Pony as regular equipment for all dives?

[2airishuman]

Given my high SAC rate (not anxiety, have good cardio fitness - not asking for solutions) of about .67 as of last night, using the Rule of Thirds and the "dive factor" that will limit my gas available, I was wondering, why not just dive with a pony ALL THE TIME!

Well, you could. I find that they are something of a nuisance on some dives. Much depends on the kind of diving you're doing and other aspects of your situation. It's more gear to handle, takes a little longer to gear up, gets in the way in really shallow water because it hangs down, makes you a little less streamlined. That, taken together, is a big deal on lake and river dives where part of the dive may be shallow and it may be necessary to carry everything quite some distance. On a reef dive it doesn't matter much unless the boat is crowded or there's time pressure.

I've never seen a dive operation offer anything but aluminum 80's so I wouldn't think a larger tank would be an option.

Many have them if you ask but don't present it as an alternative if you don't.

 

[2airishuman]

A pony is for redundant gas in an emergency. Not a good idea to plan to use it to extend bottom time.

This is really a matter of nomenclature. You can call it a "stage" rather than a "pony" if you want to clarify its intended use, if you are planning to use it rather than keep it as a reserve.

 

[scubadada]

...There is enough gas in a 40CF to get you back from a 130' dive with a safety stop. It would be my personal choice.

Pony size has been debated ad nauseam on SB, 19 cf is plenty for my recreational solo diving

 

[Rred]

"why not just dive with a pony ALL THE TIME!"
George Carlin (RIP) had a great routine about MORE STUFF.
A pony all the time would just be MORE STUFF. More stuff to carry, more stuff to foul, more stuff to wash, more stuff to maintain, more stuff to pack.

If you want spare air all the time, buy a J-Valve and put it on your main tank. Learn to use it. The USN and NOAA both require them under some circumstances (like black water diving, where no one can read a pressure gauge) and actually list them as valid "alternate air" sources. The dive industry will tell you that J-valves can kill you. The USN and NOAA think otherwise. Who do you think knows better?

Now check the DAN statistics for divers who apparently just didn't read the pressure gauges and died out of air. A J-Valve could have prevented those deaths. Much simpler than a pony bottle.

 

[tmorg]

MORE STUFF to save your life. Another way to look at it.

 

[EricTheDood]

"why not just dive with a pony ALL THE TIME!"
George Carlin (RIP) had a great routine about MORE STUFF.
A pony all the time would just be MORE STUFF. More stuff to carry, more stuff to foul, more stuff to wash, more stuff to maintain, more stuff to pack.

If you want spare air all the time, buy a J-Valve and put it on your main tank. Learn to use it. The USN and NOAA both require them under some circumstances (like black water diving, where no one can read a pressure gauge) and actually list them as valid "alternate air" sources. The dive industry will tell you that J-valves can kill you. The USN and NOAA think otherwise. Who do you think knows better?

Now check the DAN statistics for divers who apparently just didn't read the pressure gauges and died out of air. A J-Valve could have prevented those deaths. Much simpler than a pony bottle.

Strawman argument. Nobody here is advocating using a pony as a crutch for bad habits, like not checking your SPG.

How does a J-valve help if you have a freeflowing regulator?

As for more equipment, quantity is just one aspect. Consistency and familiarity with equipment is more important than being minimalistic.

 

[chrisch]

MORE STUFF to save your life. Another way to look at it.

More opportunities to kill yourself. Another way to look at it.

 

[Diver0001]

I'm not yet certified but am doing my reading so that's kinda where this comes from.

Given my high SAC rate (not anxiety, have good cardio fitness - not asking for solutions) of about .67 as of last night, using the Rule of Thirds and the "dive factor" that will limit my gas available, I was wondering, why not just dive with a pony ALL THE TIME! All the better to simply get used to it for solo diving. Also, when I'm with a group and the first one low on air, I don't have to keep coming back first. I've never seen a dive operation offer anything but aluminum 80's so I wouldn't think a larger tank would be an option.

I personally think you're approaching this question from the wrong angle.

It doesn't matter if your SAC is .4 or .8. What matters is that you plan for it.

Having a Pony on a "solo" configuration is a redundancy option that is intended to give you a bailout option when/if something is wrong with your primary regulator. It is a bit of safety gear

You seem to be suggesting in your post that the pony could be employed to extend your time underwater because of your high SAC (which isn't *incredibly* high, btw). This is not the intended use for a "bailout". If your want more air, use a bigger tank (or double tanks). For example, if everyone is using 80cf tanks and your air consumption is so high that you feel a need to to level the playing field then simply use a bigger tank, like an 104cf tank.

R..

 

[chrisch]

... For example, if everyone is using 80cf tanks and your air consumption is so high that you feel a need to to level the playing field then simply use a bigger tank, like an 104cf tank.
..

I agree with your post and would add in support - why do people have high gas consumption? One factor is the lack of streamlining in the gear configuration - the addition of a pony tank for example. This makes such an arrangement a self defeating exercise.

Poor weighing, poor trim and constantly finning to maintain neutral buoyancy tend to be the major suspects if gas consumption is outside of the range of "normal". Too many new divers then look for a mechanical solution instead of working on these core abilities. Stress can be a factor as well - my gas consumption goes up after a period of not diving through the winter, then settles down again in the summer.

Of course you can increase the gas with a stage, but to me this is something that takes you into technical diving and really the diver at that point should be looking at the additional training and understanding needed.

 

[Diver0001]

Agreed, @chrisch

You overlooked, to my way of thinking, the number one reason why people have high air consumption:

Inexperience.

Naturally inexperience pairs well with the elements you mentioned, and others. Learning doesn't end when you get your Open Water certification and in my experience SAC rates usually drop from about 20-23 liters/min (.7 to .8cf) to about 15 liters/min (.5cf) in the first 30-50 dives or so. Some of this has to do with perfecting skills like neutral buoyancy and trim but some of it also has to do with simply being able to relax your body.

If you have ever taken a freediving course you will have seen the same thing. The first time I did a "static apnea" freedive I could hold my breath for about 40 seconds. At this point I had over 20 years of scuba diving experience so I was quite surprised at how short it was.

A few weeks later I held my breath for over 2 minutes. ALL of the gains were due to learning how to relax my body. This works for freedivers but lowering SAC in scubadivers is also related to relaxation, in my opinion.

R..