Posted by kelphead on September 13, 2000 at 15:58:12:
In Reply to: Secondary Air source question posted by JRM on September 13, 2000 at 08:38:06:
btwn 'spare air' and a pony bottle, i think you
are right in deciding the better value lies in
the pony bottle.
i use a 13cuft bottle attached to the right side
of my tank, but i really want to move it to
the front the way others have it staged. it
causes quite a bit of roll if i'm not properly
balanced w/my wt. staging a pony in the front on
one side seems to be the preferred style by many
divers, whether they call themselves tech or not.
some people (ie, wreck or deep divers) will use a
larger pony (ie, 30cuft), so you will have to
decide which size you want (however, i think that
a 6cuft bottle is slightly on the small side--13
is good for normal rec parameters).
one thing you may want to consider is if/when
you travel, do you plan on bringing your bottle
w/you. if not, then what will you do in the
absence of an octopus and a pony? (i did not
take my pony w/me to florida last year, but
at that time i had an octopus off my 1st stage.)
what i understand from other experienced divers
is that when traveling w/a pony, they have had
to actually unscrew the valve open to satisfy
the officials. consider that the pony will be an
extra piece of heavy gear to travel with and you
are subject to whatever the airports feel that
day. not to scare you, but just consider that
there may be more hassle when traveling w/it
(unless someone has some tips to offer).
as far as when to take the pony, why not on every
dive? possible exceptions being really shallow
dives (ie, 20ft).
best wishes.
kelphead.