Pony Bottle, worth it?

[Scubaru_Steve]

So I'll be going for my Advanced Certification in the next 3 weeks or so

However the nature of the depths does have me on the cautious side of things. I have been considering buying a pony bottle. I've seen quite a few people with them and just to know if something were to happen to my regulator setup or by whatever means I mis calculate my air left for ascent it would be nice to know I can salvage a few more breathes.

So what is the overall thought on these? Worth the price or just be extra cautious and play it safe?

 

[redacted]

If you have a good, reliable buddy and you both plan and manage your gas for an OOA emergency then you probably do not need to bother with a pony. If you dive solo then you should have a pony when conditions warrant. If you do not have such a buddy then you may be diving solo at times and not realize it.

 

[TylerSC]

"just to know if something were to happen to my regulator setup or by whatever means I mis calculate my air left for ascent it would be nice to know I can salvage a few more breathes. "

It would be nice, wouldn't it?

 

[mark01]

I wouldn't invest in a pony rig just because I was doing Advanced cert dives. I do utilize a pony rig on dives with a 60' profile or deeper. I use a 19 cu. ft. up to 100'. Anything deeper than that, i would go to a 30 cu.ft. bottle as a pony. Using a pony is NOT license to pay less attention to gas consumption. (not that you are saying you would do so) You plan your dive based on air consumption, dive profile, and what you need to get the mission accomplished. A pony is your bailout when things go to hell.

Mark

 

[spectrum]

Scubaru_Steve,

Divers carry pony bottles for lots of reasons. If you dive effectively with a buddy the vast majority of the needs in that situation are mitigated by the skills you learned in your Open Water class. One catch is then in many situations it is possible to loose buddy contact and then if a perfect storm happens your options may be reduced to a CESA. If you tend to dive with insta-buddies then the risk is elevated.

There are advanced dives, especially from charter boats where diving with a redundant source is required. If you wish to make such dives then that's all the logic you need.

If someday (not now) you consider solo diving then the pony becomes one part of mitigating the lack of a buddy.

Unless suggested by your instructor I don't see a need for it on an AOW dive. Do a proper gear check, watch your pressure and practice good buddy skills. Concentrate of the objective of the dive and don't over think it.

FWIW of you are going to go to the expense and trouble go 19CF or larger. Here is an illustration of sizing.

Pete

 

[Scubaru_Steve]

I wouldn't invest in a pony rig just because I was doing Advanced cert dives. I do utilize a pony rig on dives with a 60' profile or deeper. I use a 19 cu. ft. up to 100'. Anything deeper than that, i would go to a 30 cu.ft. bottle as a pony. Using a pony is NOT license to pay less attention to gas consumption. (not that you are saying you would do so) You plan your dive based on air consumption, dive profile, and what you need to get the mission accomplished. A pony is your bailout when things go to hell.

Mark

Yeah thats what I'm thinking. My cert will obviously have me down to 100'. Then near the end of July I am heading down to Myrtle Beach for the family trip and I'm finally able to go on a few of the dives I've wanted to down there. However the good ones from what I hear sit between 80-110'. Being that deep I would like to have a back up, even if its never used its just that mental reassurance. I'm all about "Be Prepared" (I was a nerdy Boy Scout to Eagle Scout :/ ) and I think its something that would give me peace of mind.

 

[hypertech]

There is no one singular right answer for using a pony bottle or not. You need to think about your diving and whether it will be good for you.

Me, I am just not comfortable putting my safety in the hands of another diver I don't know that well. Too many times they bolt, disappear, or otherwise turn out to be crummy buddies. So, I dive with a pony bottle.

Now, if you are doing dives in friendly locations and have a decent buddy, maybe it won't make sense for you.

 

[Scubaru_Steve]

There is no one singular right answer for using a pony bottle or not. You need to think about your diving and whether it will be good for you.

Me, I am just not comfortable putting my safety in the hands of another diver I don't know that well. Too many times they bolt, disappear, or otherwise turn out to be crummy buddies. So, I dive with a pony bottle.

Now, if you are doing dives in friendly locations and have a decent buddy, maybe it won't make sense for you.

This too, haha.

I have only had 1 dive with someone I was past friends with. I really don't know that many people that dive so often I find myself pairing up with a random person. Usually it works out that we do a decent job of checking on each other but that isn't to say in a serious situation they will be any good.

I am also the guy who usually has the computer in my hand checking it every 45 seconds, so I'm pretty paranoid down there and find myself checking my buddies most every few minutes. I figure it there is one thing to worry about down there its the air I breath.

I'll obviously get through my certification and see how I feel about those depths and the conditions I encounter. I'll enjoy the dive and focus on the dive instructors notes and how we plan the dive. If I feel like its worth while to get one for Myrtle Beach as once again I'll dive with a random partner I might just get one. I am a fairly exploratory diver, still haven't found my liking so I'm trying out all aspects of diving still to see what I most enjoy about it.

Does anybody offer a good bundle on these? I was looking at leisure pro's "Catalina" line, just don't know what else would be required. Figure a good regulator and some bottle holder.

 

[windapp]

If there is a risk of regulator freeze-up (i.e. you are diving 100 feet in a cold quarry) then consider the pony bottle. You don't want to have your reg freeze, and then freeze your buddy's reg because you are pulling air too fast off of it.

The book recommends a hang bottle at 15 feet. You may want to consider that.

 

[Dr Wu]

......whatever means I mis calculate my air left for ascent it would be nice to know I can salvage a few more breathes.

Spend your time learning how to not "miss-calculate" your gas on ascent.

Seeing "what other people do" is rarely an indication of what "you should do".