And by the same logic, having a spare tire in your car is a substitute for improper tire management and should be avoided. ..... What a crock... a pony to cover an unanticipated loss of gas has Nothing to do with improper management of that gas
You wouldn't go on a desert trip without at least a full tank of gas, a spare tire, maybe an extra canister in the back of the trunk and lots of water. Sounds logical.
I'm new to scuba. I happened upon this DIR stuff, and read it with interest. Sounds logical. It seemed to preach diving safe and diving redundant. I listened with open ears. I wanted to learn how to do it right (or dive it right
). Now, after only 3 months into my scuba career DIR just sounds like a cult/religion gone bad. DIR's logic seems screwed up. It also seems to preach one way -> Halycon, Halycon, all hail Halycon (and maybe this Ocycheck company that also pops up once in a while). Everything else IS BAD, BAD I SAY! I popped onto a DIR site, and they had links to everything Halycon. I guess most religions eventually get corrupt (witness the Catholic religion selling hail mary's during the dark ages). I think this DIR cult would have more credibility to myself if they were a little more open-minded. DIR should lay the foundation for diving safe using redundant equipment (ie. anyone's equipment, OMS included) and procedures (much like those taught at PADI, NAUI, et al.).
Here's where I think DIR went wrong (besides the fact they found their savior in Halycon
). Redundancy would mean to me just that. Dual tanks, multiple shutoffs, dual first stages, dual regs (each on their own firsts), redundant LP hose just in case, dual bladders (just in case), and an alternate air source besides your buddies (ie. pony bottle). I believe everything up there is accepted by DIR's except the Pony and dual bladders (right? I'm sorry I may not be totally up on this thing). When I proposed dual bladders as a safe way to go I was summarily put into my place. Again, doesn't seem logical to me to require redundancy and yet pooh pooh redundant bladders
Another thing about this DIR thing is the long primary hose wrapped around your neck. What! Seems to be a hazard to me. Entanglement gentleman (and ladies)! I guess the reasoning is you can hand your regulator to someone trapped in a remote location? Well, eventually someone's going to have to rise to the top sometime. Maybe it'll afford the person trapped some time to try to get unwrapped with the assistance of your buddy, right? Maybe someone could explain this to me. If you are out in the open, and you need air it wouldn't matter to me that the hose was just long enough to get to me from my buddies primary. Maybe I have to stare at his ugly face, but by grabbing him securely and ascending to safety works with both a long hose, and short hose.
Boogie711 your logic escapes me. Sure carrying a pony could create a issue with it dragging along the bottom, but it still doesn't take away from it's purpose: to provide air in the case your primary source fails (first stage locks, air runs out, etc...). Also, having two tanks strapped to your back could also be considered "a crutch". You may get comfortable staying down too long, and risk decompression issues if you do not have enough air to complete your deco stop. A pony bottle would be there just in case. There's also no guarantee that your buddy will be there for you. You request air, and he only has so much to give. You could risk deco problems. Maybe he slipped around the corner of the wreck. You're out of air and you do not know where he/she is. What are you going to do? Also, a H-valve/doubles is fine for redundancy, or in the case of equipment failure. It does you no good during an out of air situation. It's best to account for anything while scuba diving, right? It's a dangerous sport. You also proclaim a dry suit is your redundant bladder. Well I'm diving wet. Also, my instructor (who has 3,000 dives under his belt - deep 200 to 300 and caves) stated to never use your BC as an inflation device. Air is there to add a thermal layer between you and the outside, as well as eliminate the pressure squeeze from the water. I would rather use my BC deflator as I ascend rather than fiddle with both a dry suit dump, and deflator at the same time! Besides, you can use a pony bottle to attack sea snakes. It makes a good weapon. Cutting a fishing line is best left up to a knife or shears. I believe Scuba_Vixen never suggested diving solo with a pony. She stated that diving with a pony and a buddy is the most redundant way you could dive (along with dual bladders). Carrying a pony does not preclude you from diving with a body (unless of course he's a DIRer, and refuses to dive with you because you're carrying a pony.).
I guess I have to separate the chaff from the BS. The goal here is to choose equipment that is reliable and safe. Dive using safe practices and procedures. Choose the equipment regardless of manufacturer that best suit your needs. And take plenty of classes from PADI, NAUI et al.
oharag
