Separate Hose Mounted SPG for Pony Overkill??

[waterpirate]

The similarity of ones regs to each other is bunk to me. What is important is it's function at the planned MOD. When I first set my doubles up and went to the 150fsw barrier, it was pointed out to me that my back up reg was significantly lower in performance than my primary. I had made that choice on purpose, but had failed to examine the thought of " if you are stressed and have to switch to yoUr back up, or donate. Do you realllly want a decrease in breathability? " My answer was no, and I quickly made some changes.

The performance of your pony or back up reg should be equal to the one you got off at depth, or better, never less.
Eric

 

[dumpsterDiver]

No octopus and bungeed pony sounds like a bad idea to me. If your buddy has an OOG which reg do you give him? The pony is on a bungee round your neck so not acessible, the primary is on a standard 24" hose which keeps you uncomfortably close.

I don't use a pony these days, but when I did I had a back mounted pony on the right with a standard black reg bungeed under my chin. I also had a standard recreational reg setup, black reg in my mouth, yellow octopus on the left. As I was often working with student divers the setup looked similar to their own, the pony was for my use in an emergency (PONY is an acronym, it stands for Piss Off Not Yours). If I had to donate air that was what the octopus was for.

As per my previous post the mouthpieces were different to aid identification but double-checking before jumping in is always a good idea.

Well these are things that a diver needs to consider...I more often than not dive solo. Also, we need to think of the dangers and the probability of various scenarios, to devise something you feel comfortable with. I myslef ALSO usually dive with an AIR 2, so i have a third reg that is completely unable to be confused with either of the other two, but that is not that relevant to this discussion.

If a buddy needs to share air, i will give him my primary and i can use the air 2 and/or the pony. He may be close, but that is Ok, i do not do significant penetration dives.. Here is me and my young sone sharing air. Seems to work without to much touble..For this dive, he ran a little low and we had to get back over to the anchor line. Rather than draining his air any lower, it makes sense just to throw him on my primary tank, plus it is good practice.

[video=youtube;vDrF1AOnabc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDrF1AOnabc&feature=share&list=UU1utDku8vJ RJYgBZImLyLJQ[/video]

 

[TSandM]

I have little to add to this, because I don't use a pony. But I do use slung bottles, and if the reg is stowed on the bottle in standard deco reg fashion, you won't use it in error.

I did want to say that my experience with button gauges (which I put on our Argon regs) has been poor. They're not all that easy to read when they're new, and as they age, it becomes more and more difficult to see the needle. I don't think I would ever buy one again. Stick to a small SPG.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I have little to add to this, because I don't use a pony. But I do use slung bottles, and if the reg is stowed on the bottle in standard deco reg fashion, you won't use it in error.

I did want to say that my experience with button gauges (which I put on our Argon regs) has been poor. They're not all that easy to read when they're new, and as they age, it becomes more and more difficult to see the needle. I don't think I would ever buy one again. Stick to a small SPG.

Exactly, being able to manipulate the valve on a stage bottle, to be able to see any leaks, to be able to fully see the regulator is almost 100% eliminates the potential for a mix up, being able to detach and untangle .. all make that configuration safer than a back mounted pony bottle..

 

[scubadada]

I sling a 19 with a short hose and SPG and leave it on. The reg is right in front of me, I would always see a freeflow. I can't mistake what regulater this is. This keeps it very simple for me.

 

[Hatul]

I think if you strap the pony bottle to the main tank, the valve needs to be left open and you should use a small gauge on a hose to be sure there is air there when you need it.

If you sling it, a button gauge is adequate, though the larger one is better.

 

[Some X Dry]

Pony slung, tucked reg, charged not on, 6" hose, 1.5 " SPG, different mouthpiece and colored hose; labeled with MOD and EAN%. Why? I usually have it a much richer EAN mix than my back gas. Why? Because if I ever find myself on it my dive just became an incident. My reasoning is that I want to be on as high a concentration of O2 as I can be safely. Once back on the boat or ashore I will treat myself with 100% O2 until sure of the outcome. I could have been near my NDL or in any case heading straight to the surface. I will add my pony is for me and only with when spearfishing (solo). Disclaimer: Please have proper training before attempting mix gas and or solo diving.

 

[p1p]

I carry a slung 30 or 40 depending on the dive, 6in hose, but the smaller not quite button gauges. I dont loop the spg back on itself, as I found I couldnt read it, so mine is on a 90d adapter, so I just reach and read the slung bottle. I find it works well for me, and my reg is on a 7ft hose for air sharing (bottle turned on at start of dive), since I dive a rebreather.

 

[Landlocked123]

Thanks to all of you for some great feedback. Is there a separate forum where I can inquire as to how to correctly (I know there are different ways to do it) sling a pony? i have seen some vidoes out there but would love to hear how you all sling? Did you buy one of those sleeves they make? Rig yourself with clamps and hardware? Is there a kit that any of the retailers sell that would have all the components? If this is not the correct forum ingnore my question. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

G

 

[ScubaSteve]

While there are places you could ask on here, videos you could watch and pictures you could see......I would recommend you talk to your LDS (assuming they have technical diving experience) and ask for them to explain your options. A good shop will talk to you about the options, sell you the kits as well as help you set it up and talk you through the adjustments that may be required for it to stow properly. It is fairly easy however I think you will benefit from the one on one. You can also read the threads, look at the pictures and watch the videos as additional information. As always, YMMV

Thanks to all of you for some great feedback. Is there a separate forum where I can inquire as to how to correctly (I know there are different ways to do it) sling a pony? i have seen some vidoes out there but would love to hear how you all sling? Did you buy one of those sleeves they make? Rig yourself with clamps and hardware? Is there a kit that any of the retailers sell that would have all the components? If this is not the correct forum ingnore my question. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

G