Do you guys bungee your pony second stage

[SM Diver]

I set-up my bungee necklace for the second stage reg on my set of doubles. Doing some drills, I thought it made a lot of sense to have the unused regulator around my neck.

I was thinking, when I dive singles with a pony, I should use the necklace I made for the pony's second stage, as opposed to clipping it off somewhere on the BC. Do you guys who use pony's bungee the second stage to your neck? Are ponys used in DIR practice? It would seem to be contrary to the streamlining that is sought.

 

[Ontario Diver]

I can see a few problems....

First, your safe second (octo, spare reg) should be bungied around your neck. The second stage of the pony bottle is your "redundant" air supply.

Second, I think your pony should be easily removable. (entaglement. donating to someone else) and having its reg bundied onto your nect makes this harder.

Third, It will make gearing up/down easier if the reg is still attached to the pony.

Fourth is that if you move to Deco Diving or deep diving, you will not have to change any proceedures then.


Just my .02 cents

 

[nickjb]

Here is how I set mine mine up when using a pony (which is frowned upon, putting it mildly, by DIRers)...

7ft primary around the body and in my mouth.
Back-up reg on short hose in a necklace.
Pony side slung (stage style) with the reg held to the tank by rubber bands.

This way I can hand off the pony easily if required.

 

[SM Diver]

Interesting. I figured Pony's would be frowned on by DIR, for a couple of reasons, and I knew the bungee was typically for the other second stage used in doubles, or octo when diving singles. That's why I mention the idea of possibly adopting the bungee idea to a pony second stage.

I can think of reasons why this idea would be poor for several types of dives, including cave/cavern diving, or any wreck or other penetration diving. Those applications require the most streamlined approach available, and near perfect trim to avoid stirring silt, as well as hose configurations,etc..

But, in a strictly open water situation, what would be wrong with clipping your octo on your BCD (the traditional way), and putting that pony second stage around your neck? If I have a ruptured disc, or high pressure hose failure, or do something really stupid like run out of air, it would be nice to have that pony second stage 4" from my mouth.

Anyway, just a thought I am toying with, and wondered if anyone else had "borrowed" the bungee idea from DIR, to use in a "stroke" kind of way.

 

[SDAnderson]

tampascott once bubbled...
If I have a ruptured disc, or high pressure hose failure, or do something really stupid like run out of air, it would be nice to have that pony second stage 4" from my mouth.

Wrapping anything around your neck underwater is a problematic idea - tear away attachment or not. In the case of the alternate second stage, it's justified because of the benefits: easy to find and out of the way.

Slinging a pony/stage regulator around your neck seems like a bad idea: two regs around your neck is going to create confusion should you ever need either of them; it creates another layer of futzing when gearing up/down; it creates an entanglement hazard that's hard to justify; it restricts head and neck movement.

I'm not strongly anti-pony (nice to be able to hand it off to an OOA diver) but I think they are a more expensive and less-better solution than going to doubles, at least in most cases. A small pair of doubles (60 - 80 cf) will give you great redundancy, at least as much air and less confusion for about the same price and without adding much surface weight. If you're going to use a pony, sling it like a stage and keep the regulator bungeed to the tank.

A question: do you leave the valve open on the pony during the entire dive?

Steven

 

[SM Diver]

Hi, Reef

First, be assured I would not have two second stages (alternate and pony) around my neck at the same time. I may be a stroke, but I am edumacated! In putting the pony reg around my neck, the alertnate would wind up clipped to the BC.

Also, I have thoroughly considered the solution of small doubles, and I have the credit card statements to prove it. Actually, when I was diving this past Friday it was for doubles training. I have two sets of PST HP80s with ISO. I couldn't agree more. The idea of doubles seems like the safest way to go. However, I'm still not sold on diving doubles for open water. For me, it was very awkward to swim with them, and I could not get trimmed correctly. Furthermore, I have a nearly impossible time reaching the valves, so I practiced sliding partially out of the BC to opporate them. I am sure it's just a matter of making adjustments.

As far as opening the valve of the pony at the surface, yes, I do. I'm somewhat amivalent about that practice, but don't want to have to turn it on in the event of an emergency.

 

[Wendy]

What type of bouyancy compensator are you using with these doubles? Are you horizontal when you are trying to work the valves?

 

[SM Diver]

Wendy,

Zeagle Tech w/ optional BP;

Yes, I was horizontal, but only because I was on a platform. The problem, as far as the valves, was that my range of motion sucks in my shoulders, mainly from several sports related injuries that have required surgical repair. I have a very difficult time with the motion of reaching back.

 

[MikeFerrara]

The bladder of the Zeagle tech sits partially between you and the tanks. When you put air in it pushes the the tanks further away making it harder to reach the valves. I have had students who were not very flexible and with the right technique they can get at their valves. You may need to watch someone who is good at it.
Point your elbows to the front rather than to the side.
Lean your head back rather than foreward.
Arch your back rather than hunching foreward.
Make sure your not restricted by your suit.

 

[SDAnderson]

...it was very awkward to swim with them, and I could not get trimmed correctly.

I understand - it takes awhile to get used to the drunken turtle feel of swimming doubles, especially if you're moving at anything other than slow speed. It requires different finning and body positioning and then it's still wobbly. That's one of the reasons that I do a lot of my diving with a 120 with an H-valve installed on it. I'm not certain that a pony is going to be much different than doubles, however, whether slung stage-style or strapped to your main tank. Trim, especially, would seem to be more problematic with a pony, being an off-center variable weight.

Furthermore, I have a nearly impossible time reaching the valves, so I practiced sliding partially out of the BC to opporate them. I am sure it's just a matter of making adjustments.

Hopefully practice will allow you to prevail over your range of motion problem. Given that neither of us is DIR, have you considered a slob-knob? Extra failure/entanglement point, granted, but it might be worth the trade-off to be able to reach the knobs on your doubles.

How do you feel about H-valves?

Steven