Ideas for ultralight solo rig for petite diver gal?

[aquacat8]

On the other hand, the fact is I dragged that thing to west palm and left it in the car. After trying to deal with it on the boats a couple times I joined the herd and opted for the risk. Coming from California cold water I was shocked at first at what was passing for buddy diving, but I quickly started doing the same... the warm clear water makes you feel so safe, almost as if you could breathe it without gear. Not true at 90 feet in Jupiter but nonetheless I felt I was in more danger driving down!

 

[uncfnp]

If you plan to get serious about solo diving off the boats in S. Florida consider finding a mentor or take a SDI solo course. A little help assembling and rigging your next setup may help prevent buyers remorse and offer other insights and skills into true solo diving and not just jumping in without a buddy.

I would be hesitant to rely on a 6 cf. It might work to get you to the surface with a minimul stop but you would have to be very conscientious about keeping it completely topped off and have no freeflows while diving. Otherwise you would actually have less then 6 cf for your dive.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

On the other hand, the fact is I dragged that thing to west palm and left it in the car. After trying to deal with it on the boats a couple times I joined the herd and opted for the risk. Coming from California cold water I was shocked at first at what was passing for buddy diving, but I quickly started doing the same... the warm clear water makes you feel so safe, almost as if you could breathe it without gear. Not true at 90 feet in Jupiter but nonetheless I felt I was in more danger driving down!

No doubt that driving is more dangerous than most recreational diving, but you wear seatbelt and have air bags - right?

this is how I rig my back mounted pony. Cheap, easy, simple and all hardware is 100% on the pony, so you can switch, borrow and use ANY tank with this configuration:

 

[aquacat8]

Yes, thanks that is certainly good, sensible advice. I'd love to get some hands-on help rigging a bottle and try some stuff before I buy. A class would be cool too. Unfortunately cost is a factor. Right now I can't afford to replace the gear I sold, and since that amount of stuff was too heavy for me anyway jumping into buying another regulator and maybe 19cf, hence heavier, pony bottle is not appealing.
I really miss my old buddy! He was Navy Trained, would sling his steel 100 and my 72 both over his shoulders, could find his way to the anchor line every time through the green Monterey murk, and was never more than a few feet away, ready to communicate almost telepathically underwater or tell a joke with hand signals. No pony bottle can replace that!

 

[aquacat8]

Gear dreaming... Has anyone tried carbon fiber lightweight tanks?

 

[aquacat8]

Thanks for the video Dumpster Diver

 

[RyanT]

Has anyone tried carbon fiber lightweight tanks?

Completely useless in my opinion. Yes, they are lighter out of the water, but that means that they also become more buoyant in the water. So you'll be adding lead to offset the buoyancy. They have a shorter service life (15 years) than metal tanks. And talk about expensive!

You mentioned diving a 72. Have you looked at the new steel HP 71s? They weigh 25 lbs, so are probably the lightest tank you'll find with a single tank diveable capacity. They also remain negative when empty, so their buoyancy characteristics are good.

 

[uncfnp]

I don't want to keep pushing this but if you are serious about redundancy I want to help if I can.

To clarify, when you say too heavy do you mean just the pony or your entire rig together? I have some pretty significant shoulder limitations and weaknesses from a ruptured and incomplete repair to rotator cuff right and nerve impingement left but I have no problems lifting and maneuvering a small pony tank. If something interfers on the boat I don't hesitate to ask for assistance, from my fellow divers or the crew. That is new for me. I have a history as a (stubborn) independent female. If getting back on the boat is difficult for you just unclip and hand up to the crew. You can always give a little extra in your tip if you ask for extra assistance. But don't comprimise your safety just to avoid asking for help.

I just checked weight, rigged and filled my 19 cf tank comes in around 12 lbs. The 13 cf would be about two pounds lighter.

 

[aquacat8]

I don't want to keep pushing this but if you are serious about redundancy I want to help if I can.

To clarify, when you say too heavy do you mean just the pony or your entire rig together?

 

[aquacat8]

I meant the whole rig is heavy to trudge across sand for a shore dive or to climb a ladder with, but I was renting aluminum 80's so if I could go back to a steel 72 or something like that maybe I could carry a 19 if I had help rigging, practice, and maybe some gym training. I have back pain already that comes and goes so trying to avoid that!