Question about pony bottles

[dumpsterDiver]

Doubles is also not practical for most recreational 14 yr old divers who are just learning..

 

[T.C.]

As for the left side reg, just give me a picture of it.. That is all I ask..

Fine, here:

As you can see; the pony is mounted on the left. In this case, with the valve facing down, the hose goes under the diver's arm on the left side. If the pony faced up, then the hose would go over the diver's shoulder on the left side. This is exactly the same as on the other picture I showed you.

In either case, the reg for the pony comes from the left side. The regulators for the main tank come on the right side, just like every other rig out there. If a diver picks a reg and the hose comes on the right side, they have the main tank. If it comes on the left side, they have the pony, and need to switch regulators to one that comes from the right side.

I don't know how I can possibly make this more easy to understand.
Hose on left side=pony bottle.
Hose on right side=main tank.

When you are starting your dive:
Hose on right side=main tank=Good!
Hose on left side=pony bottle=Bad!

Ill advised, dangerous, not taught.... As for not taught, what agency recommends swimming around in the deep trying to consume our air supply as rapidly as possible to prepare for an emergency? I've not heard of that before.

Are you just out looking for a fight?

I didn't say "Swim around and try to consume your air supply as fast as possible." That is a deliberate distortion of what I wrote. What I said was I train with the pony by ascending with it and breathing on it as hard as possible. There are some differences. First, I am not "consuming my air supply". I have plenty of gas in my main tank. Second, I am not "swimming around in the deep", I am ascending at a controlled, limited speed, not exceeding 30 ft/sec.

Many recognized agencies teach how to use a pony. I am not violating what they recommend or teach; all I am doing is breathing on it harder than normal. This is preparing for an emergency, so I know how the gear will handle; specifically, how long the pony will last. How long will your 6 cu ft tank last?

What you're advocating in trying to breath off an inflator is something that is not taught by any agency that I know of, not recommended by any gear manufacturer, and is not endorsed by any divers I know of. The procedure would be dangerous, difficult to execute (especially under stress), and not something to be advised.

Your idea is not a wise idea.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Well thanks for the picture. I'm still not sure of your hose routing. The image is hard for me to see, but it looks to me like a typical second stage will end up being upside down when routed over the shoulder or under the arm.

A 6 cu-ft tank is smaller than many people would recommend, but I have used that amount of gas to make an ascent from over 100 ft. You can't screw around, you can't breath like a madman and you want to float up rather than kick hard.

I did not recommend the 6, but simply stated that my son uses it to around 90 ft or so. He started using it when he was 9 yrs old, so weight and drag and size are an issue when the diver weighs 80 lbs or something. A 13 is enough for me to make a direct ascent from over recreational depths, if people want to carry larger bottles, i have no problem with it. However, when people buy 30 or 40 cu-ft bottles and the dive is 60 or 80 feet, they all too often, leave it on the boat because it is bulky. I feel that they are better with a small bottle with them on the bottom, rather than a big one on the boat.

 

[doctormike]

A 6 cu-ft tank is smaller than many people would recommend, but I have used that amount of gas to make an ascent from over 100 ft. You can't screw around, you can't breath like a madman and you want to float up rather than kick hard.

I think that's the problem right here. The tool is being carried for precisely a situation when screwing around is very likely to happen!

Seriously, even though I think that at least a 30 is good in general, I understand that SAC (even SAC under stress) is to some degree proportional to body size, and for your 9 year old son a 6 might very well last him longer than a 30 would me...

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I think that's the problem right here. The tool is being carried for precisely a situation when screwing around is very likely to happen!

Seriously, even though I think that at least a 30 is good in general, I understand that SAC (even SAC under stress) is to some degree proportional to body size, and for your 9 year old son a 6 might very well last him longer than a 30 would me...

I don't think there is any clearly wrong size pony bottle, you just have to match the conditions and your assumptions to the size.

About the kid..LOL... Actually he is 15 now and bigger, but he can go down to 80 ft (and back up) with zero air..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqOrsHnh96Q

 

[doctormike]

About the kid..LOL... Actually he is 15 now and bigger, but he can go down to 80 ft (and back up) with zero air..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqOrsHnh96Q

Nice! He inherited dad's gills...

 

[T.C.]

I'm still not sure of your hose routing. The image is hard for me to see, but it looks to me like a typical second stage will end up being upside down when routed over the shoulder or under the arm.

It could. Except many 2nd stages can be converted to route the hose into the left side of the reg. Or you can just put it in normally, and stretch the hose a bit. Either way, the hose come from the left side and should tip off a situationally aware diver the grabbed the wrong reg.

A 6 cu-ft tank is smaller than many people would recommend, but I have used that amount of gas to make an ascent from over 100 ft. You can't screw around, you can't breath like a madman and you want to float up rather than kick hard.

Too bad that in an OOA situation, all three of these are likely to happen. You can't state for sure what you'll do in a stressful event. The more air on hand, the better. Even a 30-40. Is not very bulky, and provides significantly more gas than a 6 cu ft, which is Lilly to last less than a minute at 100 ft under stess.

 

[waterpirate]

My diving philosophy does not change based on: water temp, visibility, or water temps. As far as being expensive..... That concept is subjective. I also would put new divers at a tender age in a BPW with a set of doubled 30's.
YMMV
The phalacy of warm water and great visibility has fooled many a diver in buying into the notion of a CESA from a depth that is not prudent.
Eric

 

[dumpsterDiver]

It could. Except many 2nd stages can be converted to route the hose into the left side of the reg. Or you can just put it in normally, and stretch the hose a bit. Either way, the hose come from the left side and should tip off a situationally aware diver the grabbed the wrong reg.


Too bad that in an OOA situation, all three of these are likely to happen. You can't state for sure what you'll do in a stressful event. The more air on hand, the better. Even a 30-40. Is not very bulky, and provides significantly more gas than a 6 cu ft, which is Lilly to last less than a minute at 100 ft under stess.

Maybe the upside down regulator would be a good clue that the regulator is attached to the pony? I'm getting the feeling you haven't actually used the configuration you are discussing?

 

[T.C.]

Maybe the upside down regulator would be a good clue that the regulator is attached to the pony? I'm getting the feeling you haven't actually used the configuration you are discussing?

And you're just being argumentative for the sake of arguing. What possible difference does it make if I have used this particular configuration or not? I understand it, and based on your repeated demand for a picture or a simplified explanation, you do not.

For the record, I have had my pony mounted to the left side of my tank. I didn't like it, so I moved it to the sling mount I have now. My regulator has the hose routed in on the left side. this is how I know it would that a very large lapse of attention to make the mistakes you describe making in previous posts.