Posted by Karl S. on September 11, 2001 at 13:22:01:
In Reply to: I have to respond to that... posted by Cabo on September 11, 2001 at 12:16:23:
a pony is a good thing to have if you dont have any deco bottles on a given dive and you are diving on a single tank, with or without a buddy. the buddy is a potential failure point as well as a possible resource.
with two tanks on your back, no tank boots, LP steel, and drysuit, like DIRs use, you should be able to isolate one of the two tanks in an emergency and use it to kick up to the surface on.
YOU ARE MORE SAFE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A BACKPLATE.
the backplate is just more dead weight that you dont need, and you cant ditch it. but the main thing is a second tank, whether it is doubles, or a pony, or a deco bottle.
let the flames by the flames begin ....