when do you use a pony bottle?

[MrBill_FTL]

pony vs spare air?

what do you all think of spare air's?

I've always wanted a pony or spare air tank.... would be great to dive anchors, chg props, etc, Or, the just in case deep dive...

 

[BigBill]

Will be taking AOW in Aug. and I'm a little paranoid. I thought the set-up I described above might not be standard, but was interested in learning more.

You should have plenty of air in a standard AL-80 or 72 cu. ft steel tank. I did my AOW class in May and was going through my log today, prepping for my upcoming trip to the Bahamas. I don't have the exact numbers, but I recall that my tank (steel) had a beginning PSI of approximately 2800 PSI and I ended my deep dive with approximately 900 PSI. My log book and computer are both at home, so these maybe a little off, but they are close.

Either way, we dropped to 78' (fair to poor vis) and water temp was 49 F at Beaver Lake, AR. Air consumption was high and bottom time was lower, but I definitely had enough air. Now if I (or you) move into tek diving or cave diving, then definitely, a pony bottle is necessary - IMHO.

Bill

 

[divad]

I dove with a DM that had a 30cf clipped horizontal across his chest. Single reg and a short hose on this setup.

Was his name Don?

 

[spog]

pony vs spare air?

what do you all think of spare air's?

I've always wanted a pony or spare air tank.... would be great to dive anchors, chg props, etc, Or, the just in case deep dive...

If you have a spare hour free, do a search for SpareAirs on this board. It's an interesting read because the members here seem univerally against them - and there's not much (equipment-wise) that unites everyone so unanimously.

But to save you some time:

They're no good for diving because they don't have enough air. Assuming that they work - which they often don't.

 

[Thalassamania]

But the're great in a helo when it goes down in the water<G>.

 

[TheRedHead]

not taking as a flame, but i cant update my dive profile and i was just curious. im not buying one today, but it will be my next big purchase and i would like to gather as much info as possible. i barely ever dive w/ a dm or instructor, and if i did, i still would rather rely on myself then to put all of my faith into somebody that i barely ever dive with.

I mentioned the DM because you mentioned you saw a DM with a pony and I pointed out that DMs often carry extra air for others. Your main source of alternative breathing gas should be your buddy and vice versa. Good luck with your class.

 

[sandjeep]

TheRedHead,
I think your mixing the posts up a little. I should not have posted my question in this thread as it was pointed more toward slinging v. other types of set-ups and if anybody had seen the set-up I described. Sorry.

 

[TheRedHead]

Sandjeep, I personally like slinging a bottle. You can lose all of your gas and not even know it if your pony is behind you. The pony or deco bottle is usually clipped off on the left side and it fits under the arm. You may need to compensate for it by wearing 2-3 pounds more weight on the other side. Most people don't sling horizontally as it gets in the way and uses up a lot of real estate.

The only time I've slung horizontally was with an AL63 which is quite large. Normally, a 30-40 cu ft. bottle is carried on one side as described above.

 

[J75]

A 40cf side-slung stage bottle for anything deeper than one breath can take me.

 

[JAMIE MCG]

I carry a pony for the same reason I carry a pistol on land.
If the situation arises and you dont have it you'll fell like an idiot, and I don't trust my life to just anybody. I don't expect others to bail me out, I am independent.