Is there a valid reason for a pony bottle

[doctormike]

This thread is absolutely ridiculous at this stage.

Wait, there was a stage when it wasn't ridiculous?

People just keep reiterating what they said previously and won’t budge or come to terms with the others idea... If you’re going to make the thread longer, then please, have some actual new or well worth point to say.
At this point, it’s a straw man argument. If you do it your way, who cares? You don’t have to impose it on other people.

People contribute to these threads as long as they find it enjoyable to do so, even if that means arguing or saying the same thing over and over again. Why would you tell people not to contribute? If you find it unpleasant, then just don't read it any more.

There is a thread in the Pub about the President of the United States with over 56,000 posts. Think anyone is being convinced to change their mind in that one?

 

[lowviz]

@happy-diver , If you had a pony you could have just clipped it off on him...

 

[Storker]

I think the thing to realize is that the "insta-buddy" experience is highly variable. Depends on the dive op, depends on the location, depends on the circumstances of the dive.

Bingo. For some divers, a pony makes perfect sense. For others, it's just an unnecessary complication.

I was on one dive boat where I was buddied up with a very experienced diver who preferred to dive solo and was told he couldn't. He said at the beginning of the dive that I could follow him around if I wanted but that he was going to be shooting photos. I lost him halfway through the dive, and surfaced; he didn't, I went back to the boat.

I believe that there's a certain risk I'd had a private conversation with the a-hole guy after the dive if that'd happened to me. Did you get a proper pre-dive chat with the a-hole guy?

 

[doctormike]

Bingo. For some divers, a pony makes perfect sense. For others, it's just an unnecessary complication.

So the answer to the OP would then be "yes".

 

[BRT]

To continue the analogy: I have AAA premium and excellent cell phone coverage

And we don't tow AAA so there is limited service in our area.

 

[Storker]

So the answer to the OP would then be "yes".

Rather, "it depends on the situation". IMNSHO, of course

Personally, I've never been in a situation where the pros of carrying a pony have outweighed the cons (in my opinion, of course. I might be wrong; that has happened before. I distinctly remember that time back in '78. But I digress), but I also respect that other divers may have other experiences and other priorities than I have.

 

[Fastmarc]

Wait, there was a stage when it wasn't ridiculous?

LOL

 

[2airishuman]

I believe that there's a certain risk I'd had a private conversation with the a-hole guy after the dive if that'd happened to me. Did you get a proper pre-dive chat with the a-hole guy?

It was one of the first few dives I made after getting my OWD training. I would have handled the situation much differently today, and given the shallow nature of the dive and the many solo dives I have now completed, we would probably both agree to dive solo, and the op probably would be fine with that so we wouldn't even have to pretend.

Are there people like that on deeper dives? Sure, although the deeper the planned depth, the more serious your average insta-buddy is going to be about the buddy system.

 

[Storker]

there was a stage pony when it wasn't ridiculous?

FTFY.

 

[lowviz]

Personally, I've never been in a situation where the pros of carrying a pony have outweighed the cons ...

I find a pony to be far, far less complicated than a buddy.