Pony bottle skills

[matt_unique]

That's what I observe at dive sites. Lots of back mounted pony bottles with no SPGs on them.

What you have observed at your dive sites does not qualify as 'most divers who use a pony', just the divers you have observed with ponies.

--Matt

 

[lamont]

I was taught that on the ascent, you'd be venting your BC, not inflating.......

I meant at the surface.

 

[OCDinNC]

If you've got a pony, do you have an SPG on it that you can check underwater, and can you manipulate the valve on the first stage underwater? The pony won't do you any good if all the air has leaked out and you haven't noticed, or if you jumped in with the valve turned off.

Every time I go in the water, I ALWAYS take a breath or two from my two regs. I carry my 19cf pony slung on the front of my BC. I turn the first stage on to charge the line and take a breath, as well as check the SPG, to BE SURE it has air and is functional. Then I turn the first stage off. If I need it, the valve is right there on my chest to turn on, and it only takes about two seconds. If I can't do that, I'm probably dead already.

 

[hecker-the-wrecker]

:reaper:

most pony bottle users don't achieve the 100% goal of having a backup regulator available either. they often don't have an SPG attatched to their pony bottle, its butt mounted so they can't tell if its leaking, they have difficulty reaching it in order to turn it on, etc. most pony bottle usage is probably no better than your average buddy skills, it just gives a false sense of security.

In MY configuration, i dropped the octo on my primary first stage, put it on my pony bottle first stage.It still has the hi-vis yellow hose.(remains in the triangle) I also hooked my drysuit, and a small,(not micro) spg set off of my pony. this way i always know my pony works & has air.(it gets used) if either of my first stages fail, i can gain buoyancy from my bcd on my main tank, or orally inflate bcd with air from pony. I dive with divers from both methods.(buddy or independant buddy) I still like to provide for myself. This deal with,"this is better and i'll tell you why" still puzzles me. If you think having a redundant air source is so terrible, stick to what you know and keep an open mind, because the next time you open your mouth, it just might be out of air. Are you going to turn away my "yellow octo" because it's hooked to a pony tank? I guess that would really show us pony users!!!

 

[doole]

This deal with,"this is better and i'll tell you why" still puzzles me. If you think having a redundant air source is so terrible, stick to what you know and keep an open mind, because the next time you open your mouth, it just might be out of air. Are you going to turn away my "yellow octo" because it's hooked to a pony tank?

No, I'm going to refuse it because I make a fairly serious point of not running out of air in the first place.

 

[JimC]

Are you going to turn away my "yellow octo" because it's hooked to a pony tank? I guess that would really show us pony users!!!

Actualy, I'll just put the beer back in my mouth since I called the dive be fore I hit the water.

 

[doole]

Actualy, I'll just put the beer back in my mouth since I called the dive be fore I hit the water.

Thanks. Better answer.

 

[nessum]

No, I'm going to refuse it because I make a fairly serious point of not running out of air in the first place.

Not running out of air is a good practice... however, not always under your control if, say, an o-ring blows.

 

[lamont]

:reaper:
In MY configuration, i dropped the octo on my primary first stage, put it on my pony bottle first stage.It still has the hi-vis yellow hose.(remains in the triangle) I also hooked my drysuit, and a small,(not micro) spg set off of my pony. this way i always know my pony works & has air.(it gets used) if either of my first stages fail, i can gain buoyancy from my bcd on my main tank, or orally inflate bcd with air from pony. I dive with divers from both methods.(buddy or independant buddy) I still like to provide for myself. This deal with,"this is better and i'll tell you why" still puzzles me.

defending people who dive a leaking butt-mounted pony bottle that they can't reach the valves and which might be turned off with no SPG and no idea of how much air is in there puzzles me. or were you not intending to defend those people? because that's all I was addressing.

If you think having a redundant air source is so terrible

i don't.

stick to what you know and keep an open mind, because the next time you open your mouth, it just might be out of air. Are you going to turn away my "yellow octo" because it's hooked to a pony tank? I guess that would really show us pony users!!!

not even remotely close to what I was suggesting. just make sure that when you hand me that yellow octo that there's air in your pony and its turned on, or i'm going for your primary...

 

[hecker-the-wrecker]

defending people who dive a leaking butt-mounted pony bottle that they can't reach the valves and which might be turned off with no SPG and no idea of how much air is in there puzzles me. or were you not intending to defend those people? because that's all I was addressing.



i don't.



not even remotely close to what I was suggesting. just make sure that when you hand me that yellow octo that there's air in your pony and its turned on, or i'm going for your primary...

It seemed like you were grouping all pony divers together, I wasn't defending the "divers who don't have a clue" I was defending MY configuration. I have a spg on my pony and its hooked to my drysuit as i explained above so i always know it's status. I was kind of hot when i wrote the last post. If i saw you coming at me for a reg, i'd donate my primary and grab my pony octo. You are a solo diver?? :06: