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Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 15:39:36 -0400
To: RLatulip@ao*.co*
Cc: jjackson@mh*.sb*.co*, techdiver@terra.net
Subject: Re: Pony-bottle rigging
From: jjackson@mh*.sb*.co* (Jeffrey Jackson)
Organization: Salomon Bros. Inc
RLatulip@ao*.co* writes:
> Thursday, Aug 22, 1996   03:03 PM
> -------------------------------------------------
>                                How Ya Doin'  jjackson@mh*.sb*.co*
>  
> >I like the safety of knowing that I have the extra gas for a slow ascent and
> >safety stop if my main system goes. I like the redundancy. I do most of my
> >diving alone, so I don't have a buddy to rely on. At least not right there
> >When I need him. I used to use the 13, but I found that didn't give me
> enough
> >margin for a slow ascent and a long stop if I was coming up from >100'.
> Maybe
> >I am just overly paranoid.
> 
> >What do you suggest for redundancy/safety when diving without a buddy
> nearby?
> 
> >Jeff
> 
> I have never felt the need to bring a pony when doing 130' or above open
> water dives. What you are doing is carrying a redundant gas supply, you can
> do this for peace of mind.  The number one reason of gas loss in open water
> diving is failure to monitor the SPG. This is not to say that you will not
> have a regulator fail but then you could isolate the primary and octo by
> using an H-valve on the tank.  You say you found that the 13 did'nt give you
> enough margin for the slow ascent??? Does this mean you have incorporated the
> gas in the pony into your dive plan. If so then it is no longer an emergency
> backup system and you are pushing bottom times because you figure you have
> the gas. Just wondering!

Well, I have on occassion been a baaaaad boy and relied on my pony bottle for
my acent (breathing my main bottle down to 500 or less). I have worked hard on
not allowing myself to do this as I do realize that I then no longer have a
safe second. I like to take a full five-minute safety stop, and I have once or
twice tried to do a slow ascent from ~100fsw on the pony and found it held
*just* enough gas for the ascent and the stop. This led me to think that if
something were to keep me in the water too long and I ended up with a ceiling,
I wouldn't have enough gas to complete my deco. So I decided to get a 30cuft
pony (actually, I haven't purchased it yet as I just sold the 13).

I know that eventually my gas consumption rate and my knowledge of deco theory
will improve and I won't need to get into all this siliness, but until I get
more dives and more training under my belt, I like the added margin of
safety. There has been very little response to this post, so I don't know if I
am being ignored because I am just too naive (sp?) or whether nobody has any
experience with this. I am interested in knowing how others deal with
redundancy outside a cave or wreck.

Jeff.
-- 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| jjackson@se*.sb*.co*                                                  |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Anytime I see something screech across a room and latch onto someone's    |
| neck, and the guy screams and tries to get it off, I have to laugh,       |
| because what is that thing? --Jack Handey                                 |
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