Posted by davej on April 05, 2005 at 17:56:47:
In Reply to: latest accident brings up a good point posted by Ross-O on April 05, 2005 at 13:29:38:
I use a 6 cf pony strapped to my backplate. It will bring me from 99 at a reasonable pace, and allow a 2 minute stop at 15'. Is this ideal, no, but it's a trade off vs. a 13. I used the 13 and decided I didn't like the extra weight/drag. The other thing is the 6 will also get you to your buddy.
This of course all depends on a your SAC rate, which would probably be much higher in an emergency.
One last thought, the biggest turning point for me as a diver was as I finished my DM class was the equipment ditch/recover and buddy breathing equipment exchange. The ditch and recover taught me that I can go a long time on one breath. realizing how long you really can hold your breath helps reduce panic when things go wrong, I lost an o-ring on my main tank one time, lucky for me I was close to the surface and switched over to my deco bottle, I credit a calm mind and smooth switch due to realizing I had a lot of air left in my lungs.