twin or pony?

[Fiona]

Originally Posted by scapaman

i only asked which way twin or pony. so tell me how did we drift?
it like man 1 cuts his finger by the time it gets to man 20 he`s lost his arm .lol you lot are funny i like it here.......

This is YD, every post drifts to some extent

[Ian@1904]

Originally Posted by Fiona

What's fresh water

Used occasionally to wash dive gear.
Just worked out that I have 20 dives planned over for next 8 weeks. All salty-oops, can anyone recommend a good divorce lawyer?

[Forest Diver]

Originally Posted by scapaman

hi its me again.
i`ve been diving for a few years i claim to be the most experenced diver in the world but i`m not to bad for a fat bloke.
as the title say twin or pony? i currently dive with a pony but i`ve been looking at getting a 12lt twin,but still unsure and it will cost a fair bit so i would like some advice pls. pro`s and the cons from you nice ( but strange people ) thanks......

2004 post
I am sticking my head over the parapet and may get shot down but... I am a novice with only 25 dives. I have done my AOW and have done a few dives to 30m. My SAC is still quite high. I thought about the pony route but when I realised I had been near the NDL on the M2. I conluded that the pony - probably wouldnt give me enough redundancy on a deep dive. I chose the twin 12 route at around dive 20.......I have had a couple of dives with problems (underweighting on one (previous post) and loss of a fin on a dive with sh*t loads of current) but have always felt that the amount of air in the twins is a hugh stress reducer..

1 I have sufficient air for a kit failure or OOA buddy.
2 I am self sufficient (with practice)
3 They are superb to dive with - well balanced, more weight off the belt etc.
4 I find donating from the mouth easier with my aas just below my chin on a bungee than trying to cope with an OOA buddy looking for my octo - especially as many seem to go for the primary in that scenario anyway (judging by the posts).

There are some disadvanages but these I think seem to evolve to
1 its heavy - well I'm 6'3" and 17 stone so my poor wife who is 5'4" and 8 1/2 stone and dives with a 12 is in the same boat as me! (no I dont ask some poor buddy for help!)
2 As previous posts its practice and experience with the kit - I hope that as I have made the switch early it will soon become second nature, I regularly practice reg swaps etc and am doing the TDI adv nitrox/deco course - not especailly for the whole package but for the kit configuration /training and as a sound building block for the future.
3 The main downside I feel is the effect on your buddy - it is imperative that you brief them to take your main reg in an OOA situation as there is no octo to look for. I have not had this tried in anger (may this continue an infininitum!!) but I have explained this to all my buddies who have been comfotable with this.
4 Its expensive - ebay ebay ebay probably not much more than a new pony if you sell your primary kit!!!

2006 post
I have been able to use the same kit configuration from these early days to now - nearly all of my diving is deco and I have done a few twin stage trimix dives this year, I don't regret my desision for one minuite. Apart from the cost saving - HUGE - as I have progressed I have found myself simply adding to a trusted, tested, familar rig. I have had a number of 'moments' diving and the one thing I have been gald of is the self sufficiency of twins backed by traing and practice.

Now I've gone and cocked it all up by going CCR so I'm starting again!! the final irony is its with 2 3l which is the one peice of kit I never had!!!

[Dick Barwell]

I will go with Forrest.He talked me into twins and I never looked back .....couldn't turn let alone look back !
db

[scapaman]

just like to say thanks for the advice, i think if i go the twin set way i will be doing 10lts. 300 bar ones .....

[Lou]

Originally Posted by scapaman

just like to say thanks for the advice, i think if i go the twin set way i will be doing 10lts. 300 bar ones .....

Noooooo!

After all that discussion? Why 10 litre 300b? If you want more gas get 12l's, then you get the benefit of the cylinder length and the extra gas, that you know can be pumped to full pressure whereever you go. 10litres are a pretty awkward cylinder size and 300b is an awkward pressure, so you get the worst of both worlds.

[scapaman]

i thought of the twins as a weight and comfort thing but thanks for the advice .
now it banks holiday weekend things to do (gardening and shite like that) .
diving tomorrow.........

[Scubee]

I kept my single 12 setup (including 300bar pony) when i started diving with the twin 12s. I dived with 12 + pony a couple of weeks ago, and decided then that it wasn't worth the hassle. I will still use it when teaching, I think it helps new /inexperienced divers that the person who is teaching them has similar kit.

I will still dive a single 12 on shallow dives... like the shore diving planned at Babbacome.

For a days diving, I take the twins and 7l ali stage for the first dive, which may include an amount of deco. For the second dive, I take what is left in the twins, maybe topped up with a 12 over the tea break and leave the stage behind (unless it is going to have a deco obligation).

If I had my time again, I think I would do the same. I had never planned on longer/deeper diving, and felt that having the pony was a reasonable way to go. I learn things in little steps, and the pony was a great way to learn about my own confidence and abilities. The only dilemma I had was whether to put the same mix as my main cylinder and use it as a bottom back up, or fill it with 40% to use on a safety stop. As I was doing no- deco diving at the time, it was only for about 3 mins at a time. I usually went for a slightly richer mix ( maybe 1.6 at the max planned depth rather than 1.4), so that if I got into the poo I would be on the way up, and could go with the pony. 300bar would be enough to get me up.

[sidthejedi]

That makes my mind up then if noone elses. Soon as I get finished twin 12s it is.

Thanks for all the replies - though it just gets scary to think how much diving I could have done by now if I had started diving in 1998 when I first thought about it instead of faffing around til 2004. Got some catching up to do.........