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LKunze · 08-16-2002, 09:36 AM,

Anyone carry a pony tank on deeper dives when using a single tank rig? After witnessing Chris's and our instructor's freeflows a couple weeks ago on a 100 ft dive at Wazee, it made me wonder if a pony would be a good thing to start taking with me on my deeper dives (the instructor had a pony with on this dive BTW). Obviously proper gas management and utilizing the buddy system are the first solutions to handle OOA situations but in a catastrophic event such as two regulator freeflows or reg failures on the same dive make the pony seem to be a logical thing for single tank rigs. I've read many negative things about pony's and spare airs and I do feel spare airs are really a waste, and I'm just referring to the validity of pony bottles here. I can't see taking a pony on dives around here where you don't get deeper than 40 to 50 feet but for the deeper dives at Crosby, Wazee, Superior, etc. I'm wondering if it would be a good investment? Obviously a doubles rig would be ideal but that's not something I plan to get into anytime soon. Any thoughts?

08-16-2002, 09:53 AM,

Absolutley on the pony - I carry a 30cu ft. pony set up as a sling bottle and not hard strapped to my tank. If it is slung (like a stage bottle) you can see the air pressure & you can control the valve. I use a TX100 reg with a 7' hose for the reliability around here with cold water. 40 or 50 feet doesn't mean leave home without the pony either. Go ahead and take it as you may need it or your buddy. When your dive is over, unclip the pony and set the whole thing aside & re-tank your primary. The pony is all set to clip back on and away you go... Pete

LKunze · 08-16-2002, 10:06 AM,

Pete, that's exactly what I'm thinking of doing although probably not until next year as I'd have to buy another reg in addtion to the pony. Maybe next year I can get a new reg and throw my TX-50 on a pony. Hmm...more things to spend money on. : Smile

But the more I think about it the more it really makes sense. How much is your life worth right?

***jasondbaker*** · 08-16-2002, 02:00 PM,

Good discussion. What is the typical cost of a pony bottle setup? You've got the cylinder, reg, pressure gauge, and misc gear to attach it. Also, how do you decide what size cylinder to get?

LKunze · 08-16-2002, 02:28 PM,

From what I've gathered pony's aren't much cheaper than an AL80 which is kind of a bummer. It seems to me rigging it like a stage clipped off on your bc's shoulder and hip D-Rings as Pete described makes the most sense and it's cheaper than going out and buying a pony mount kit. All you'd need is a couple heavy duty bolt snaps, some cave line, and some bungee for the reg and you're set. Not a cheap setup by any means but would be nice to have. I may rent one sometime just to try it out.

tpscuba · 08-16-2002, 02:50 PM,

I like the pony bottle. I do a lot of video and photography and I don't expect my buddy to hang that close if I am waiting for the shot. I have even used it to get the shot. I use a 13 cu.ft pony and at 60ft I can get a good 30 min. out of it. I also have had buddies disappear on me while diving the pony does give you a little more sense of security.Cost wise it can get up there 13 cu. ft. tank sells for around $100.00 6 cu. ft. around $90.00 I have a solid tiger mount for the 13 and that runs around $246.00 you can get a bag at about $40.00 Then you need a first stage at about $187.00

shellfish · (This post was last modified: 08-23-2002, 08:48 PM by shellfish.)

I've been contemplating buying a pony, too. I've heard that clamping them to your primary tank can cause balance problems. But if you instead attach the pony to d-rings on your BC, wouldn't you get smacked in the jaw with it during a giant stride? :o

Markn · 08-24-2002, 08:20 AM,

Guys, I have only got 30 dives under my belt and I have seen at least 8 free flows when below 40 feet, some of them have caused us to abort the dive others we have managed to clear. On the last dive my buddy went straight to the surface without notifying me (For which I seriously reprimanded him) His free flow was caused by a wrong setting on his reg, Set for warm water instead of cold (the temp was 36 degrees). I have yet to experiance a free flow (guess I am lucky) but my point is if your taking a pony bottle "just in case " you have a free flow at 100 feet. wouldn't it be better to have your reg checked, serviced, repaired or read the instructions to prevent the free flow? And should the worst thing happen and you are OOA then go to your buddy and do the emergency ascent. Just my 2 cents worth. Mark

08-25-2002, 06:04 PM,

Shellfish - This will be my last post <<<<<forever>>>>> I'm upset by some of the statements I read although sometimes there is very excellent discussions here. Anyhow, good question about no on hitting your face, etc. on a giant stride. if you hug your gear proprerly your sling bottle stays nicely in place. Also, on a boat, you can step backwards from the swim platform. Ther are many methods to deal with this easily. As for Mark, good divers never scold buddies. Anyone can abort a dive for any reason without shame or embarrasment. If your buddy is accidently too bouyant, free flows, or whatever? and goes up, where were you looking to either help or at least know where he was. You can then make the choice to either follow or watch your own personal ascent rate, saftey stop or whatever... Next, reg's need servicing! Period! do you change the oil in your car? Don't be stupid... Also, use the equipment appropriate for the dive location. This stuff about numerous freeflows tells me you folks are buying improper life support for your dives or doing the cheepo internet deal where you get stuff that is not tuned and screw the warranty. Let's save a doller, OK? Hey, who has practiced emergency ascents latley with a buddy using an alternate? My suggestion is hire an instructor for a day and let he/she work with you to enhance your skills. Good Bye

DanL · 08-25-2002, 06:31 PM,

Hey, Pete - Hello! Don't go away forever. Everybody has an opinion and everyone learns from the discussions here. I know that your your pony advice is based on a lot of expereince and learning. The small pony option seems to be a great way to get extra security on the cold, deep dives many divers on this board are doing. Breathing fast, inflating a dry suit, all in 34-38 F water is going to challenge the performance of many regs. The small pony is, I think, going to become more and more popular as we do more challenging dives and start to feel that we want to be responsible for our own safety - still relying on a buddy, but being more proactive about our own backups. I have a spare reg and am seriously thinking about putting together a pony rig in a bag that would attach easily to the back of my BC. I also have some questions about the best way to counter-balance the tank weight for even wt distribution.