Do you actually see people diving with pony bottles?

[kafkaland]

I see them quite a bit in the Great Lakes. But I personally go to sidemount on all dives on which I would bring one. More comfortable for me, and I'm used to it.

 

[Steve_C]

When I dive reefs in the Keys I rarely see pony bottles, or doubles, or side mount. I do not use them either for those dives. On the deeper wrecks that is different.

 

[lowviz]

...//... Don't get me wrong, I have used a pony to extend a dive, however I was under no illusion that the pony was for safety at that point. ...

I totally get that. As a solo diver, you bring what you need for the dive at hand. You think about it beforehand and use what you brought to the dive how you wish. I've had a couple really stupid issues underwater where a pony made it all OK.

Nobody to call in an emergency, nobody to judge. You show up, do your dive, and disappear. The 'rules' are not rules when you solo. They are just hard-won advice from those who have gone before.

 

[mcohen1021]

I always take mine (19 cuft) with me, even in warm water (and yes I get strange looks)

Not because of the pony bottle, but because they report Elvis sightings

 

[SoFlaDiver954]

Checking in from South Florida. Mainly, it depends on the boat and the dive sites to which the boat is headed. Heading to 60ft reefs, I do not see many ponies (though sometimes they are on the boat and get left during the benign dives).

For the deeper wrecks it mainly depends on the boat. On boats that cater mainly to local, frequent divers, there are almost always ponies being used. On boats that typically cater to out-of-towners on vacation, pony sightings are much less frequent. A large number of frequent divers from my LDS have and dive with ponies (typically a slung 30 or 40).

 

[barth]

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.

(For a rec dive it would be possible when you lose all your backgas to use a pony to go to the surface.

For a tech dive it would be harder. If you think like that you should bring 2 stages for each decogas.

It is possible to bring a lot of gas. But there are more things that can go wrong. When I do a gas switch and I will switch to the wrong gas this is also my buddy his/her responsibility.

It doesn’t matter if is a rec/tech dive for me. When I would do a solo dive I would be responsible for my own safety. When I dive in a team everybody is responsible for safety.)

Almost nobody here is using ponybottles. A lot of people are using doubles or single tanks with double valves.

But I think a pony bottle would be much better than a single tank with a double valve. Most of the people who are using a single tank and double valves are not able to close their valves....

Or even worse, renting a single thank and double valve because is was required for the diving spot. And when there was a regulator frozen closing the wrong valve....

 

[oldschoolto]

So let me get this right. Carrying a totally redundant air supply is stupid and a waste of time ? And shows that the diver isn't safe to be on a boat with ours ? And to top it off, Is a piss poor buddy... Got it.... And this is why I don't dive with 99% of the divers of the world... And I dive solo on air to 200' on navy tables...

Jim...

 

[rek_diver]

So let me get this right. Carrying a totally redundant air supply is stupid and a waste of time ?

I think @mchohen1021 said that divers who use pony bottles are incompetent not stupid.

But that's only if a diver was about to "use" a pony bottle- in which case he would supposedly refuse to get on the boat. I can picture it. @mcohen1021 is about to step on the dive boat and he sees *gasp* a 13cf pony bottle strapped to the side of a divers rig that is about to be used. He says no way am I getting on this boat! And he grabs his gear and storms off.

How would he know a diver is about to use a pony bottle on a dive boat anyway?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I only know one diver who has one. He recently drained it underwater so he is not allowed to bring it on my boat any longer.

... they're refillable, you know ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

On just a regular recreational dive in the Caribbean vacation, I would not even get on the boat if someone was going to use a pony bottle. Just a sign that I am about to dive with an incompetent. Sorry.

Wouldn't it be simpler to just not opt to buddy up with that diver? But I suppose leaving you dockside might be less stressful for everyone else ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)