Pony Bottle Comments

[Johnoly]

it was an exciting dive.

Great video. And with that fast boat traffic above you,,,,,,an interesting dive spot.

 

[34109411]

Hi All,

I have been interested in pony bottles for awhile because I like to solo dive and thought I would share some experience that I have gained. When I was initially trying to research pony bottles online I noticed that there is quite a bit of discussion and back and forth about what size pony bottle you need. I mostly just shore dive here on the Big Island which usually involves some kind of hike across the lava and climbing up and down lava rock to get in and out of the water so I try to pack as little weight as possible.

I will start with the disclaimers hoping to ward off the inevitable criticisms that occur when you post online. First disclaimer is that I am claiming very little other than practical knowledge on the topic of air consumption and the methodology used to test my gear wasn't that precise. I just wanted to see what my pony bottle setup would do in real life so I would know if it was adequate for my application and be comfortable using it if the need arises. The pony bottle setup I tested today was a Catalina aluminum 13 cf bottle with a Sherwood pro valve and my pony bottle regulator is an Aqualung Titan LX first stage in DIN and the second stage is an Aqualung ABS octo. I mount the pony bottle on the back of my main tank and I have a pressure gauge on a hose so I can monitor the pony bottle pressure.

I tested the pony bottle from the max depth that I usually go to at my favorite dive site which is 92' at the green can in the Honokohau Harbor. I started at 92' with a good fill of 3200 psi, did a nice slow ascent over about 2.5 minutes to a depth of about 15', did a nice casual 3 minute safety stop and then ascended to the surface by the green can. At the surface I had a little over 1900 psi left in the 13 cf pony bottle.

Conclusions, starting with more disclaimers: I dive a lot so I'm pretty good on air, and there was no panic or time wasted before I started the ascent, but it appears that I can easily and safely ascend to the surface from 92' with the 13 cf pony bottle so it is going to be my choice when solo diving in shallower water. I felt good about trying out my pony bottle setup today and would encourage everyone to go test your pony bottle equipment so you have some idea regarding how it will work for you in real life.

Thanks for reading this,
Brent Bowman

everyone out there know that a pony bottle is not a dedicated redundant system. Especially if you are solo diving you need to consider either sidemount or double.

 

[Brent Bowman]

Great video. And with that fast boat traffic above you,,,,,,an interesting dive spot.

It is a great dive spot, but you don't want to surface in the boat channel where I was doing the videos which is definitely an argument on the side of having a bigger pony bottle so you could swim off to the side of the boat channel before surfacing, but I will probably stick with the 13 cf because I think that doing the trail across the lava rocks to get in and out of the water with the heavy gear is where I'm most likely to get hurt. And I'm trying to remember to take my SMB all the time, I think that would be pretty handy if you had to surface in the boat channel.

 

[Brent Bowman]

everyone out there know that a pony bottle is not a dedicated redundant system. Especially if you are solo diving you need to consider either sidemount or double.

I think you are right, I would like to have doubles if they weren't too heavy, but I don't understand the logistics of having full tanks if you want to do 2 dives a day every day?

 

[34109411]

I think you are right, I would like to have doubles if they weren't too heavy, but I don't understand the logistics of having full tanks if you want to do 2 dives a day every day?

try sidemount if you found that backmount arr heavy (like me). I really like the ease of putting SM in the water entry.

Be safe

 

[Litefoot]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all of the great responses. Looks like I started a good discussion and elicited a lot of good info and opinions on pony bottles.

I did two dives this weekend with my 19 cf pony bottle while the 13 cf was getting filled and I felt that the few extra pounds difference in weight attached to the back of my HP100 tank made me more off balance when walking on loose lava and climbing down the rocks to get in the water so it made me appreciate the smaller 13 cf bottle more. Attaching the pony bottle to the back of my main tank is a convenient way to carry it but I want to try slinging it in front some time.

Check out the cool shark video I got with the 13 cf pony bottle last weekend, it was an exciting dive. You might have to cut and paste the YouTube link?

Wow! No change in your breath rate as that big tiger is coming right at you. You are one cool customer. I would have been a combination of praying, swearing, hyper ventilating, or inking the water like a squid.

 

[Wants2divemore]

Attaching the pony bottle to the back of my main tank is a convenient way to carry it but I want to try slinging it in front some time.

Here's a good thread with some recommendations about slinging a pony bottle. I personally think if you're going to carry a pony that slinging it is better than back mounting (I know that it's been debated a lot on SB before and there are pros and cons for each).

Thread 'how to sling Al19 pony?'

Mar 17, 2022

Hello,
I am usually diving a 7lt aluminum pony (I think it corresponds to AL50) and I sling it as a stage (left side, chest and hip d rings) with the usual stage style harness.
Its' weight topside though has started to bother me (occasionally I have to walk/climb a bit to/from the sea), so I am thinking to switch to a 3lt pony (I think it corresponds to AL19) - it is about 5kg/11lbs lighter .
The question is, how do you people sling it? Isn't it too short to route the hose etc neatly?
Back mounted is not an option.
Thanks in advance.

• stepfen
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Solo Divers

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