Is there a valid reason for a pony bottle

[Ryan Mcshane]

I don’t see a need for one.

Gas management, solid buddy/team skills, quality gear. CESA is still a totally viable option if all the above fails.

Or invoke #1

 

[txgoose]

I dive for pleasure and enjoyment.

Based on that "personal" assessment, if a diver decides a pony is necessary to enjoy and feel comfortable with the experience

Dive and let dive. Have fun.

So, you're saying that one size might not fit all? That is just crazy talk. A diver might even have a different personal assessment for different dives. No pony on one dive, pony on another.

If a pony would introduce some version of task loading for a given diver, I might encourage them to not use one. Otherwise, I'm down with the dive and let dive.

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

Hypothetical scenarios aside, I can only speak from experience. Back when I was doing deep wreck dives (haven't for years - decades - just getting older I guess) I always used a pony bottle. Never have used one for just normal shallow diving (even solo diving - no comments please however I do believe they are a good idea for some folks). Anyway, back to my experience. In 1980 I was diving the wreck of a cargo ship in Curacao called the Superior Producer which had sunk about three years earlier. Diving a single aluminum 80. I was way down inside a cargo hold around 100 feet (just found a bottle of unopened white star champagne I had in my goodie bag) and I had a catastrophic regulator / valve failure. Can't actually recall all these years later what exactly happened. I just recall lots of bubbles and sudden rapid gas loss and my pressure guage rapidly went to zero (valve o-ring failure, burst disc failure, 2nd stage lever stuck down - something). My buddy was somewhere else on the wreck (yea, I know - buddy system and all). Switched to my 15 cu.ft. pony and safely ascended to a safety tank/reg we had hung off a float at 10 feet. So yes, pony bottles are very helpful tools in certain situations. My 2psi. Mark

 

[jadairiii]

Assuming you actually know your SAC rate and understand the minimum amount of gas (turn pressure) you will need to safely get you and your buddy off the bottom, with safety stop(s), and to the boat. The answer is No.

If you are diving below recreational depths then the pony bottle is useless. Does not have enough gas to do the above.

That said, most (if not all) pony bottle divers dont think about any of the above and use it merely for an "elevator" to the surface without any thought of stops or buddy logistics. A reverse parachute after they have completely **** the bed. There are plenty of divers that create the problems that necessitate a pony bottle. And most of those "problems" start at the dock.

 

[doctormike]

That said, most (if not all) pony bottle divers dont think about any of the above and use it merely for an "elevator" to the surface without any thought of stops or buddy logistics.

Source, please.

 

[Coztick]

My wife doesn't dive so it's Instabuddies for me. There is no way I will allow a stranger to push my comfort level when it comes to distance or awareness.
I have shared a few memorable dives with excellent buddies, but sadly many won't take it seriously and just dart around on their own. Fine, if you're good with that, go.
I will do what I can, but I don't chase.
Being self reliant just means my comfort level isn't affected by your skill or comfort level.
Catastrophic failure? Yea, not expecting a strangers help within an acceptable timeframe. I'm funny that way... Knowing access to bailout is immediate 100% of the time is comforting. Inspecting and testing my own, quality gear helps keeps me calm.
Runaway inflation, or failures on that post are very rare too I'm sure but testing it predive, then inflating manually throughout my dive both eliminates one risk and builds competency with the skill.
I wonder how many have practiced at all? I don't want to sound like I'm a nervous or paranoid diver. I'm quite the opposite since removing "buddies" from my life support system.

Thanks, Kevin

 

[Laurie S.]

I'm a solo diver and I don't use anything like that. I have a low SAC rate, watch my air, and avoid situations of possible trouble. My late husband was a Master Instructor and when he couldn't dive with me anymore, he instructed me to stay at 60 feet or above when solo diving. I have increased that to 80-85 feet now, and did one dive to 105 feet, but there were divers above me. I will not use an instabuddy and tell shops up front that I will not be responsible for another diver. Of course, if someone is in trouble, I will help them, but I am not your spare air source.

 

[doctormike]

Snarkiness aside, I never said you shouldn't carry one, but millions of dives made safely using scuba over the past eight decades without a pony bottle speaks volumes to their necessity.

Your survivorship bias is showing. Millions of dives have been made safely without SPGs, backup second stages, dive computers, BCs, gas analyzers, Nitrox, etc... Does that mean that there is no reason to use any of those things?

Note that the OP questions wasn't "is a pony bottle a necessity?". Not sure what the word necessity means in this context, since diving itself isn't a necessity....

It's pretty simple. For a good diver who is situationally aware and knows how to do gas planning, the pony bottle serves as a backup gas supply if you lose your primary gas supply due to equipment failure, or maybe if you meet someone who wasn't so good at gas management. That's it. It is a marginal but real increase in safety for the dive, assuming that you know how to use it.

I really don't understand why every one of these threads devolves into a discussion of how gas planning makes a pony unnecessary. That's not what it's for. It's not a firewall against poor gas planning on the part of the diver carrying it.

I will never plan my dive in such a way that I am totally dependent on my buddy. I have been diving long enough and in enough different situations to know that I need to be able to get myself safely to the surface without depending on anyone. That might be CESA for very shallow dives, or it might be a redundant gas supply.

In the CCR forums, there aren't posts about how bailout is unnecessary because of <lengthy discussion of gas planning and scrubber duration>. If you think that your OC gear is bulletproof because you take good care of it, you may get an unpleasant surprise someday.

 

[doctormike]

My buddy would do the same if we plan the dive. That means even by a failed low pressure hose I do have (at least) 22 seconds. That would be enough time for me to go to my buddy for his regulator.

Remember what Mike Tyson said...!

 

[Diving Dubai]

I would argue, for the most part a Pony is not essential, Prudent sometimes for sure, but not essential.

Many of the scenarios put forward as a reason, can be mitigated by simply looking after yoru gear with regular inspections. Paying attention to your training, and good buddy communication (if the buddy system breaks down then is not the sole fault of one party)

That aside unless I'm on SM (I don't do Doubles) I sling either an 40 or 80 as a redundant source on divs at or past 30m. If I'm on a scooter in open ocean, I consider that solo - even if my buddy is also on a scooter.

If I have a failure, then the immediate action is to switch to the redundant gas source, and make a comfortable safe ascent (with my buddy, rather than sharing on my buddies spare.

I have used my pony for "real" - Once being hit by a down current we needed every drop of gas we had to get to the surface. I now carry an 80 as a spare on those dives. I've also used my pony when the situation has dramatically changed with currents. If it's not safe to make a direct ascent, then I've switched to my pony while we get to an appropriate area to protect my reserve on my back gas. But always surfacing with more than enough.

And yes, there have been a couple of occasions where after completing the safety stop we've been surrounded by Oceanic Manta's and we've used the addition gas to extend the experience at 5m. Some moments are too special.

But, I still believe some people grab a pony as a crutch or as a "fashion" statement. They're a tool, they do have appropriate uses, but people should really assess all the other conditions first rather than just reaching for some equipment to solve a skills issue.