Pony bottle assisted snorkeling/diving

[Van Isle]

Sounds like just doing a bunch of bounce diving. What could possibly go wrong?

I'll just go down a few feet for a bit, on-gas some nitrogen, up to the surface.

Not really off-gas, go back down, on-gas a bit more...up to the surface.

Not really off-gas, go back down, on-gas a bit more...up to the surface!

How deep was I down? How long? What does that mean with regards to the Bends?

I don't know! I don't need to know! I'm snorkeling!

See: I can even breathe a big breath at 30 feet, and hold it hold it hold it all the way to the surface, to make the tank last longer...no problems there...

 

[Gilldiver]

Not a new idea. Here is the SnorkAir from the late 1950's.

and here is a double hose mouthpiece with a snorkel built into it.

 

[Dantheengineer]

Sounds like just doing a bunch of bounce diving. What could possibly go wrong?

You bounce to 30 regularly? i thought such condescent would require greater heights.

This forum amazes me. A certified diver seeks to further his knowledge by asking a question. The first answer he gets is one pretty much dismissing his question in a single sentence. The second guy has the audacity to exchange the OPs question for his own.

What happened to positive reinforcement? Do we just sit on the side line sniping newbie's?

Come on Gents (and ladies) dare to be different. You may die, the world may even remember your name.
Or did we all take up diving because we don't like to manage the risks, it's a nice comfortable sport and safe as houses?

If one looks back at older posts on the board, one notices a very different and more friendly tone to most of the leads. Has this place just got old and stale? I hope, not the experience here is phenomenal. This is by far the best source of dive related information i've yet found online. And i've LOOKED! S'just a shame you dare not post here.
All the questions have been asked, you haven't bothered to do a thorough search you're obviously a troll.......
I think we need to raise our game. For many of us it's still a fresh, exciting hobby that we're committing much of our hard earned time and resources to because we're still in the "champagne and roses" phase of things.
We need guidance and knowledge. Not Smug self satisfaction and apathy.
I thought this was the point of the board.

Exactly who are the trolls?

Anyway, enough from me. I'll be dead soon anyway because i don't dive excessively conservatively or precisely in line with agreed and tried strictures........

Well good luck Lims. Looks like you're gonna need it mate.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I use a 13 or 30 cu-ft bottle to drop down to 70 or 80 feet to recover fish sometimes. I don't stay long and I come up at maybe 60 ft per minute. We either hand carry the bottle, or attach it to a loop on the weight belt.

I don't think this is a good idea to mix scuba and freediving and if you are not very familiar with both, it would be easy to make a mistake and hold your breath on the ascent.

 

[Teamcasa]

I want to get into pony bottle assisted snorkalling... any guidance/tips/info on this at all?

Diving with a pony is scuba, not snorkeling. I would not mix the two.

This forum amazes me. A certified diver seeks to further his knowledge by asking a question. The first answer he gets is one pretty much dismissing his question in a single sentence.

What happened to positive reinforcement?

Dan, It is not just experienced divers that read these posts. I'd hate for a newby the read that diving only with a pony and repeatedly making little bounce dives is a safe way to dive. Maybe, under very controlled circumstances, it may be OK but in gerenal it is not a very safe way to dive.

He did ask for guidance and tips, I just offered mine.

 

[Dantheengineer]

Teamcasa P.M. sent.

P.S. I do love the "mile in their shoes" thing. Tears of laughs!

 

[Cave Diver]

What happened to positive reinforcement? Do we just sit on the side line sniping newbie's?

Come on Gents (and ladies) dare to be different. You may die, the world may even remember your name.
Or did we all take up diving because we don't like to manage the risks, it's a nice comfortable sport and safe as houses?

So you're advocating that we should positively reinforce a newbie wanting to partake in a potentially risky behavior?

If he learns there are risks that he hadn't thought of an chooses to pursue it regardless, that's his decision.

Your previous post:

Truthfully (and i don't think naively) out side of the repeated transition through the largest area of pressure differential by depth and the (slight?) possibility of deco build up during a succession of two minute/ 30' dives, i cant see immediate danger in the pursuit.

If someone is used to doing breathhold diving and then they introduce SCUBA into the mix, you don't see any danger that they might inadvertently or instinctively hold their breath?

You don't see the possiblity for forming any microbubble seeds by repeatedly diving through the greatest pressure change while breathing compressed air?

Just because you don't see any danger in something, does that necessarily mean that's its safe?

I'm not trying to be argumentative with you, or him. I'm just trying to point out the fact that just because someone doesnt see the risk in a behavior doesn't mean it's not there. And if they dont' see the risk, how can they properly assess it and choose whether they wish to accept it?

 

[Dantheengineer]

1. You make my point wonderfully (one, at least ) from the off set. Why are you telling me what i advocate? Why don't you try to understand what the other half of a conversation IS saying? (Or is it just poor choice of syntax?)
2. Actually, i am saying precisely that. For the same reasons one would employ Positive Reinforcement in the instruction of those wishing to partake of the "potentially risky behavior" intrinsic to scuba.
3. "If he learns there are risks that he hadn't thought of and......." How's he or anyone going to learn anything if the only answers are dismissive and sarcastic to the extent that IF he was a newbie (actually a PADI rescue diver from profile) he may even take seriously. Given the advice comes from a very experienced and massively advanced diver like yourself. (Cave/ CCR etc) "What could possibly go wrong?"
4. Yes i do see the dangers of holding your breath on an ascent. Of course i do. At no stage has any one in the lead advocated this action. Except Van isle. Mmmmmm....nuff said. We've covered the derisory condescension angle already. I would add that a correctly trained diver would not inadvertently, accidentally or instinctively hold his breath, ascent or not.
5. I'm sure the both the OP and i are trained and familiar with the practicalities of breathing compressed air at depth. To the extend that we both claim certification anyway. Not easy to prove online unless Scubaboard starts checking c card numbers before issuing id's.
6. I don't see the likelihood of forming health threatening bubbles with the profiles i've suggested, no. Do you? Am i wrong? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to get answers to questions like this from learned professionals, in a friendly, conversational fashion? may be there's a web site?
(for information:-I know many spear fishermen over here that dive similar profiles, (tanks and/or hooka) are they all risking their health?)
7. I see risks. I enjoy managing them. That's diving for you. When i don't see risks and i recognize the possibility of danger in a situation i ask a professional. S'kinda why i'm here........


8. As an aside, whilst i concede the point that non divers may be reading these posts and should be protected from unforeseen and misunderstood danger (having foolishly only just noticed that this lead is in the snorkeling forum), i'd ask that it be moved to a more advanced forum in the interest of their protection.
The minimum number of dives for any of the posters is 25+ (except Ralphin. but the content of his post affords him due credibility) so it might be a better place for it.

 

[ivobj]

1. It's not contained if you keep going up for air.
2. with 25-50 logged dives in northern UK it's not unreasonable to assume the OP is already a trained and certified diver. (May be even BSAC? Lims, can you comment?)
3. The actual question doesn't seem to be one of classification, but of blending two fairly similar sports safely and effectively.

1 - The fact that you surface from time to time doesn't at all mean it is not self contained, the definition of self conteined is something that is not attached nor depend on an external source for operating, if you breath from a pony bottle that you take with you, regardless if you keep going up for air it is indeed self contained. Look at the curious piece of equipment for using compressed air in snorkeling in an add posted by GillDiver, clearly stated as a self contained breathing aparatus...

2 - Ok, he can be trained in SCUBA, if so, great, the OP asked for guidance, I commented that training is important, if already trained, fine, no worries on this aspect

3 - No it is not about classification, but to give the best guidance and tips asked, which was the question, it must be understood in which category it is, SCUBA and freedive have diferent training aspects, blending the two is ok, but for that it is important to have both training, that was my suggestion.

 

[Van Isle]

If the current agency and medical recommendations are against breathhold diving after SCUBA due to risk of bubble formation, what makes one think that it would be better or safer to breathhold dive while on SCUBA?