Posted by Walt on April 05, 2005 at 17:04:52:
In Reply to: Octo vs. Pony Bottle posted by Dick Analog on April 05, 2005 at 15:16:10:
I'm not a pony bottle or 2nd. tank fan due to extra drag (and the SpareAir mainly allows you to surface w/o a safety stop, so I don't even count that as safety equipment).
I like the set-up of using an H valve with a fully independednt 1st and 2nd. stage (plus keep an eye on your guages and timepiece and don't press the envelop; I say guage and watch, because if the guage isn't correct, at least keeping an eye on how long you're under and approx. depth should give you a clue as to a faulty guage reading...a full tank after a few minutes is a darn good indication your guage is goofy). The advantage is that you're still streamlined with the one tank and you have REAL redundency with the independent 1st. stage.