Pony or no Pony ?

[LI Diver]

:06: Hey guys I want a consensus. I know I'm going to get varying replys here but here goes. I'll be traveling to Bonaire on my next dive trip and doing mostly shore diving and most of that probably at Bari Reef. I do want to do a couple of boat dives as well. My intention is to try to stay shallower than 60' since my 13 yr old son and I are just ow certified and have only 17 dives under our belts. My question is this I've talked to a few divers that have dove all over the world,deep wrecks,de compression diving etc. They have told me that they wouldn't dive even 20' without their pony bottle. (13-19cu ft). So far most of my dives on regular dive boats have been shallow reefs(under 30') and I've never saw a person w/ a pony bottle. In Curacao we dove up to 70' deep and saw no one w/ a pony bottle although our boat dives were only 6 packs and our shore dives were private or with the same 2 people each time. DM's did not have pony's either. Should I buy them for myself and my son or am I being too cautious? My son stays close at all times but of course we can't be looking at each other at all times.I try to keep him in front and to one side of me and as close as possible without kicking each other. My fear is that one of us has a reg malfunction or for some reason gets no gas and can't get buddys attention quick enough. We have tank bangers but I notice they aren't always heard on the first knock. So do I pony up or not??? I normaly like to be a minimalist and keep it simple if possible.Also if anyone thinks we need them how should they be carried,on a sling, on tank band,etc.?:06:

 

[stu_in_fl]

assuming you have your own reg, just make sure it is serviced regularly (annually) and kept clean - and if you rent regs instead of owning them, use the money you would have spent on the pony to buy a reg.

- if a primary reg fails, you should be able to switch to your octopus - if they both fail then use your buddy (this would be an extremely rare occurance)

- you should never even come close to an Out of Air situation - make sure you check your SPG often - the deeper you go , the quicker the air will be used up, so check even more regularly - if you always plan on being on the boat with both of you having at least 500-750 PSI (so you limit the dive based on the air consuumption of the person using it quicker) then you should not have an issue

.....a pony bottle is a lot of extra kit to carry around (and catastrophic failure of first/second stage and octo is extrememly rare)....so at this point in the game, I wouldn't recommend you get one.....spend the $ on doing more dives

 

[TheRedHead]

I can't imagine needing a pony on Bari reef, although you can make deeper, longer dives to the sand at 120 feet. Saw some ponies diving the Hilma Hooker. Navigation is very simple and a single AL80 should last an hour. It's very easy diving and I think you are being overcautious.

 

[dkktsunami]

Would recommend you wait until you have a little more experience or at least time to practice with pony. For size, it's best to know what type diving you will usually be doing and how deep. Also need to know your surface consumption rate to be certain of adequate air supply. From reading scubaboard posters it seems that deco divers, tandem tank divers, cave divers etc prefer slung pony for good reasons. Many single tank, warmer water divers attach pony to main tank. Quick Draw bracket is a popular method, which I use. Being a minimalist type you may want to keep the pony as small as possible BUT large enough to do the job. If pony is too large it's easy to find an excuse not to use it, or to carry it with you on trips. The trick is finding the correct size for your type of diving and your SAC. Then to practice use.

 

[LI Diver]

Thanks guys, I was just thinking that if something (rare albeit) happened to first stage then both 2nds might be without gas. Or rare again but this actually happened during a pool dive my son got a tank w/ a bad o-ring and it only let go after he was in the water maybe from a little jostle on entry? I don't know. But it was at the surface thankfully and in the few seconds it took me to get to him the tank pressure had dropped about 500psi. It made quite a racket. If that happened at depth it would have been a bit trying of course we would start buddy breathing and a controlled emergency ascent would follow. Don't get me wrong I actually agree with you guys I was just checking. Our regulators are brand new and will have their first service done by that time. One of the guy's who told me to get a pony has been in documentary's on Truk Lagoon and has been on TV.However he also owns the lds. It was after I inquired about spare air which I now hear is a joke so maybe I took it out of context. The other guy is a north east wreck diver who found himself in 90' of water with a closed tank valve (he claims DM shut it off) draw your own conclusion on that one? Could he have got that far? I don't know what can you get a couple feeble breaths outa the lines? He tends to exagerate though. I have been working w/machinery all my life and occasionaly a hydraulic hose blows, usually at the most inoppurtune times. So I look at an air hose and I see the resembelence. Same pressures and peoples lives can be in danger with either one.Again I REALLY don't want to lug a pony around trust me.
Ed
PS> Oh and we are constantly cking our guages.

 

[redacted]

If you and your son practice good buddy skills, a pony is unnecessary - unless one of your NE dive ops requires independenty redundant gas. I like a pony for solo diving but only carry it for dives deeper than 30 ft. If you and your son keep track of each other, move slowly, and stay within a couple kicks; the pony is just excess baggage.

 

[matt_unique]

This is an endless debate with a million threads on the subject.

There is no consensus on anything related to scuba that I can think of

Here's my .02...if you like the idea of a back-up breathing system, and your arrangement does not allow for doubles, and if you have not become part of the Borg Collective (aka DIR), definitely use a pony.

--Matt

 

[TRIG]

Underwater, we need air, having a backup is a no brainer, be it a buddy or better yet a pony. I sling a 19 cuft on the left and take 3 lbs off that side for balance and don't even notice it's there. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

__

 

[markfm]

I made it standard kit, a 19CF, because rarely am I at 30' or less. If you've grown your own buddy, work on each others' skills -- practice air sharing, mask clears, all the other things learned in OW, that often people seem to then let slide.

(I personally always carry a pony, standardization. Then again, I don't have a permanent buddy, especially when on vacation. I don't care if others choose to joke at my carrying it -- it's my bailout gas, my decision.)

 

[LI Diver]

Ok here I thought I decided aaggggggggh! I know it's our decision. We plan on practicing our skills more in Bonaire,we will pick out a shallow sandy area and do so(are there any?) It is tough to practice on a guided boat dive but we may get some pool time in before then.
Ed