To pony or not to pony

[scubatexastony]

Do as I do, take your BLACK 40 labled 50/70 and use it for a pony when you think it might just save your ass in an emergency. You'll not only "look" tech, you'll be respected for making a wise choice. Damn, some day I wanna grow up to be a great diver like Pug and have a fan club......NAWWWW

tony

ps. must be the halcyon nights making me mellow....

 

[Big-t-2538]

Ryukyu-diver once bubbled...
I would have to agree with perpit1 on this one. I utilize a 19 ft3 with only a second stage and a button pressure gauge. The pressure gauge is difficult to read underwater but if you need to use it the pony, the amount of pressure in the tank is almost always useless information at that point in your dive.

I'll agree with you that a 19ft bottle with a button gauge is useless info. Why not just get an AL40? If you already carry deco bottles anyway...why not just use a 40? I don't see a good reason not to.

First...you'll have twice as much gas...plus I'd put a pressure gauge on it that I can read!!!! If I for some reason go OOA...I'm going to want to know right then and there that I have a full bottle slung on me.

Second...If your diving deep enough to be worrying about oxtox...and you're only carryiung a 19 cuft pony with a button gauge....and you're going to rely on that....I think you need to reconsider. How is a 19ft bottle going to get you and your buddy safely to the surface from 100' when you also have to make a 200' trek back to the upline?

 

[Ryukyu-diver]

If you already carry deco bottles anyway...why not just use a 40? I don't see a good reason not to.

Maybe you didn't get what I was saying as I don't carry deco bottles on the type of dives I do with just a pony. And for those, a 40 ft3 just seems like overkill to me. Remember, this is the recreational diving side of the board. I was trying to paint a picture for the one asking the question.

I'd put a pressure gauge on it that I can read!!!! If I for some reason go OOA...I'm going to want to know right then and there that I have a full bottle slung on me.

This is a basic statement in that everyone should check their pony tanks at the surface by turning the valve on, checking the pressure and proper working of the 2nd stage, and turning the valve back off. This lets you know that the gas supply sustem is working you don't have to worry about hitting the second stage during the dive and losing all of you gas. This also another reasont that it needs to be on the front of the BC....so you can turn on the valve if you decide to deploy it. Again, if you have to use it then you start your ascent and end the dive. I know that my pony is always full in that I never used it for anything else other than bailout.

Second...If your diving deep enough to be worrying about oxtox...and you're only carryiung a 19 cuft pony with a button gauge....and you're going to rely on that....I think you need to reconsider. How is a 19ft bottle going to get you and your buddy safely to the surface from 100' when you also have to make a 200' trek back to the upline?

I put that in my post in order to avoid going back to the issue of using a high O2 %. Which by your reply didn't work. According to DAN, "In CNS oxygen toxicity, seizures may develop when oxygen is breathed at greater than one atmosphere absolute pressure." At lot of us understand the "hazards" as well as the "benifits" from breathing O2 but again the person that posted the question was trying to decide on using a pony or not.

I hope that this clears up some things and really there is no hard feeling either way. I prefer to explain vice flame!

 

[Big-t-2538]

Ryukyu-diver once bubbled...


Maybe you didn't get what I was saying as I don't carry deco bottles on the type of dives I do with just a pony. And for thoses a 40 ft3 just seems like overkill to me. Remember, this is the recreational diving side of the board. I was trying to paint a picture for the one asking the question.

The problem I have with a 19cu ft pony is that I feel it provides a false sense of security....it is certainly not a substitue for planning your dive and diving your plan...if you need or want the extra gas for a safety margin...you need to be thinking about doubles IMHO.

 

[Zagnut]

Divemed06 once bubbled...

I think I will borrow one from someone, not fill it, go into a pool and see if it hinders me in any way while I dive.

If you are wanting to see how it will affect your diving(bouyancy, weighting issues, etc.) then I would recommend going ahead and filling the pony bottle before you take it to a pool to check it out.

Although a pony is a smaller bottle and therefore, will have less of an overall effect on your skills than a regular bottle, it will still have different weight and bouyancy properties when it is empty as opposed to when it's full.

If you do end up getting a pony to go diving, will you be taking it down with you while it's empty?.... Probably not.
So, if you want to see what carrying one will to to your diving, practice with a full one because that is how you will end up diving with one if you do end up getting one.

 

[Ryukyu-diver]

Big-t-2538: You do not use a pony for gas management! It is for bailout only and not a replacement for doubles. Stuff happens down there, such as reg. freezes that pervent a diver from getting a breath of air. Maybe you should dive double 120's with a 40 ft3 deco bottle for a 60 foot dive in that would solve all of your gas management problems.

 

[redacted]

I've heard the same same kind of arguement on body armor for soldiers and weapons on scout vehicles.

Big-t-2538 once bubbled...
The problem I have with a 19cu ft pony is that I feel it provides a false sense of security....it is certainly not a substitue for planning your dive and diving your plan...if you need or want the extra gas for a safety margin...you need to be thinking about doubles IMHO.

If the additional capability makes some folks do stupid things, then maybe they should look for additional training or another activity. The pony does not change my gas management plan. It does reduce my dependence on my "pick-up" buddy. But if you have a regular buddy who is more reliable and more capable than a pony, then the pony may be extraneous.

I favor a smaller pony because it travels easier. But if that is not a consideration then other options are open.

 

[Big-t-2538]

Ryukyu-diver once bubbled...
Maybe you should dive double 120's with a 40 ft3 deco bottle for a 60 foot dive in that would solve all of your gas management problems.

I don't have gas management problems...I have a buddy...he and I have the same gas plan...that plan does not involve a pony

I just don't see the need for a pony if you are diving with a dependable buddy....if you want more gas...get a bigger tank or go to doubles....

as for the reg freezing....well...first...most frozen regs (I believe) freeze open...resulting in free flow...so I still have gas....Second...unless you are putting a better reg on your pony than you are on your tank....when the reg on your back freezes...won't the reg on your pony freeze too?

Again...I just don't see the benefit of a pony over a buddy....it is my opinion and I am entitled to it...they are extra crap to take that throws off your trim, and if it isn't part of your gas plan why the heck are you taking it? If you run out of gas....something has happened. You have a buddy to bail you out.

Anyway...you all see my opinion...I don't like ponys...

 

[diver187]

A high pressure steel 120 costs about the same as a ponie system and it holds a lot more air!

 

[divad]

[i How is a 19ft bottle going to get you and your buddy safely to the surface from 100' when you also have to make a 200' trek back to the upline? [/B][/QUO


It works fine without the buddy.