Pony Bottles

[LKunze]

Your SAC rate is pretty phenomenal.  28 min on a 13cu ft tank at 55 ft calculates out to 0.174 cuft/min.    Most divers are somewhere between 0.5 at rest and 0.8 while swimming.  Using a typical newer diver rate of 0.8 cuft per min, you would only get just over 6 min at 55 ft using a 13 cuft tank.


Jeff Leech
[/quote]
No doubt.  Is that even possible to have an SAC rate (0.174) that low?  Damn, I wouldn't need fills all weekend with that rate. 

[gclassen]

A 30 cf pony is on my list of new items for this years purchases. I am thinking of putting my ATX 200 on that and buying a new XTX 200 for my main reg.

Greg

[MAXFACTOR]

Jeff,  I too was thinking that LRRP02  had a sac rate of a 5th lung.  When I did the math, I too came up with about the same  sac rate.  I basically believe that LRRp02  has it wrong at that depth.  but ya never know.  Which will now cause me to do the same experiment on my next open water dive.

Shooter,  nice set up.    air is good. 

as far as LRRPO2 ragging on DIR.... I agree Lonnie,  waz up with the dig. 

maxfactor

[LKunze]

Yeah, I don't know.  I don't really care if he or anyone wants to rag on DIR in the DIR forum with some reasons they don't like DIR I guess.  My point was that it had nothing to do with the pony bottle discussion.  For the record, even though I am not a "DIR" diver and have no plans to be one, accusing all DIR divers of being sh***y divers with no buddy awareness and solo diving is untrue.  I've seen DIR divers in the water and from what I've seen they have very good skills.  A diver that solo dives, doesn't watch their SPG and doesn't practice good buddy awareness would technically not be a DIR diver as they have violated the DIR protocol. 

[flyboy65]

I just read thru this thread from the beginning...

About the freeflow, and the guy reprimanding his buddy for going to the surface without letting him know...I know I don't have my eye on my buddy every 15 seconds...and that's all the time it would take me to start heading up, if my buddy were too far away to notify...What's the protocol ???...after aminute w/o your buddy, head to the surface. 

The pony bottle is a good idea.  I haven't yet gone that route, but I have my old reg sitting on a shelf, might as well put it to good use.  My girlfriend will probably not get certified, so that idea is out the door.  There's part of my cost right there.  Then, I gotta buy a tank. 

I've never been in a situation where my air got lower than I was comfortable with.  However, I do get an anxious feeling on a shore dive...after we turn around and start heading back to shore.  I'm more concerned with getting to shore with air left, so I don't have to do a surface swim, which I really don't want to do...it's not fun.

Complacency sneaks up on a guy sometimes....

[scott1611]

A pony bottle is on my wish list for this year, but it comes after the dry suit.  All depends on the tax return.  If I can swing it I'd upgrade my reg to an XTX-100 and put the XTX-50 on a pony.  From looking over the thread, it sounded like the cost diff wasn't much between a 13cu and a 30cu.

So would you recommend a 30 over a 13?  Some typical diving at Crosby (50-100') with hopefully more at Superior as well.

[wtdrm]

do the 30, that way you can start the rec tec thing and be ok.
the difference in the water means nil.

[arcFlash]

The only thing I didn't see was the mention of H valves. For those who don't know it's a valve with two outputs so you rig two primary and run as you would doubles. I used a 121 steel with H in Florida and although I found the stability of said tank difficult the twin regs gives peace of mind.  I don't know how much a H or Y valve would cost but you could change a normal valve to a Y for less then a pony I would think.

I'd never go deep without a redundant source on me. In practice that means >30 feet or a new lake requires that I carry my buddy bottle.

PS: I trust my buddy but I trust myself and my pony more. I think PADI's buddy system is a good idea but they stress that your buddy will help you too much. I'd like to see more emphasis on self-sufficiency  (and a buddy).  I've talked to some blue water only divers and they think their buddy will save them and that as long as they have a buddy they are safe. Is this another thread?

[arcFlash]

Your SAC rate is pretty phenomenal.  28 min on a 13cu ft tank at 55 ft calculates out to 0.174 cuft/min.    Most divers are somewhere between 0.5 at rest and 0.8 while swimming.  Using a typical newer diver rate of 0.8 cuft per min, you would only get just over 6 min at 55 ft using a 13 cuft tank.


Jeff Leech
[/quote]
No doubt.  Is that even possible to have an SAC rate (0.174) that low?  Damn, I wouldn't need fills all weekend with that rate. 
[/quote]
I can do this.. My SAC is about .30 resting so if I sell a lung and use the money to buy a scooter I can blast along on a sac of .15!

[Shooter]

Shooter, I'm assuming you were doing deco dives in the doubles setup you have in the picture though right?  So your slung tank really isn't a pony or redundant emergency air supply but rather a deco tank with a nitrox mix (50%) maybe in it?  Just curious.  Wouldn't make much sense to sling an extra tank if it just had the same gas mix as your doubles.
[/quote]

I just used this picture to show where the pony bottle would go.  Yes I do deco dives.  I usually fill my stage bottle with a 40 to 50% mix,  When I am not doing a planned deco dive. 99% when I plan a deco dive, usually with doubles My computer allows me to change gases underwater.  So even if I don't have a planned deco dive, and I go into deco, :o (I know, plan your dives and dive your plan) It's not a problem.  When dealing with large palegic fish sometimes your plans have a tendency to change :

However, just using doubles provides a good deal of redundancy 8) when I am spear fishing,  I only use one tank.  So I carry my 30 cubic ft pony for dual purpose bail-out and to assist with the decompression.I top it off using a fill whip between dives.