Why Don't you Have a Pony yet?...or ever

[Charlie99]

can't imagine not having some form of bail-out now.

Why not? Whether or not you consciously think about it, you regularly put your life on the line, depending upon not having a single point failure.

A simple, commonplace example is making a left hand turn in front of oncoming traffic. How many times have you done it in a situation where if your car stalled out just as you started to move, that you would be hit by the oncoming traffic?

In the case of my diving, I'm screwed if I have the two simultaneous problems of entrapment and reg failure/loss of gas. (Of course, in real life, these two independent events are much less likely to occur together than some form of entanglement that also results in my reg being ripped from my mouth. A pony might or might not help in that case). It's my judgement that these are unlikely enough to occur simultaneously, that I'll ignore it.

A pony doesn't help, and may actually be a hinderance, in what I consider more likely scenarios ---- heart attack or other medical problem, marine life injuries, and getting caught in a heavy current.

 

[dherbman]

H-valve...? so your reserve is in your main tank? I thought that was a k valve. straighten me out..I like the sound of that. Any downsides?

yes, Dennis is looking at the back mount style I think. I know i want something centered.

An h-valve will provide 1st stage redundancy, but not gas redundancy.

 

[Fun Diver]

Why not? Whether or not you consciously think about it, you regularly put your life on the life, depending upon not having a single point failure.

I like to think I'm managing risks associated with diving, as I would to maintain my car so it shouldn't stall in heavy traffic.. obviously can't forsee everything though. I've observed a diver lose their primary gas to a catastrophic free-flow, and without a pony it was a bit of a panic. Diving solo, there is no buddy to depend on for gas sharing and I don't want to "plan" an emergency ascent if I'm losing my main gas. And my personal decision would not be entering areas where there is risk of entanglement, not that I think a pony makes that risk any worse (plus a side-slung is easily cleared of entanglement)

H-valve...? so your reserve is in your main tank? I thought that was a k valve. straighten me out..I like the sound of that. Any downsides?

I wouldn't say the main tank is the reserve, but you have redundancy now to the gas in the main tank. K-valve is single valve, H-valve is dual valve (single post!). No downsides that I know of.

 

[Nemrod]

I have a 19 cf pony which I may use when I solo dive. I side sling it DIR rigged per their instructions on how to do so. This is new, I used to attach it to the tank.

Most times, I dive like in the picture, no pony, no BC, no octapus, just me, a steel 72 and a Royal Aqua Master.

If I intend to go deeper than my current limit for an easy ascent which is around 60ish feet I may swap over to doubles. I have a set of twin 50s with the ability to support my double hose regulator on the center post and a backup and equally old and equally functional MR12 on the Left post. This provides a much higher level of redundancy than just attaching an octapus to my Royal Aqua Master.

If, I need more than that I use double tanks, no manifold, this is rare and more likely only if I was in cold or deep or some other situation I did not feel good about.

When forced to dive without my beloved double hose by ignorant dive captains and PadI DMs who cannot swim, I will use a Tekna with octapus or one of my Voit MR12s or twin MR12s. In such case, if diving asingle tank and solo, I will carry the pony--maybe--in place of an octapus. If on dual tanks or Y manifold with dual regs, probably not.

This is why I can never be DIR, I dive to many different styles and rigs even leaving the solo stuff out. N

 

[SeaYoda]

I have a 19 cf pony that I used to strap to the back of my tank (see first pic below). I had my shadow plus attached to it with no other second stage. No problems with trim where I put it and not a drag problem unless I got sideways in some good current. It did make the walk across the sand noticeably more difficult than the single Al80 (!!!TILT!!! ). It also made me nervous going in and out of cavern openings, but I never had a problem. I decided to put it up front (see pic number two below) to balance the walk better and lower my profile in the water. I have it clipped with quick release buckles on the D rings on the bottom of each side of my BC. It has its own second stage now. I hardly know the thing is there. The walk is better and I'm very comfortable in the water.

I have never been solo on a boat dive and usually use my buddy as my alternate air source so I'm no help in the image department. The beach and spring dives I do don't have any scuba-police or scuba-lawyers to worry about (yet).

 

[drbill]

Wouldn't dive solo without my pony.

Fortunately I dive solo only in the park and on the King Neptune, but not when I travel elsewhere since I don't carry the pony or much of my other gear with me (I backpack).


An H-valve would not have solved my biggest problem to-date, a clogged debris tube in my main tank valve that allowed no air to escape to the first stage at all.

 

[Diver0001]

1. Drag in the water. With the camera and strobe, sometmes I struggle in currents, getting back on the boat in rough seas, can I handle more weight to pack around?

Have you tried it? They weigh less under water than they do at the LDS.... Even a fairly big stage doesn't feel like a tonne of bricks if you take the time to get it all trimmed out..... The main point is to buy the right gear and hang it correctly on your kit. A properly hung pony is virtually "invisible".

2. Traveling. Will this be a major pain? Will be cognizant of when I have the pony and when I don't? Now, I limit my depth to what I can safely CESA from.

Maybe soloing when you don't have your kit together (travelling on vacation) isn't that wise.... Let your (insta)buddy carry your pony on his back....

3. Points of failure.... It will be isolated, right? so, ..no.

LOL

4. Cost

What's your life worth? What would your boyfriend say to that?

(+)

1. fewer lectures, (more freedom?)

Do you get lectured?

2. May actually need it someday. I could get caught on a wreck, and lose air catastrophically trying to get free, for example. It has entered my mind.

Well heaven forbid..... I think we just found the part where all your min-points went up in smoke....

3. Would be a better role model.

This hasn't seemed to bother you before....

Do I have all the variables in play?

If you wear a helmet when motorcycling then you will carry a pony while diving.

how bout you?

I wear a helmet.

How do you decide?

Look at my kids. Kiss them before I go diving and take the pony.

R..

 

[down4fun]

The following was my biggest influence. I had just solo'd a wreck at 120fsw without incident. The second dive was a drift dive on a 60' reef. I had a buddy on the second dive. We were swimming together, but not right next to each other, when aprox. 5 minutes into the dive I had an o-ring failure. In the few seconds (although it seemed like much longer) that it took for us to swim to each other, him to donate his reg and shut down my tank, it had dropped to 500lbs. Back on the boat we discussed having both solo'd the wreck and what would have happened if the blown o-ring had happened to either of us at that depth or worse maybe in the wreck.

I now carry a 19cf pony on any solo dives that are deeper then 30fsw or an overhead environment. I carry it slung on my left side and in a matter of a few dives I hardly notice it anymore.

 

[drbill]

Blown o-rings are one reason I dive strictly DIN on my main tank.

 

[Cacia]

cute Rob. thanks for the pics YODA.

I think I am going to let Dennis get it all figured out and get what he gets.

I want the smallest practical size, is that 19 ? I am wearing 4 pounds now with my backplate, so..seems like I will be in the hole, no? Dennis what does the pony weigh?

Bill, can't you still blow on o-ring with DIN?