Is a Pony Bottle too complicated for a beginner?
- Thread starter Seville
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Gandalf-the-Diver
Contributor
Gandalf-the-Diver
Contributor
My buddy and I heading out. He has his setup opposite to mine. Still hip to shoulder, just opposite shoulder. Brings the bottle and reg, into the air triangle on your chest. We are both packing 30cu tanks.
I have never liked the diagonal across the chest thing. Looks so damned awkward. It’s not uncommon on some instructors at the local quarry. But I guess if you’ve got a jacket BC without D rings in the proper places to sling on your side, I guess it’s the only choice.
At least yours isn’t hanging very low. I’ve seen that, too. Ugh.
Kosta, if a pony is such a valuable safety device, why do none of the training agencies teach a pony as standard equipment in the OW course?
Could it be implicit that the training agencies believe diving is safe enough without a pony? If a pony is analogous to airbags or seatbelts, as some here have implied, why is diving without a pony the baseline gear configuration across all agencies? I can only speculate that there isn't a widespread belief that "ponies save lives." Maybe a car crash is a lot more common than the kind of catastrophic reg failure scenario (i.e., fails to deliver air AND no buddy around AND too deep for a CESA, etc.) contemplated in this thread? Is it really a "valuable safety device" for all divers, or for the baseline diver is it more of a security blanket against a bogeyman?
johndiver999
Contributor
We should follow exactly what the training agencies specify for our gear. There is no room for personal responsibility and/or thinking independently.
Of course when an agency says that 10 yr olds can get certified, we obviously MUST accept their expert thinking.
Of course when the training agencies allow Air -2's, then we MUST accept that as safe option, regardless of our own opinions.
And don't forget that an octopus regulator is NOT required or necessary, unless of course the training agencies change their collective minds and subsequently require it for all dives.
Shall I also mention the change with respect to power inflators on BC's, or shall we go back to the ever popular requirement that snorkels are necessary, yet many people just seem to "know better". How about solo diving? That was proscribed as best I know for a long time, but now it is OK if you buy the right course and take the right gear.
Follow the directives of the agencies and don't think for yourself. Just trust them, they know better about your diving.
And while I am at it, that cross chest configuration looks way cluttered to me, I think I would prefer a slung position or back mounted.
Of course when an agency says that 10 yr olds can get certified, we obviously MUST accept their expert thinking.
Of course when the training agencies allow Air -2's, then we MUST accept that as safe option, regardless of our own opinions.
And don't forget that an octopus regulator is NOT required or necessary, unless of course the training agencies change their collective minds and subsequently require it for all dives.
Shall I also mention the change with respect to power inflators on BC's, or shall we go back to the ever popular requirement that snorkels are necessary, yet many people just seem to "know better". How about solo diving? That was proscribed as best I know for a long time, but now it is OK if you buy the right course and take the right gear.
Follow the directives of the agencies and don't think for yourself. Just trust them, they know better about your diving.
And while I am at it, that cross chest configuration looks way cluttered to me, I think I would prefer a slung position or back mounted.
Oh, c'mon, @johndiver999 , I only meant that the training agencies, who have a vested interest in keeping the hobby going by enabling their OW graduates to dive safely and enjoyably, have been giving this particular and very fundamental issue of how to avoid drowning from lack of something to breathe their collective attention a lot longer than we have, and their methodology seems to be working.
BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL RUN BY IDIOTS!!!!!
Kidding of course!
Diving is quite safe as gas loss is extremely rare. I'm not a fan of CESA's though. I doubt many people who do it once in a calm training environment could do it in real life. There are many deaths, lawsuits even, that we don't hear about, though this is just hearsay from a lawyer who is a consultant for DAN. I have nothing to share to back that statement. I don't even remember the lawyer's name (though he was the OW instructor for a friend). So "their methodology seems to be working" isn't true all of the time. And some people have actually had to use their pony bottle to get out of dodge.
Thanks, Kosta. I realize none of us have statistics.
We not only don't have the statistics on deaths and lawsuits in general, but we don't know how many of those incidents involved the particular "catastrophic reg failure" scenario that was raised. My pure speculation is that the particular failure mode where a reg stops delivering gas is exceedingly rare.
We not only don't have the statistics on deaths and lawsuits in general, but we don't know how many of those incidents involved the particular "catastrophic reg failure" scenario that was raised. My pure speculation is that the particular failure mode where a reg stops delivering gas is exceedingly rare.
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