Doubles or Pony

[TheRedHead]

Just out of curiosity, has this happened in tanks you own (and take care of) or in tanks you have rented from sketchy sources?

Yes, it did happen to Dr. Bill's tank. I remember his accounting in accidents and incidents. Pretty scary stuff. I don't presume to answer for him, but I can say for a fact that it did happen to a tank he owned.

 

[Dirkadiver]

what if you have a first stage failure & run out of air. Redundancy is a beautiful thing. If you double up make sure you set your gear up so you can reach behind you & isolate the tanks in the event of a problem otherwise your just carrying around more air to lose.

 

[TheRedHead]

what if you have a first stage failure & run out of air. Redundancy is a beautiful thing. If you double up make sure you set your gear up so you can reach behind you & isolate the tanks in the event of a problem otherwise your just carrying around more air to lose.

I advise getting proper training for doubles. There is a way to do it right, you know.

 

[JeffG]

what if you have a first stage failure & run out of air.

Then you better get a pony as well.

But what if the pony was leaking during the dive????? Hmmmmmm, I know, carry two ponies.

 

[rjack321]

I use doubles esclusively, unless with students (working towards my DM), and I prefer them in the water. To me they feel nicer, trim nicer, more stable. Now I also carry a slung al40 on some dives, partially to just get used to the feeling of it for future tech training, and partially to help with off gassing. I will usually fill my pony with 40%, and switch to it at 100' during the ascent, while maintaining a standard NDL following my backgas planning. This way I will come out of the water "cleaner" than is I was breathing my backgas the whole time.

Adding a few minutes to your ascent in the 30-10 foot range would be a whole lot simpler and not push you're ppO2 on a "no deco" dive as well. Nevermind the fact that you apparently have not been trained to make gas switches properly either.

I dive doubles 75% of the time. To me they are easier than singles with better balance. You do need to understand what's happening behind your head and for a solo diver there are several failures modes (for doubles and their regs) which could be difficult to diagnose. For the OP diving solo, I would suggest a slung 40cf bottle instead. Keep your backup gas where you can see it. That's why I prefer buddies which keep themselves "found"