PONY bottles

[seaducer]

Not for nothing, but A- a 6ft bottle is not going to do squat at those depths, you are better just getting one larger bottle and not using the smaller one. B- get one setup, practice with it and stick with it regardless of the depth. Using different setups is likely to cause all sorts of issues if/when it counts.

If you are going to use an additional bottle with a higher mix for safety stops (why bother if you are within NDL, if you are deco...well, best of luck) make sure your mix is either within MOD for your max attainable depth OR make sure you have a bailout and that you will not grab the deco bottle by mistake.

 

[Blackwood]

If you understand how to calculate tank volume (inordinately difficult under the American system, but trivial otherwise)

It's absolutely trivial in any system of units.

And I am planning on adding a 13 or 19 cuft pony on the left with a higher nitrox mix, like 50% for scrubbing at safety stops.

[snip]

I'm doing some reading on deeper diving and advanced nitrox as we speak.

:no Hopefully your A/EANx instructor will talk you out of that.

Below 70 feet (or whatever depth correlates to the maximum PO₂ you're willing to dive), that bottle is not a pony. It provides zero redundancy as it can not be used.

If you're bringing deco gases, bring redundancy so you aren't tempted to switch in an at-depth emergency.

Furthermore - but far less important - if diving at depths less than 70 feet (where it can be used), the 50% will provide very little advantage.

 

[DandyDon]

I never have seen one, but that was a new way to ask a very old question.

Awww, I miss the huge Spare Air vs Pony thread. It was so homey...

i dont have an octo on my regulator because i have the pony having a reg for my pony and 2 regs coming off my main tanks first stage would be to cumbersome

I've thot about going that way, but I still dive with three second stages: my mouth, my alternate, and my pony slung. I did when I had it hung on the side of my back tank, but that was a bad way to carry it.

an al30 is good all around choice. When I started slinging it it took some getting used too.

6cf: 3.21 Inches in Diameter, 10.8 Inches in Length, "Real Weight" = 2.6 lbs - why bother?
19cf: 4.3 Inches in Diameter, 17.4 Inches in Length, "Real Weight" = 7.8 lbs - mine
30 cf: 5.25 Inches in Diameter, 20 Inches in Length,´Real Weight´´ = 13.7 lbs​

They all use the same reg, spg, sling, but I still think 19cf/7.8 pounds was a good compromise.

Is your pony strapped to your main? I sling mine and the reg is bungied to it on my left side. This way I can still have my octo right where it has always been. This way if someone comes to me OOG I have more options and gas available to donate.

Doesn't seem to bad to me. Another plus is hoofing it up a ladder in rough seas I can hand the bottle up and have one less thing trying to screw my balance on a wet pitching deck. Just some thoughts.

Yep.

 

[cldomson1]

I love getting advice from guys with fewer dives under their belt than I did last year.


That being said,

I plan to dive my HP119 main tanks with 2 back mounted pony 13/19 cu ft.
#1 with the same mix in my main tank for back up on my right side
#2 with 50% nitrox for deco/safety stop scrubbing, marked accordingly
so there is no chance to confuse the two, on my left side

Slinging bottles is not an option for spearfishing for me. I can use the back up pony to get me to shallower depth or the surface from 130ft if out of air. And I can use the 50% on my safety stops for added margin of safety, or if I accidentally go into deco.

Thanks again,
C-

 

[DandyDon]

Whew, Cldomson1! Grab the wrong bottle once at 100 ft and we'll be speculating about why you were found floating. I don't think there'd be enough gas missing from the 50% bottle to know for sure and I don't know there'd be any indication on an autopsy. Maybe bungee the air pony reg below your neck for an easy find, make the deco reg difficult to reach - not just marked, and make sure you can reach the valves of both, just in case.

But we have a Tech diving forum...

 

[kbaum17]

I am a newbie to diving. But, right away, I zoned in on wanting an extra air source for emergencies. It seems that the sling setup would be rather cumbersome and, frankly, get in the way for a 19cf or larger pony. Do you guys have any photos of you actually wearing a pony using a sling setup?

One thing the prevents me from bringing a pony on my dive trips is that the folks who run the boats/dive outfit make fun of people with an extra air source. We regularly dive to 100 ft. A 3 cuft SpareAir is not going to cut it..at best it will allow you to reach your buddy if he/she strayed more than a couple feet away. Well, the dive operators (all that I have dove with...Americans and Englishmen in both Florida Keys and Cayman) claim that if you need an extra air source, you are a poor diver and doing something wrong.

Obviously, their logic is ill placed...while, yes, something must have gone wrong if you need to use that extra air source, but that soooomething might not be you. Countless things can go wrong. And, even if it is the diver's fault 100%, having that extra air source could make all the difference.

Anyone here have experience with these type of dive operators and have advice on how to address them?

 

[DandyDon]

I am a newbie to diving. But, right away, I zoned in on wanting an extra air source for emergencies. It seems that the sling setup would be rather cumbersome and, frankly, get in the way for a 19cf or larger pony. Do you guys have any photos of you actually wearing a pony using a sling setup?

One thing the prevents me from bringing a pony on my dive trips is that the folks who run the boats/dive outfit make fun of people with an extra air source. We regularly dive to 100 ft. A 3 cuft SpareAir is not going to cut it..at best it will allow you to reach your buddy if he/she strayed more than a couple feet away. Well, the dive operators (all that I have dove with...Americans and Englishmen in both Florida Keys and Cayman) claim that if you need an extra air source, you are a poor diver and doing something wrong.

Obviously, their logic is ill placed...while, yes, something must have gone wrong if you need to use that extra air source, but that soooomething might not be you. Countless things can go wrong. And, even if it is the diver's fault 100%, having that extra air source could make all the difference.

Anyone here have experience with these type of dive operators and have advice on how to address them?

I've had very few poor experiences with rude Ops but when I do, I ask them: "Do you guys like tips?" I don't care what they think, and I am also the only guy on the boat who wears an inflatable flotation collar.

Of course, if you have problems below - you have the rest of your life to resolve them, with or without an alternate air source. Ideally your buddy should be that source, but I found that to be an unreliable expectation.

Yeah, a slung bottle is a bit of a drag suiting up and thru the water, but I wouldn't dive any other way.

 

[Crush]

One thing the prevents me from bringing a pony on my dive trips is that the folks who run the boats/dive outfit make fun of people with an extra air source. We regularly dive to 100 ft.... Well, the dive operators (all that I have dove with...Americans and Englishmen in both Florida Keys and Cayman) claim that if you need an extra air source, you are a poor diver and doing something wrong.

You are going to get the same reaction from many divers here on SB.

Personally I use a slung 19 cu ft pony where conditions warrant.

 

[DandyDon]

Or how about: "How do you spell your name? I want to get it right when I report that your company discourages certain safety devices."

 

[seaducer]

One thing the prevents me from bringing a pony on my dive trips is that the folks who run the boats/dive outfit make fun of people with an extra air source.

Hmmm, I would rather someone make fun of me than make plans to find my body.

A slung bottle is a bit of a pain on land/boat deck but once in the water I almost forget it is there.