Do you actually see people diving with pony bottles?

[shurite7]

That is correct. It is a new standard specialty. Unfortunately there is no student manual.

In my self reliant class the two required books are Solo Diver: The Art of Underwater Self Sufficiency and its nemesis Diving it Right: The Fundamentals to Better Diving. SDI has a respectable student manual.

I see lots of people carrying a pony bottle around here. When I ask them how often they practice with it the most common answer is never; which makes me ask if they are using it for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[Wookie]

Now that is something we can agree on. I changed the way I do safety stops years ago so that I'll never need the smb by remaining over the general group BUT i carry it anyways. And a flashlight attached to bc.

Maybe I am more trusting of my equipment, but I've never had an equipment failure during a dive in 28 yrs. I also properly and meticulously maintain it though.

I guess having been a liveaboard operator I've seen way more regulator failures than just a few. No, I've never had one fail either, and yes, I also do my own maintenance, and my wife is the repair tech at a dive shop. The junk some folks dive with would truly shock you.

 

[rek_diver]

Never seen a pony used on vacation in 28 yrs! My point is that there is a time and a place for them. Wrecks, caves/caverns, deep dives, and other scenarios. Just not on a recreational dive.

There is so much wrong with your post I'm not sure where to start. So I'll just pick anything.

There are in fact wrecks on recreational dives. I have found myself alone, exploring a hold inside a 120' deepwreck and that redundant gas supply would save my life in the event of an equipment failure that resulted in catastrophic loss of gas. And yes I'm solo certified.

I have found myself at the end of a say, 30 yard swim-thru in Palancar Gardens in Cozumel. See above about what would happen if I had a catastrophic loss of gas of my primary air supply should it occur when I have no direct access to the surface and even if I did it would be a stretch to think I could ascend 80-100' with no gas in my tank.

On a Dolphin dive in Roatan, we were able to stay at depth with the dolphins until our air supply forced us to surface. Guess who got to spend some time all alone with the dolphins because they had about 25% more air than everyone else?

On a shore dive in Caymans back in 2010, there was a bad current that I did not anticipate nor did I properly account for it. Found myself really working against it to get back to shore. Although I was staying shallow to conserve gas, I was fighting a current that was stronger as I got closer to the surface. The pony bottle allowed me to swim back much of the way below the surface, and save considerable time, and energy.

Because I have the redundancy, I can allow my primary tank to get to say, 500 psi rather than the typical 700-900 psi as advised or mandated by dive Ops, which gives me countless additional minutes, which equate to hours over several dives.

Even if I never, ever used a pony bottle on a recreational dive, having the peace of mind that I am protected from an equipment failure or a dive planning mistake, makes my dives that much more peaceful and enjoyable.

Thanks for the opportunity to educate you and point out the ignorance in your post that indicates that divers who use additional gear that other divers may not feel is necessary does not equate to incompetance.

 

[Marie13]

I'm responsible for my own arse in the water, with or without a buddy. My regular buddies are good, careful divers, but I'm going to sling a pony if I'm diving single tank BM.

If I'm diving with one on the Great Lakes, why wouldn't I want to have one with me on warm water dives, especially deeper ones? It's part of my kit.

 

[Dan]

I consider any dive to be one my regulator could fail on. So I carry one on every dive. I also carry an SMB on every dive.

So, you are diving solo most of the time?

 

[Wookie]

So, you are diving solo most of the time?

Every dive, whether my wife is with me or not. I acknowledge I am not a good buddy.

 

[Storker]

I changed the way I do safety stops years ago so that I'll never need the smb by remaining over the general group BUT i carry it anyways. And a flashlight attached to bc.

A lot of my diving is from my private boat. SWMBO is the boat tender. She's made it perfectly clear that she prefers to look for a big orange d*** sticking out of the water over looking for a couple of small, round, black heads. So, I routinely carry a dSMB in my right thigh pocket, and I usually shoot it from my safety stop. If I'm in sheltered waters, it's good practice. If I'm in a place where there might be boats running around, it's both good practice and an extra safety measure. And in any case, SWMBO has less of an issue looking for us. Win-win.

 

[Steve_C]

Buddies are usually nearby and within view. They are often not right next to me. If I have an issue I do not want to have to go swimming for help. Help, and piece of mind, is immediate.

As noted earlier ponies, doubles, side mount are common on NC dives especially the deeper ones. Since I instabuddy a lot, and a regular buddy may thumb dive 2 anyway, I do not count on my buddy even if they have several thousand dives, which they sometimes do.

 

[mcohen1021]

A lot of my diving is from my private boat. SWMBO is the boat tender. She's made it perfectly clear that she prefers to look for a big orange d*** sticking out of the water over looking for a couple of small, round, black heads.

Great practice. I’ve been in swells so high, you could not see the divers from the boat.

I'm responsible for my own arse in the water, with or without a buddy. My regular buddies are good, careful divers, but I'm going to sling a pony if I'm diving single tank BM.

Solo dives would be another reason for justification.

I guess having been a liveaboard operator I've seen way more regulator failures than just a few. No, I've never had one fail either, and yes, I also do my own maintenance, and my wife is the repair tech at a dive shop. The junk some folks dive with would truly shock you.

I can see that you’d have seen many more failures working on a liveaboard.

There are in fact wrecks on recreational dives. I have found myself alone, exploring a hold inside a 120' deepwreck and that redundant gas supply would save my life in the event of an equipment failure that resulted in catastrophic loss of gas.

120’ deep inside of a wreck is not what I still consider recreational. Nothing says you can’t do it, and it’s within the recreational tables limits, but theres nothing recreational about that, JMHO.

I have found myself at the end of a say, 30 yard swim-thru in Palancar Gardens in Cozumel. See above about what would happen if I had a catastrophic loss of gas of my primary air supply should it occur when I have no direct access to the surface

You can play that what if game all day long – you can also get hit by a car crossing the street.

On a Dolphin dive in Roatan, we were able to stay at depth with the dolphins until our air supply forced us to surface. Guess who got to spend some time all alone with the dolphins because they had about 25% more air than everyone else?

The fact that you patronize canned dolphin dives speaks volumes. ‘Nuff said.

Because I have the redundancy, I can allow my primary tank to get to say, 500 psi rather than the typical 700-900 psi as advised or mandated by dive Ops, which gives me countless additional minutes, which equate to hours over several dives.

I just did 12 dives in Cayman Brac, many in the 80-100 ft range and each dive lasted over an hour – one was 1:21. And I left 500 psi in the tank.

Even if I never, ever used a pony bottle on a recreational dive, having the peace of mind

To each his own. My piece of mind is that between my training and experience level, I can handle just about any situation and even possibly save a life, which I have done – none of which involved a pony bottle.

 

[rek_diver]

You can play that what if game all day long – you can also get hit by a car crossing the street.

So because I can get hit by a car crossing the street, I should dive in a 120' deep wreck without a redundant gas supply.

Your logic escapes me.

The fact that you patronize canned dolphin dives speaks volumes. ‘Nuff said.

Because I dive with trained, tame, friendly dolphins, I shouldn't plan for a catastrophic failure of my primary gas supply? Because you disapprove of divers swimming with trained dolphins, I shouldn't extend my gas supply to enjoy an even longer interaction? You think that's all that needs to be said? Because you disapprove of a particular thing, it's not open to discussion?

Again, your thinking defies logic, common sense and coherent thought.

I just did 12 dives in Cayman Brac, many in the 80-100 ft range and each dive lasted over an hour – one was 1:21. And I left 500 psi in the tank.

Give yourself a pat on the back

To each his own. My piece of mind is that between my training and experience level, I can handle just about any situation and even possibly save a life, which I have done – none of which involved a pony bottle.

No situation you face or have faced will involve a pony bottle, because you believe divers that use them for recreational diving are incompetant, so of course you don't carry one because you're a great diver who saves lifes and uses gas at a very low rate. Your point?