Paul-

Hey, if you need the warm & fuzzies of a pony, buy all means use one. I 
think that if you really want serious backup you use doubles or a H/Y 
valve.

The question I have is what scenario would you need a pony? Run out of 
air? What happened to your discipline there? Gear failure? How often does 
this happen, enough to drag a pony everywhere you go? I don't think so.

And I have not heard of anyone killed by missing a "safety stop". Unless 
this "safety stop" thing really means "I'm in deco." Discipline? Buddy 
running out of air or "stuck in a crevasse"? Use rule #1, don't dive with 
strokes.

    pony = placebo

Now why would you *not* use one? One more piece of unnecessary gear 
cluttering you up, getting in your way, snagging on stuff, giving 
unneeded task loading, ruining or degrading your dive experience.

  Jim


On 1/24/98 12:55 PM Paul Braunbehrens wrote:

>Jim, thanks for your comments.  I don't understand why you think that a
>pony is a bad idea.  Your points seem to be that
>
>1) You don't trust your pony.
>
>Simple, just use it every now and again.  After your last dive, make a
>shallow dive for a few minutes and use the pony.  That way you know it
>works.
>
>2) You think it's "tempting" to use it as part of your air supply.
>
>That one is even easier to overcome...just don't use it.  That's just
>discipline, no big deal.
>
>3) A pony is like a spair air.
>
>I don't think so. A pony would give you time to actually make a safe ascent
>and a stop at 15 for 3, also, it would allow you to hand it off to someone
>in an emergency, or in a situation where you can't "get in" because someone
>is stuck in a crevasse or something.
>
>I'm still interested in opinions as to why one should or shouldn't use one,
>I haven't decided yet.
>
>Jim Cobb wrote:
>~
>>IMHO, It might be described as an "inadequate solution". I started to my
>>solo diving career for the same reasons you describe and I just did not
>>trust my pony. If you are relying on it for your life, you get a little
>>paranoid on checking it to make sure it will work when you need it.
>>
>>I could not take it any longer an went doubles, which is the hot setup.
>>But when using rental single 80's, your best defence is to not go into
>>decompression or put yourself in any situation where using a single 80 is
>>a bad idea. This is what solo diving is all about, understanding
>>limitations.
>>
>>The temptation to use a pony to put yourself in bad situation is hard to
>>resist. "Man, just a little longer and I can get this lobster. Shit, I'm
>>at turn pressure. Ah, well I've got that 'ol pony back there, I need to
>>change the air in it, anyway. Oh, oh, getting into decom, shoot that 30
>>lasts an hour at the hangbar." etc etc. I've done the slippery slope and
>>seen many other divers come up the ladder with the pony reg in their
>>mouths. And it ain't deco gas.
>>
>>A pony is a placebo at best, just like a spair air.
>>
>>   Jim
>>
>>On 1/23/98 3:45 PM Paul Braunbehrens wrote:
>>
>>>Very interesting post, but I have a few questions. You keep counting the
>>>Pony as "part of your gas supply".  I think in this case, it is not
>>>considered like that really.  It is considered more as an emergency supply
>>>which allows you to get back to the surface safely.
>>>
>>>Let me back up a little.  The reason I have considered getting a pony is
>>>because I do end up doing a lot of solo diving, mostly because of Rule #1.
>>>I rarely go below 90fsw, but it does happen.  I am a little concerned that
>>>if I should experience a complete failure of my air supply at that depth
>>>and on an exhale, I might have a problem.  Also, I like to make a 15 foot 3
>>>min stop on the way up.  The dives I do are often from tanks that the boat
>>>supplies, and I am never very far from the boat.  My safe haven really is
>>>the surface, in case of any problem, but I don't want to have to shoot up
>>>to it like a bat out of hell from 110 feet with no stop.
>>>
>>>In this case do you think a Pony is an adequate solution?
>>
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Learn About Trimix At http://www.cisatlantic.com/trimix/trimix.html
>
>
>Paul Braunbehrens mailto:Bakalite@ba*.co*
>http://www.daw-mac.com Mailing list for digital audio on the mac
>
>
>


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