NJScubaDoc
Contributor
I started diving in New Jersey in 2005. Since then I've expanded my diving career to include various global destinations such as the ripping currents of Cocos Island, picturesque reefs in Bonaire, turn of the century shipwrecks in the St. Lawrence, and the victims of WWII in North Carolina.
During my early days of NJ diving I was introduced to the concept of a "pony bottle." Basically this was an independent air source (30cuft at the time) that I would have available in the event that the proverbial poo really hit the fan. Most of the time in Jersey it's a limited visibility situation where a free ascent on a reel is necessary should you lose the anchor line. This alternative air source, I was instructed at the time, was my "buddy" should I be separated from my actual buddy and enter an OOA situation.
I should probably mention at this point that I'm a product of PADI's OW instruction, circa 2005. Whatever standards they were teaching at the time, I learned them. The reason I mention this, is that the concept of a Pony Bottle was really only a requirement of my selected diving demographic. I'm not sure there is a dive boat in NJ that will let you sail without the pony bottle. Most divers I've seen like to have an extra large reserve of gas.
This extra large reserve of gas brings me to the point of this post. In 216 or so logged dives I can count the number of times I've needed to use my pony bottle as a means to making a safe ascent. That number is zero. I'm not attempting at promoting my status as some sort of be all, know all, master diver. What I am praising however, is the level of "security" the pony bottle provided for me while I was a newbie diver with an empty bag of experience relying on a full back of luck. The pony bottle was my proverbial "safety blanket" and offered me a level of almost sub conscious comfort that allowed me to develop other essential scuba skills such as buoyancy without having the looming dread of some OOA situation that I feel is common amongst any new diver.
By diving with the Pony Bottle as an independent air source I've never had to question or second guess my potential self rescue scenario. I've built a confidence depending on myself rather than a buddy that may or may not be available to assist me.
I'm not suggesting that the Pony Bottle be a necessity on every dive. As I mentioned I've visited various destination worldwide, and to be honest I feel the pony would be more of a hindrance than a helper. In Cocos the current was ripping so bad I though half my back was going to get torn off, the pony bottle acting as an underwater sail.
Ripping current aside, diving with a pony bottle, and developing my other skills have allowed me to become very sufficient at keeping myself alive underwater. If nothing more than it deflating the effect of a panic stricken novice, it has made me a better diver.
I recently took some technical diving courses, and there was a lot of emphasis on "self sufficiency" that I had otherwise not encountered in my recreational scuba courses. While the buddy system is applicable in most situations, I still feel a developing self sufficiency amongst divers is paramount to an overall feeling of comfort in the water, and it should be reinforced more so than it is now.
I offer these as random thoughts on a boring evening after really getting amped about diving again. Please feel free to comment and discuss, while offering your own outlooks on the topics I've introduced!
During my early days of NJ diving I was introduced to the concept of a "pony bottle." Basically this was an independent air source (30cuft at the time) that I would have available in the event that the proverbial poo really hit the fan. Most of the time in Jersey it's a limited visibility situation where a free ascent on a reel is necessary should you lose the anchor line. This alternative air source, I was instructed at the time, was my "buddy" should I be separated from my actual buddy and enter an OOA situation.
I should probably mention at this point that I'm a product of PADI's OW instruction, circa 2005. Whatever standards they were teaching at the time, I learned them. The reason I mention this, is that the concept of a Pony Bottle was really only a requirement of my selected diving demographic. I'm not sure there is a dive boat in NJ that will let you sail without the pony bottle. Most divers I've seen like to have an extra large reserve of gas.
This extra large reserve of gas brings me to the point of this post. In 216 or so logged dives I can count the number of times I've needed to use my pony bottle as a means to making a safe ascent. That number is zero. I'm not attempting at promoting my status as some sort of be all, know all, master diver. What I am praising however, is the level of "security" the pony bottle provided for me while I was a newbie diver with an empty bag of experience relying on a full back of luck. The pony bottle was my proverbial "safety blanket" and offered me a level of almost sub conscious comfort that allowed me to develop other essential scuba skills such as buoyancy without having the looming dread of some OOA situation that I feel is common amongst any new diver.
By diving with the Pony Bottle as an independent air source I've never had to question or second guess my potential self rescue scenario. I've built a confidence depending on myself rather than a buddy that may or may not be available to assist me.
I'm not suggesting that the Pony Bottle be a necessity on every dive. As I mentioned I've visited various destination worldwide, and to be honest I feel the pony would be more of a hindrance than a helper. In Cocos the current was ripping so bad I though half my back was going to get torn off, the pony bottle acting as an underwater sail.
Ripping current aside, diving with a pony bottle, and developing my other skills have allowed me to become very sufficient at keeping myself alive underwater. If nothing more than it deflating the effect of a panic stricken novice, it has made me a better diver.
I recently took some technical diving courses, and there was a lot of emphasis on "self sufficiency" that I had otherwise not encountered in my recreational scuba courses. While the buddy system is applicable in most situations, I still feel a developing self sufficiency amongst divers is paramount to an overall feeling of comfort in the water, and it should be reinforced more so than it is now.
I offer these as random thoughts on a boring evening after really getting amped about diving again. Please feel free to comment and discuss, while offering your own outlooks on the topics I've introduced!
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) 2 spare regs, spare fins, spare BCD, spare wetsuit, spare masks, spare weights, and a number of extra tanks. When I drive a hour or more to a dive-site, I want to dive!!!
