Deep spearfishing and Pony tank setup

[Teh Wicked]

I do ALOT of spearing and here is the way I have found most comfortable for me...

I will dive a 13cf pony on dives in 100' and shallower. The 13 is significantly smaller than the 19 and 30. For the 13 I use the Zeagle zip mount strap to hold it. its basically a small elastic sleeve that holds the pony between your wing and your backplate or pad or whatever. mounts the bottle inverted, but it is well tucked away and does not get in the way. I have a completely separate reg. and 2nd satge for my pony. And I ALWAYS dive a bottom gas in the pony. The way I see it, if I have to bail out straight from the bottom, I can reach and put it right in my mouth right off the bottom and do my accent.

When I dive the Middle Grounds, i will dive my 30 with the zeagle pony straps. Also with a completely separate Reg. and 2nd stage. the odds of having 2 failures in 1 dive is near impossible as long as you take care of your gear and have it serviced regularly.

Also I dive the Zeagle integrated Octo with inflator. this eliminated another hose in my body to keep from tangles.

 

[Extreme-Dive-Drew]

I too do a lot of spearfishing in many different environments. I have also done a fair share of deep tech diving. I do not use a pony bottle for the main reason that I like to keep things simple these days. I got sick of carrying doubles, and stage tanks, and keeping track of all the gear.A single 80 or 100 on my back is plenty and I dive to that specific limit. I feel that if I had a pony I would be tempted to test the limits and it would become a crutch. i.e. seeing that big fish in the distance when I am down to 500 psi on my primary tank. I would be tempted to chase him instead of knowing better and going to the surface.

I know a lot of guys who use pony's on deeper dives, it gives them reassurance.If you decide to use one please regularly test your skills with it...things go bad awfully quick down there and just because you have a pony doesn't mean it will get you out of trouble.

To each his own but for me it means more gear to haul around and more weight on my (relatively) old back.

Cheers...

 

[black1]

Thanks guys for all the responses, it has helped me make a decision, i will carry my 19 pony on dives over 75ft for my own security along with safety checks of all my equipment before and after every dive. When spearing i will tank mount it upside down with a relatively short pressure gauge hose cliped to my right bottom side d-ring and reg connected to a short hose in my reg carrying necklace around my neck for quick access and it will be turned on before i enter the water and tested. When not spearing but going deep i will sling it under my arm like a deco bottle for quick access. Thanks again everyone.