Like a moth to a flame I am drawn to my end----my apologies up front for all that I will ever do wrong. Now, I am wondering why a pony is seen as a reason to fight? If you don't have a pony then you have a buddy and an octopus. If you have a pony you still have a buddy unless you are solo. If the first stage fails or the second stage free flows all of one's air away would not a seperate pony provide at least some air until you can hook up with your buddy or make the surface if solo? Since I see a small pony as redundancy only in a OW type dive to normal limits would not a 6 to 12 cf bottle get you to the surface after the main tank is exhausted after a free flow or other failure? If you are solo, as I dive that way sometimes, then there is no buddy and even if buddied up what if he wanders off--it happens even among the best intentions not to. I certainly don't want to fight and certainly understand a small pony is no substitute for doubles etc if doing any type of penetration dive. On several occasions I have experimented with free acsents from depth and have had no diffuculty to speak off so I am certain that 6 cf or better 12 cf would get me to the surface in fine shape or to a safety stop bottle--whatever the circumstance is. I cannot see that have a small pony attached to a main is anymore of a drag or entaglement danger than a doubles rig. If you follow a 1/3 rule and right at 1000 psi on a 3000 psi 80 cf tank then you have about 30 cf at time of ascent adjusted for the particular type of diving--depth and all that more or less. If at the time of ascent your buddies rig fails then he is on your octapus which means you now have approx 15cf each to make the surface. Therefore my belief that for OW to 130 feet with no overhead, wrecks penetration or cave/cavern environment then a 12 cf bottle should be enough to get you safely to the surface by your lonesome. If with a buddy and his rig fails then you have approx 42 cf total, enough to octa breath to a safety stop and enough in the pony to buddy breath a few minutes at the safety stop.
Would instead of a 80cf main and a 12 cf pony a 100cf tank, no pony on a H-valve or a Y valve with two seperate regs and then depend on being able to shut off the valve to the failed reg be a better solution to maintaining redundancy especially in a solo circumstance? Just talking, not arguing. Thanks. N
Would instead of a 80cf main and a 12 cf pony a 100cf tank, no pony on a H-valve or a Y valve with two seperate regs and then depend on being able to shut off the valve to the failed reg be a better solution to maintaining redundancy especially in a solo circumstance? Just talking, not arguing. Thanks. N
