doubles w/ or w/o a slung 40? & personal Q.

[Capnsnott]

I have had to look at my diving in a new way in the last few months. I dive almost entirely with my brother, we know each other so well that communicating under water is like sitting on the shore talking. But, there have been more occasions lately where he was not around and I didn't have a buddy. So here goes.

I dive double AL80s (w/ a manifold) unless I'm assisting in a class. When I do anything deep (60'+) I carry my 40 (more for practice). But, I have ended up doing some shallow solo dives for various reasons and started wondering about having the 40 with me more often.

I found it's more enjoyable for me to drop in and out when diving with a group and I don't have a buddy. The three's a crowd thing comes to mind here. In most cases we may only be 30' - 50' down. Is this a bad practice to get into if there are newbie divers around? I don't want to give anyone new the idea they should do it and I don't just go out to the lake and solo.

So here is the pony question.....

Is there any good reason for clipping on my 40 for shallow solo dives? Or for dives 80' and shallower? I have solo'd one time in the Blue Hole, it was more to spend some time at 10' breathing off my 50% before the trip home. But I did drop down to the hump to un do the platform. Otherwise, I haven't been to many lakes around here that you can go below 40'. I really don't see a reason for it, but I could be missing something here.

Thanks
Greg

 

[mstudley]

ummmmm.... with a set of doubles on your back and without going that deep I can't really see the point of a pony. I also can't see the point of doubles for shallow solo diving but that's just me.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I dive doubles about 95% of the time. With a manifold and diving shallow, there is no reason for a pony, not that there ever is.
The only time I carry a 40 is when I have a planned deco dive. If it's a lot of deco I'll carry two bottles, one with 50% and one with 100% O2.
I don't mind shallow dives with double LP80s. I usually get multiple dives without having to change tanks between dives and the added safety margin of being able to isolate the tanks in an emergency.

 

[Diver0001]

more occasions lately where he was not around and I didn't have a buddy. So here goes.
Greg

How good are your valve skills?

The way I see it you don't need the stage if your valve skills are sorted. If they're not sorted then the stage can work as a stop-gap solution while you work on your shutdowns.

About the stage and solo diving: to my way of thinking, it's not necessary but it's not in the way either. If you want to take it with you then take it. I would make sure it's full of something you can breathe at your deepest depth though.

R..

 

[Nemrod]

Hmmm, 50 feet deep, no deco and you need 220 cf of air to be safe--I don't think so. N

 

[Capnsnott]

I've been out of state for a bit, I haven't been able to check this.

Ok, so it's just paranoia of criticism for solo diving.........
I think it falls under the having your ducks in a row thing, I don't like leaving something out and having someone else come along and point out something that I missed.

My valve skills are ok, I'm a bit slow. I have tendonitis in my shoulders, so it depends on how bad they feel as to how fast I can reach back. I had them turned off in a class and had no issues with getting back there fast enough. I do practice each dive though (along with other drills).

I would have a serious problem if I needed 220 cf of air (.42 sac light work) . But when you pseudo represent a shop (I only dive them when I'm not working), there's always someone that's going to freak on me to the shop owners.
thanks all
Greg

 

[matt_unique]

No need for a 3rd bottle when diving doubles unless you are doing a decompression dive in my opinion. This of course assumes the ability to manage your valves.

Nothing wrong with doing it for practice of course if you plan to do deco dives at some point.

--Matt