Pony bottle .. do i need one at this point ?

[matt_unique]

A 30 cf tank is also used for deco purposes. If I'm doing a (single deco gas) deco dive in MA I'll use my 30. If I'm wrecking on BI for the weekend for example I use an 80. (There is one shop on BI and they only sell air so you need to bring everything else).

--Matt

 

[texdiveguy]

I currently dive a single steel 130 with H-valve,,,I can left sling a 50cf deco when the profile req., and if ness. for the dive a 19cf pony slung on the right side. Diving with properly rigged bottles is very easy req. just a bit of practice and of course the more you dive them the better you get. A slung pony is a great thing for sport solo and deeper diving.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

In answer to your question, it's better to have a pony and not need it then need it and not have it.

JT

 

[ClassAction]

Many good answers here and many stupid ones also.

Hmm....not sure if mine was one of those "stupid" ones? I really hope not...

For no deco diving in 100 feet of open water a 13 cu-ft tank will get you up. Even if some people say that is not enough air to do much of a safety stop, so what. This is an emergency!

Maybe 13 will be enough, maybe not. If it's truly an emergency at 100 feet, my guess is that one's SAC rate might go up a little bit! Having a little extra margin is a good thing. Last summer, my buddy went OOA. We were at 50 feet and I dive a 120. I probably had a good 1600 in my tank (since he's also bad on air!). I donated my primary and he was still pretty frantic. Then I showed him my guage and told him to relax -- we have plenty of air to SLOWLY go to the surface. Bottom line -- I'd rather be on the safe side and have a little more air to sort things out at 100 feet. Another consideration might be current. In a heavy current topside, it would be good to come up the anchor line instead of going straight to the surface. Having a little more air could make that an option...

If the crap hits the fan and I have to come up on a pony, then i'm really not that worried about blowing off an OPTIONAL safety stop. Compared to the alternative of having no back-up other than a buddy, this is a far better alternative.

100 foot dive and the safety stop is optional?

I have no guage on the pony which I can read underwater, because it doesn't matter. If I have to switch to the pony I am comming up, who cares if it is at 1800 or 3000 psi, I am outta there.

I suspect that if I got a bad leak in my pony I would hear it and know during the dive that my redundancy would have become lost or compromised. I don't want to run another pressure guage hose for a pony, too much crap, too little benefit. I leave my pony on and I don't monitor it during a dive. I've never had a dangerous pony bottle leak in a thousand dives.

I have the pony behind me mounted on the primary tank because it is outta the way and I never use the damn thing.

This is pretty silly in my opinion. First, you'd have a harder time seeing/hearing a leak if back mounted. Second, it's probably relevant if your pony has 1800 or 3000 for obvious reasons. Assuming working pressure of 3,000, having 1800 psi means that you really have a 7.8 cf pony. Still plenty to get up from 100 during an emergency? Why not at least have a button guage to confirm that you're at 3000? I think a guage would help keep the average diver in an emergency from panicing. If something happens to my main tank at 100 feet and I need to come up on my pony, I'd want to monitor it along the way to keep calm. But that's just me...

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

For no deco diving in 100 feet of open water a 13 cu-ft tank will get you up.

And the gas in your main tank won't do the same thing? Since we've established that gas management issues won't leave us where we shouldn't be in the first place, what is the pony providing that your backgas isn't?

The whole First Stage Failure argument doesn't wash, we all learned how to breathe a free-flowing reg in OW class. If your first stage happens to blow at the same moment your buddy skills lapse, then begin an emergency ascent and kick yourself for your buddy habits. How many times is that likely to happen before Darwin catches you crossing the street one day anyway?

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

100 foot dive and the safety stop is optional?

As long as you are diving within NDLs all safety stops are recommended, once you exceed NDLs deco stops are required.(open-water vs. overhead) That is not to say they are optional, that is they are optional in event of emergency where greater danger is presented by employing the stop. Other more obvious overhead environments exist, but a deco obligation is also considered such.

Last summer, my buddy went OOA...

So did you deploy your pony or did you safely ascend on the remaining 54 cuft of air in your tank?

 

[SmileMon]

I'll donate my 2 cents from my motorcycling era, we had a saying that kept most of us together and alive and only once a year visiting a friend at the hospital (or me visiting the ER) - "Only the paranoids survive", better to have a backup and not need it than not to have it and need it.
I used to carry a set of tools, a foam tire inflator, half safety equipment on daily rides and full safety equipment at trips, my heavy leather coat survived two crashes and luckily I'm still here, so I guess that saying has a point.

If you go only on recreational diving, get a 19-30 cf, if you're planning more - get a 40cf, I got my 40cf along with my main order (and I'm not even certified - yet), just because based on my previous experience with diving - I'm a hoover... don't want to get stuck on safety stop without air.. did I mention paranoid?

Now I'm going to wear my bullet proof vest so I can take what you're going to write about what I just said...

 

[drbill]

DumpsterDiver's comments re: this appear to be a bit ill advised. With a low SAC rate and a calm reaction to emergencies, one can certainly do an ascent from 100 ft with a safety stop using a 13 cu ft, but this assumes a lot. A 19 cu ft pony is much safer.

However, ClassAction is wrong in suggesting that one cannot peform an ascent from 100 ft without a safety stop (as CD_in_Chitown has stated). It depends entirely on your bottom time at that depth. I've ascended from dives of 180 ft or more without incurring a deco obligation (but still did multiple stops at different depths to be safe).

 

[drbill]

I could be quite wrong - I heard there were HP ponies out, and assumed they were steel.

You're right, there are... they just aren't very common in rec diving circles.

 

[drbill]

Another issue to consider if you choose to dive with a pony attached to your primary tank is counter-balancing weights. I added two pounds on the opposite side from the pony to prevent that tendency to roll slightly. If you sling the bottle this isn't much of a problem.

I also mount my pony bottle upside down so I can reach behind me on the left side and turn the tank valve on when (if) the pony is needed.

They do leak (my old 13 cu ft eventually leaked like a sieve) and a gauge is recommended unless you check the pressure topside every few dives (or every dive day).