in-mouth reg seems to be a myth.

 

[two.crows]

...
On the surface and upon removal of my first stage, the outflow of the tank was a smooth, white paste.

Up to reading this, I had thought K-valves all had a short tube that sticks into the cylinder to prevent any particles getting into the bore.

(#15 in the schematic)

But a Google image search shows that most valves actually don't .

Anyway - it seems to me that a quick test of particles in the cylinder could be done routinely before setup: inverting the bottle and blowing a short blast into a dark towel. If nothing gets blown out, either there's nothing in the tank, or the valve has a tube to keep the bore clean. Either way, this might ease one's mind with a rental bottle.