The pony taboo

[DocWong]

Nice video. Maybe you should start a thread on the merits of a continuous guideline when doing wreck penetration. I did not notice one in the video.

John

Actually, look again. Near the beginning of the video, you'll see a semi-permanent continuous 1" line in some of the shots.

 

[DocWong]

To me doubles are a bit overkill for many of the shallow (60-80 ft.) shore dives on the coast of BC. While good dive planning is paramount the ability to put myself in a position where I carry enough air to get myself back to the surface safely regardless of the reason for an out of air emergency. The rule of thirds as developed by Scheck Exley works perfectly for air management but is based on having a buddy to share air with. That's where the thirds come in. It does not cover any out of air situation when your buddy is not right beside you. It also relies on a buddy who you trust your life with. My life trusting buddy is called "Pony". I've dove with my pony for almost five years now and I've never needed it. It's still there. Doesn't add much to my set-up and reduces the amount of lead I dive with.

Once I went to doubles in the Monterey area, I've just never had the desire to go back to single tanks. It's one heck of a "pony" tank. I like the way they trim out and feel in the water.

Of course when I'm out of state/country in tropical waters and don't plan on doing any technical diving, I'm in my single rig, but even then I'll dive with a full 80 cu ft stage bottle that I breathe off of. It just doesn't feel natural to only have one source of gas.

Gone are the days of diving with a simple plastic backplate by ScubaPro, single tank with a "J" valve, no air pressure guage, a tube type depth guage and no BC of any kind.

 

[DocWong]

Oops, a double post. I don't see any way to delete this post, so here it is.

 

[Ken abucs]

A pony is really only going to resolve one failure - unexpected loss of primary gas. If something goes wrong and I can't get air from my primary tank, I can switch to the pony and surface. A remote but possible risk. If you are trying to solve any other problem - IMHO you need better gas managment skills, a better buddy or doubles.

I disagree with this point. There are other types of issues that can happen under water that require time to work out. Under water time comes in the form of air. Whenever an unexpected situation arises under water the first thing I do is check my air so I know how much time I have to deal with the situation at hand. Having an extra 10 - 20 minutes of time in my pony bottle takes some of the urgency out of any type of failure or other incident.

Ken

 

[dave4868]

I disagree with this point. There are other types of issues that can happen under water that require time to work out. Under water time comes in the form of air. Whenever an unexpected situation arises under water the first thing I do is check my air so I know how much time I have to deal with the situation at hand. Having an extra 10 - 20 minutes of time in my pony bottle takes some of the urgency out of any type of failure or other incident.

Ken

Great point, Ken! Reducing time pressure improves one's ability to solve problems underwater and reduces the chance of misjudgment and/or panic.

Personally, since I mostly dive within non-deco limits, I don't get rigidly locked into a dive plan. I like having the flexibility extra gas provides.

Dave C

 

[captain]

I disagree with this point. There are other types of issues that can happen under water that require time to work out. Under water time comes in the form of air. Whenever an unexpected situation arises under water the first thing I do is check my air so I know how much time I have to deal with the situation at hand. Having an extra 10 - 20 minutes of time in my pony bottle takes some of the urgency out of any type of failure or other incident.

Ken

But then how much extra gas is enough, in my view an unliminted amount because who is to say that X amount is enough for every possible situation. An amount that saves your life today may not be enough tomorrow in a different situation. Ruling out total equipment failure which is rare, better skills and planning to me is more important than a bit of extra air.

 

[Flightlead]

No body prepares to be in such a situation. That's why it's a risk assesment.

technical divers do

as far as being in the way, properly slung and clipped the tank will find its own place and you won't even notice it, especially if its nose clipped on your waist d ring.

cost? al80, reasonably priced 1st and 2nd stage, short hp hose and spg s/b around $300. knock off $50-70 if you get a used 80. make up your own stage sling for under $30. you can take the stage sling with you easily on vacation and sling an 80.

 

[ArcticDiver]

technical divers do

as far as being in the way, properly slung and clipped the tank will find its own place and you won't even notice it, especially if its nose clipped on your waist d ring.

cost? al80, reasonably priced 1st and 2nd stage, short hp hose and spg s/b around $300. knock off $50-70 if you get a used 80. make up your own stage sling for under $30. you can take the stage sling with you easily on vacation and sling an 80.

Actually, when one thinks about it in context of today's traveling diver using a harness and slinging all tanks makes sense. Only have a light harness and stage sling(s) along with regulator(s). Helps stay within airline weight and no charge bag limits. At the same time gives the diver a very flexible cylinder configuration; all the way from slinging one cylinder to using two side slung.

 

[Ken abucs]

But then how much extra gas is enough, in my view an unliminted amount because who is to say that X amount is enough for every possible situation. An amount that saves your life today may not be enough tomorrow in a different situation. Ruling out total equipment failure which is rare, better skills and planning to me is more important than a bit of extra air.

As has been stated numerous times on this board, accidents seldom happen because one thing went wrong. Accidents are usually caused by a sequence of misteps, equipments failures and/or bad decisions. Having a 30CF pony lets me get safely to the surface in nearly any recreational diving situation. So in addition to giving extra time to sort out any issues, it eliminates any part of my primary breathing apparatus as a single point of failure

 

[Darnold9999]

As has been stated numerous times on this board, accidents seldom happen because one thing went wrong. Accidents are usually caused by a sequence of misteps, equipments failures and/or bad decisions. Having a 30CF pony lets me get safely to the surface in nearly any recreational diving situation. So in addition to giving extra time to sort out any issues, it eliminates any part of my primary breathing apparatus as a single point of failure

The reality is that a AL 80 will get you "safely to the surface in nearly any recreational diving situation". The pony for me is there to deal with equipment failure and nothing else. A very remote possibility, but as a solo diver I want that added bit of redundancy to allow an easy return to the surface. Totally agree with the elimination of the primary as a single point of failure. A "good" buddy provides the same service.

However the issue is the "extra time" the pony gives you. I think that is a dangerous mind set. "It's OK to make this bad decision because I have a pony." is not a good place to be. Better skills and planning are far more important than a little bit of extra air. Not that a bit of air isn't useful, just that it is not a replacement for better skills and planning.