Pony bottle vs. Spare Air?

[Adobo]

What is the definition of an ice dive?

 

[northen diver]

I read the course requirement for the local "solo" diver specialty course. You're required to have either a ponly, or "spare air". I guess if spare air is enough for the "solo" specialty course, it must be good for something?

I just completed a solo course last year and the SDI instructor said that the redundant air must be at least a 19ci bottle. I just pulled out the pamplet from the course and it did indeed state spare air. I wonder if this is a text error? Also, I had to have two redundant inflation devices (dry suit and BC) or a twin bladder wing and I dont see that in the pamplet either? I guess I need to pay closer attention to the pamplets that are handed out for class.

 

[northen diver]

What is the definition of an ice dive?

To dive with the penetration of under solid ice.

 

[pt40fathoms]

What is the definition of an ice dive?

"Ice Dive" = 1. Spending the day diving under a frozen body of water with friends, looking forward to the warmth of a fireplace, cold beer, and laughter with those same friends.
2. Diving in conditions most divers will never experience.
3. Understanding the real meaning of the word “shrinkage” , when diving under a frozen body of water in a wet suit.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

If you have to ask......

 

[diverDano]

I'd just like to add 2 new thoughts to this thread.

1) My wife and I dove for a week from a liveaboard in the Bahamas and were seated next to a guy who was very proud of the fact that he was solo diving and in fact went around trying to convince others on the boat (some fairly green, and some with more experience) that they should too. He had a 19cf bottle tank-mounted behind him with the second-stage stowed somewhere back there (god knows what kind of contortion would be required to deploy it). The entire week that tank was pressurized (I know because he would bump the second stage on the boat and it would purge), and I never once saw him check the pressure on it. If it was in-fact leaking underwater, I don't see how he would know about it. Imagine that thing leaking all dive long and then when you really need it and go to use it....

Equipment is only as good as our skill in using it.


2) As LGDiver has pointed out earlier, bottles can contain lots of different mixes. Building the habit of reaching for and deploying the nearest reg and shoving it in your mouth can easily get you killed as you move into more advanced diving. Even if you counter that you will never ever ever conceivably move into using more O2-rich mixtures, you can never be sure of the "instabuddies" you dive with. I don't ever put one of my regs in my mouth without checking the MOD first (and have somebody i trust check it also); I sure as hell don't want one of yours unless you've already been breathing it. This is part of the reason why (IMHO) slung and (especially) tank-mounted bottles should be pressurized but shut-off.


... so ....

3) So if you see the logic in shutting down the valves on the slung or mounted bottles, then if you need to deploy a pony, you're going to have to reach down (or back there) and turn it on. And the deploy the hose. (And check your MOD). By the way, you're out of gas, so this is happening under stress.

Me? I'll take a squared away buddy over this anyday. But to each their own.

1)wow...you spent the whole dive watching this guy??? Did you ever talk to him about his setup and ask questions??? alot of assumptions in your comment about him!

2)Do you really thimk a diver using specialized equipment like nitrox in staging bottles would just 'forget' what bottles had what and would just grab any reg handy...jeez...

3)If......you're going to a pony bottle, you think a diver would wait until there was absolutley no air in his tank , then start to rig up his pony...wow....he has enough forethought to bring a pony....only to completly forget about his guages.....give it up...!!!


If you don't "believe" in pony bottles just say...don't come up with a bunch of crap....

 

[northen diver]

"Ice Dive" = 1. Spending the day diving under a frozen body of water with friends, looking forward to the warmth of a fireplace, cold beer, and laughter with those same friends.
2. Diving in conditions most divers will never experience.
3. Understanding the real meaning of the word “shrinkage” , when diving under a frozen body of water in a wet suit.

What is the definition of shrinkage?...........Could you please put that into a percentage formula with say a starting point of 12?

 

[diverDano]

Hey...a big shout out to my fellow canuks in the frozen wonder of manitoba!!!!

 

[diverDano]

by shrinkage...he means you better be using a lanyard!!!!

 

[Kingpatzer]

What is the definition of shrinkage?...........Could you please put that into a percentage formula with say a starting point of 12?

How's that song go, "Man, I feel like a woman . . ."