Description
This article is from the Scuba Diving
FAQ, by njs@scifi.maid.com (Nick Simicich) with numerous
contributions by others.
16 How likely are you to carry your pony?
People who prefer bailout bottles to pony bottles say that a pony
bottle is too cumbersome to transport and wear and in fact is not
carried, making it a useless boat decoration. Pony bottle proponents
who carry their pony bottles with them when they travel say that they
don't have a problem carrying them, and many wear them all of the time
when they dive. They disagree that it is too hard/painful/time
consuming to dive with a pony bottle.
Opponents of bailout bottles believe that bailout bottles are useless
diver decorations, mainly because the bailout bottles do not contain
enough air for an emergency. They argue that from the time you switch
to the bailout bottle, you have only enough air to ascend directly to
the surface. You have no time to solve problems and little or no air
to make yourself positively buoyant. A final argument is that a
bailout bottle might actually give you a false sense of security, and
make you less safe than you might be without one.
Perhaps the final judgment should be made using the above chart, and
the depth to which you plan to dive. If $$/cubic foot is a
consideration for you, then you would probably prefer a pony bottle to
a bailout bottle. Many people do all of their diving between 15-40
feet, and never dive deeper than 60 feet. These people would probably
find the largest bailout bottle useful. If you go deeper, or if you
might go deeper someday, consider a pony bottle of the appropriate
size.
There have been rare occasions (one reported, at the Hong Kong airport
only) where people have been told that they simply can't bring their
scuba bottles on their flight, valves on or off, and have had to
abandon them at the airport. This would probably equally apply to
bailout bottles and pony bottles. You should plan on draining your
bottles of any type completely before flying to comply with airport
regulations, and you may have to remove the valves to prove to the
airline's satisfaction that the bottles are completely drained. It is
a violation of US FAA regulations to transport a bottle on an airliner
pressurized to more that 41 PSIA. Airlines may have more stringent
regulations.
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sport, scuba, diving, snorkeling, dive travel, underwater activities. safety, equipment, certification
