Pony Bottles

[MikeS]

Although I have never attempted it, and hopefully never will, I do not feel comfortable with the idea of a controlled swimming ascent from 120 fsw. While I certainly hope I will be there for my buddy and he will be there for me, anyone that “knows” how they will react in an emergency situation is kidding themselves. You can plan for it and train for it but when the rubber meets the road “s*** happens.” Additionally, from what I’ve read, and the little experience I have, it seems that problems tend to happen in groups and then escalate.

Since I’m only diving no decompression no overhead I think that doubles would be an extravagance and in any event are not practical for air travel, so I think that a bail out bottle (pony) is a wise decision. I only carry it dives deeper than 50 feet because above that I think a controlled swimming ascent is practical.

I think that it makes sense to carry the pony stage slung for several reasons the most important of which is that in an emergency situation I think it is better to have the valve, reg, and SPG in front of me where I can see them. Also, stage slinging probably presents less of an entanglement hazard and if it becomes entangled it’s easy to cut free.

I carefully calculated the required volume and tested it as best I could in the quarry. I think it is dangerous to rely on a pony without completing these two steps. It is important to know what to expect ahead of time.

Mike

 

[Uncle Pug]

SCUBAMedic once bubbled...
I dive mostly solo sometimes on a 123cuft single with a 20cuft Pony and I find it works very good for me. I consider it to be my buddy, its always there and is throughly depenable.

<snip mild anti DIR rant as totally irrelevant>

I don't find I have any bigger danger of entaglement with a pony than I do with doubles - here our bigest entanglement danger is fishing line which has an amasing habit of sliding down between the tank and the BC.

1. A pony makes a poor buddy even if it does everything it can do without any failures.

2. entanglement with doubles as you describe and as is common with back mounted ponies just doesn't happen. The hose routing protects the area between the tanks and your back and the crossover protects the area between the tanks. Valves are easy to reach on doubles (or should be) and thus easy to disentangle.

And of course a *real* buddy could help you out of an entanglement too.

 

[MikeS]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

A pony makes a poor buddy even if it does everything it can do without any failures.B]

Uncle Pug,

I couldn’t agree more! A pony is no substitute for a buddy. A pony does absolutely nothing for you if you're incapacitated or unconscious.

Mike

 

[AquaTec]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

1. A pony makes a poor buddy even if it does everything it can do without any failures.

2. entanglement with doubles as you describe and as is common with back mounted ponies just doesn't happen. The hose routing protects the area between the tanks and your back and the crossover protects the area between the tanks. Valves are easy to reach on doubles (or should be) and thus easy to disentangle.

And of course a *real* buddy could help you out of an entanglement too.

PUG you think hose routing will prevent fishing line from entangling you ....come on dude......

it may help from kelp etc, but fishing line is goin g to snag with the same ease.

 

[Uncle Pug]

AquaTec once bubbled...
PUG you think hose routing will prevent fishing line from entangling you ....come on dude......

As he described... line caught between the tanks and the BC.... won't happen with doubles and hoses properly rigged... fishing line might get caught on the valves and handles... but not as he described.

 

[AquaTec]

PUG...i guess i didn't read the whole thing.

i agree that with proper hose routing not much will get between the tanks and bladder

 

[scottk]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

As he described... line caught between the tanks and the BC.... won't happen with doubles and hoses properly rigged... fishing line might get caught on the valves and handles... but not as he described.

I agree.

I have pulled derelict nets with zero problems. The only thing that tried to entangle were my hands.

No matter what, a back mounted pony bottle is the wrong answer to 99% of the stated reasons for using one.

Scott

"No degree of dullness can safeguard a work against the determination of critics to find it fascinating." -- Harold Rosenberg

 

[jpmorrison]

Just for the record I agree with SCUBAMedic on the use of a pony. Scottk where did you come from? Sounds like you need a
bottle of spare air 2.3 cu. ft. size to go with that bottle of Jim Bean.

 

[Northeastwrecks]

Then, with all due respect, what was the point of your original question. Sounds like you had your mind made up from the start?

As for entanglement from fishing line, some of the stuff I've come across is rather strong. I'd rather not become entangled in the first place than be overconfident that I could disentangle or cut free.

 

[nickjb]

Birdman once bubbled...
As someone who recently switched over to using a slung 40 cu ft bail out from a back mounted 20 cu ft "pony", I think most would be surprised how little you notice the 40 when you have it slung right. Just my O2.

scottk once bubbled...


Yep.

When you get it sorted out, they follow you around like a little puppy.

Scott

I am still tinkering with the position of mine. I have done a couple of dives and it still seems a bit in the way. I have a modified Hogarthian harness and a 25cu ft tank.

Any tips on how it should hang or even a picture would be appreciated.

Cheers
Nick