Pony Bottle
- Thread starter LanceRiley
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I use an AL19 with an old Conshelf VI... 27inch hose, bungied to the tank, and a large button gauge. I sling it on the right side (muscle memory from other training makes it make sense for me), but as others have said it's a non issue weight and balance wise.
The ball bungies are straight from harbor freight, and make re-stowing it after practicing super easy.
Respectfully,
James
Bob DBF
Contributor
I just call it a stage bottle whenever I am going to use a "pony" to extend my bottom time. Using the proper terminology makes it acceptable to divers, and the bottle doesn't care what it's called. As long as I have a reasonable gas plan, I'm good.
Personally, I don't use a pony unless I'm making dives that are not appropriate to be discussed in basic. I believe when buddy diving, one should improve their skills, and their buddy's skills rather than rely on a gear solution.
I just don't agree that this is a "gear solution".
Diving with and deploying a redundant air source is a skills development opportunity not a crutch in the form of gear. I consider myself very reliable in the water, but the more I dive, even with the same partners, the more I realize that the people around me should be my last resort and I should incorporate measures to be more self-sufficient. This should not be construed that I dive with dirt-bags...
...spend a lot of time in lakes and quarries with limited visibility and it is very easy to become zoned in on things like navigating that one can easily lose track of their buddy...this is much less common when diving with inexperienced divers because I am constantly checking on them, but they come with their own set of risks and cannot necessarily be relied upon. With the more experienced divers that I dive with there are fewer buddy air checks and fewer checks to see if one is still there as one expects the experienced diver to follow the plan and be where they should be....but reality in dark/silty waters is that it is quite easy to become visually separated and only find ones partner near by during the momentary search phase of the lost buddy protocol, regroup and continue the dive.
Should I become separated from my partner due to me getting entangled on something and they not notice I am gone or notice but can't locate me, my redundant air source gives me additional piece of mind....at least until I have to switch to it and breath it down. Hopefully it will provide the edge in air time needed to conduct self-rescue and safely get to the surface....it doesn't hurt me to carry it either, whether used or not.
-Z
Doubles...safer?, yes...much safer? perhaps, but I think that is more dive dependent and personal choice. For me, my dives are "no stop" "recreational limit" diving. I do not plan for deco stops because it is beyond the scope of the type of diving I do...if I find myself in deco it means something critical has happened that has caused me to stray from my dive plan.
And sure I can dive doubles, except I have some upper back and neck issues that makes it uncomfortable to wear a doubles rig out of the water. My SAC is good enough that I can comfortable complete the dives I do on a single 12L 200 bar tank. The 3L pony is there to extend my air supply if it is needed if the sh&%t ever hits the fan.
Taking your argument a step or 2 further to its logical conclusion would be that we should never enter the water to dive, as below the surface is an inherently hostile environment to our ability to naturally survive (without artificial source of air).
I am not advocating everyone dive with a redundant air source, but I recognize the benefit to my own diving/well being, and have articulated my counter to your sentiment that it is a gear solution to a skills issue.
-Z
ATJ
Contributor
I use on of these:
Problue Pony Bottle Bracket - piggy back mount
to mount my 5L or 7L Faber ponies to my 12.2L 232bar or 12L 300bar tank. It goes on the left side of the tank and the regs I use are configured the usual way. I set up my weights more on the right side to compensate and I'm balanced in the water.
I did try slinging the pony but it made it hard for me to take photographs and moved too much when getting out of the water (most of my dives are shore based).
Problue Pony Bottle Bracket - piggy back mount
to mount my 5L or 7L Faber ponies to my 12.2L 232bar or 12L 300bar tank. It goes on the left side of the tank and the regs I use are configured the usual way. I set up my weights more on the right side to compensate and I'm balanced in the water.
I did try slinging the pony but it made it hard for me to take photographs and moved too much when getting out of the water (most of my dives are shore based).
D_Fresh
Contributor
I'm not sure I fully agree with this conclusion.... Considering that Doubles are intended to extend the duration of the dive, that does not cover the situation Zef was presenting. If you breath a set of double down all the way, you'd still be reaching for the pony bottle. Sure, if you're diving to NDL limits, then sure, you have more than enough gas, but who wants to deal with the surface weight of doubles for an NDL dive?
Edit to add: Plus, the additional cost of Doubles over a Pony setup.... Manifold, larger Wing, bands, redundant buoyancy solution, additional weight (needing pockets, or weight harness) -- vs -- <40 cuft cylinder, basic reg and spg, and a few bands and boltsnaps.... Same wing, same wet or drysuit, same weight.
