Pony bottle & recreational diving...Need input...

[Coldwater_Canuck]

As to the instructor, again, why pay for instruction if you don't like what you are being told, if you already know more than the instructor why are you enrolling?

While there is some validity to this, the OP is taking AOW, not a course in minimal diving. I'm sure on navigation, night diving, etc. they will listen to the instructor's advice. Just because you take a course doesn't mean you need to agree with everything the instructor says. In fact, there is a certain danger to doing this. With many things, there isn't consensus, so if you base how you dive simply on the opinion of one instructor, you are making decisions on one opinion instead of researching everything and deciding for yourself.

While I understand an instructor will give advice on diving in general, whether or not he dives with a pony isn't particularly relevant to the course he's in.

 

[peterbj7]

I agree. The OP is doing exactly what he should be doing, especially at his stage of training but throughout his diving career, which is questioning "accepted wisdom". I feel that he would currently be better served changing instructor, partly (mainly) because his present instructor seems to be prescriptive - you WILL do things my way. There are many ways of doing most things scuba and you can make up your own mind which path to follow, so long as you get the basic principles of safety and functionality firmly embedded in your brain. It frightens me when I see people who are wholly devoted to following a highly prescriptive method of selecting and configuring equipment. I somehow feel that if anything external happens to upset their very comfortable personal applecarts they'll be totally lost, and an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Cave Bum]

Voluntarily withdrawn

 

[Nemrod]

Don't be ridiculous. Read what I said. I know no make available down here that doesn't fail from time to time.

Define "time to time" as in once per dive, once per year, once per lifetime? If you are having frequent LP hoses failures then you are having a problem that you need to get to the bottom of before somebody gets hurt.

No LP hoses here, only one stage, no internal parts exposed to seawater, only one O ring and it is not needed, utterly reliable, an extreme example and not the solution you seek but elimination of failure prone equipment is a valid means of improving overall function and safety, at least as much as is adding multiple layers of equipment to compensate for the added faults that added equipment presents.

N

 

[Nemrod]

No, I state only what I feel is the positive.

The only exception to that has been with one poster who I feel is a danger to other divers on this board who is offering to guide divers in places like Alachua and Diepolder when he's not even qualified to dive there himself.

STATE THE POSITIVE, let others state their point of view and let the reader make up their own mind.

What you "feel" is positive, in other words if you say it then it is OK but if anyone disagrees with a specific or general thought of yours then it is a negative---go look in the mirror. N

 

[peterbj7]

I have had failures, sometimes none in a month, sometimes 5 in a week, of several different brands of hoses all marketed as coming from the USA, all the brands imported here. Sometimes it's possible to see tiny holes in the rubber straight out of the box, usually there's absolutely no clue. It isn't usually a frequent occurrence but it does happen far more than it should. I don't recall these sorts of failures ever until the last few years.

If you can offer a practical solution for me other than buying several different makes and swapping them out at the first signs of trouble I'd be grateful to hear it.

 

[Cave Bum]

Voluntarily wtihdrawn

 

[Nemrod]

I have had failures,------

If you can offer a practical solution for me other than buying several different makes and swapping them out at the first signs of trouble I'd be grateful to hear it.

Yes, you should swap out or remove from service for evaluation and repair any gear showing signs of trouble be they "first signs" or second signs or whatever signs.

N

 

[Nemrod]

Ahhh, I see... there's the problem... Is english you first language?

A positive statement is: "I believe the sun is going to rise in the east tomorrow!".

A negative statement is: "You're wrong, you idiot, IT'S NOT GOING TO RISE IN THE EAST!!!!!! How many times do I have to go over this with you????"

Can you see the difference now, by comparing the two? Positive vs. negative?

Again, read what you said and then go look in the mirror.

I did not ask you to go over anything with me so please "feel" free not to anymore. Does that answer your question?

You simply don't like my statements because they don't always conform to your brand of thinking or accepted scuba dogma and therefore you "feel" the need to explain to me why I am wrong and you are right.

N

 

[tomboyy]

Ya gotta keep em seperated