Spare Air or Pony?

[MrMrEZG]

a 6cf pony bottle. I have tested the two side by side (6cf pony & 3cf SA) I was breathing my pony and another diver was breathing his SA. I am 5'10" 230lbs (french?) he was 5'10" 180lbs. We were both at 15ft doing a saftey stop after a rather intense dive (spearfishing). His SA was empty after 1.5 mins. while my pony lasted 3min.& 20sec. now that it more than twice the breathing time. Also consicer that I am 50lbs heavier.

Another factor that should help you decide is the internals of a SA (scary)just have some one open one up and compare it to whatever reg you wish to have on pony. When you are using this system you've already got enuogh to worry about, you need a system that you can trust. and thats the bottom line.

 

[100days-a-year]

I premise this reply with the disclaimer that I did not come up with these ideas on my own. 1.Never let redundant equip be an excuse to practice poor gas management.Take a Tech class 2.Do not use multiple gasses without proper training.Take a Tech class. 3.Diving solo or with an undertrained buddy is one of the leading causes of A.O.A. emergencies and fatalities.Either dive within your limits or accept the fact that "the rules" are applied in some cases quite arbitrarily. 4.Good luck is the end result of good planning!

 

[uwsince79]

My 2 pennies,
First off I am not an instructor or dive master so my opinions are that of a diver who has quite a bit of time under the water. (more that most who i meet in the industry) I also come from a family of divers who because we have been in the water since the 50's that have learned to adapt, create and repair our own equipment. Now that I got that disclaimer out of the way I think it is important to have alternate gas resource on all dives. I personally do not use a spare air but it is a viable SHORT solution. At depth in an emergency it can become useless. I was evolved with a panicked diver in an out of air situation and from 70 feet on the way to the surface he sucked my 30cu tank dry we were still 20 feet under! I do think he would have lasted one breath on a spare air. In a crises situation you cannot always count on things going as planed. So I always dive with a pony bottle, every dive. (As for the travel problem you can break down your bottle and transport it as long as the valve is out of the tank, I have brought mine on many a trip, so you can travel with it.) There are many here that say you need training to do this but you can buy a book get the basics and perform this simple operation breakdown and assembly yourself. Do not do this with out some knowledge remember it is a life support system you are working with no matter what they tell you. I do not feel you should need training (or waste money) to use a pony bottle. Unless you are going to start to do accelerated decompression. Then without question you need to be properly trained. All you industry guys can now have your crack at me........

 

[turnerjd]

Originally posted by uwsince79
I do not feel you should need training (or waste money) to use a pony bottle. Unless you are going to start to do accelerated decompression. Then without question you need to be properly trained. All you industry guys can now have your crack at me........

No, you are bang on right.

Jon T

 

[Darian Dunn]

bvI figure, I am opening up a can of worms, but this is a new subject to me.

A redundant air supply system seems like a good idea to me.

Who has a redundant air system?
What type?
Why?
Would you recommend something different?

Thanks

 

[Drew Sailbum]

I vote for a pony over spare air.

Reasons include:
MORE air capacity in pony,
anecodotal stories indicating pony set-up may be more reliable,
can opt to fill with different mix and use for deco stops,
usually comparable costs for the careful shopper,
standard reg on pony is easier for others to understand and use.

My $0.02

 

[TRUETEXAN]

I think that the Spare Air works great for the Coast Guard and the military when it is used to get out of a sinking helicopter down to about 20-30ft or so, however I don't think very highly of them for diving. It might cost a little more money to get a pony set up properly, but a pony buys you much more time to get out of OOA situations. I do not dive with either one of them, instead I choose to dive with and stay with a skilled buddy who I rely on for my OOA situation, this allows you to do away with one more piece or pieces of equipment that you have to maintain and remember where it is and how to use it in a stressful situation. I am not bad-mouthing Spare Airs or Ponys, this is just my opinion.

 

[solodiver]

If your always going to be diving at or above sixty feet a spare air well do you fine as you well be able to ascend directly to the surface. If how ever you are going deeper and require a safety stop, then a pony is the way to go. I used to use a 30 cu pony before I went twinned. Gave me enough air to return from a deep dive plus do a safety stop.
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My .02 cents..

 

[WetDane]

Ok - I guess I'm way out there - but the way I see it - Your buddy is your redundant air source - why bring bottles of this stuff when you got a whole tank next to you?

Now if you think he is not going to have enough gas for the two of you - you are obviously not doing your planning right.

And - uhm - up from 60 fsw on a "spare death" - great - darwinism is still going to work just fine.

Darian,
if you do a search on this subject you will find plenty of answers and a discussion on why the spare air has no place in scuba diving - IMHO - neither do pony bottles.

Cheers,
Big T

 

[solodiver]

It's always wise to place your life in some other idiots hands. That what your doing of your not diving redundant. Whether buddy seperation, or just a large expanse because of excellent vis. Chances are if you have to sprint more then 15 ft to get to your buddies air supply.. you're not going to make it.. Thats why I depend on myself.
:yellow: