Hi Mark. Thanks for the very informative #AskMark videos! I have a question on mounting a 13 cf pony bottle using a shark bracket on a 120 steel single tank on BPW. I'd like to mount the pony upside down so I can easily reach the valve (to be able to close in case of freeflow). My question is whether the pony will interfere with the wing when inflating it. Should I mount it slightly more towards the back of the main tank? But not so far back that I can no longer reach the pony valve. 45 degree angle? Thanks and happy new year!
Best Place to Mount My Pony Cylinder?
- Mark Newman
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I’ve been scuba diving my entire professional career in both beautiful crystal clear waters of the Tropics to the not-so clear waters around the world. Diving up in the Arctic Circle and marine conservation work down in remote Madagascar. As a full-time scuba Instructor I taught divers in both warm and cold waters and lead countless dives.
But, my main specialty is dive equipment. Since 2010 I’ve been working with a wide range of scuba diving brands and 8 years working for one of the largest scuba diving retailers with hands-on experience with cutting edge dive equipment.
Hi Mark,
I recently bought a new spool that has a lot of excess line. The end of the line is setup perfectly, hence I am wondering if there is a way to trim the access line from the end which attaches to the spool. #askmark
Yes, however it is quite time consuming because you need to unwind all of the line and then wind it back on.
The line is typically attached to the centre of the spool with a basic knot so, it’s quite easy to remove some length from that end.
To make this job easier, it’s better if you have an empty spool that can be attached to an electric drill or two parallel posts to wind the line and keep it neat. Otherwise it’s very easy to tangle the line.
Thank you so much for the advice ! Keep up the with the quality contents that you have been producing !
Dear Mark, where’s the best place to clip a dsmb with spool? Is it wrong to clip it on a d-ring on your weight belt? Thanks a lot for your service! #ASKMARK
I wouldn’t clip anything valuable to my weightbelt because if you need to drop your weightbelt you will lose anything that is attached to it as well.
You have plenty of choices where to clip your dSMB and Spool. It just depends on your equipment configuration and what’s most convenient for you.
Personally, my big dSMB stays inside my left thigh pocket. If I don’t have thigh pockets it clips to a D-Ring in the small of my back, just above my butt. And if I don’t have a crotch strap it’s typically clipped to a D-Ring on my hip. Most recreational BCDs have a D-ring on the left and right hip & waist for attaching gear like you’re dSMB and spool.
It’s best if it’s inside a pocket so that everything is streamlined but, also easy access
It’s not costing the government anything. It’s costing the taxpayer a fortune!
I think the best way to have a pony cylinder…..especially with a Wing, is to sling it on the front. Easy access to the regs and valve
I’m a fan of this as well. Biggest benefit being that you can see the tank and identify any issues that may arise.
The big downside being unless you’re sidemount trained you’re unlikely to take the time to really streamline it. Most divers just clip and go and it tends to hang pretty low
👍😎really got a lot out out of this video because I have seen quite few divers with different configurations with pony bottles of different sizes. So be ready may hit you up for some advice! And Thanks again!
Hi Mark,
I recently bought a dive right jon line after doing a wreck dive with some pretty serious current and rough conditions pulling the anchor line back and forth very roughly. I dive in a recreational bc (aqualung rogue). There were no instructions, but it seems like the pocket is designed to be threaded onto some 2 inch webbing. I can definitely adapt that to my recreational BC, but it doesn’t seem right as it feels much too fragile and I would assume it would break in any significant current/heavy seas. Am i doing this right? Am i overestimating how strong it needs to be? Are there different options i should be looking into for haning onto an anchor line in rough seas? #askmark
A Jon Line is the best option. Most Jon lines just clip to a D-ring while the other end wraps around the anchor line. If there’s no other way to attach it to your equipment that must be what Dive Rite intend.
One nice thing about Jon lines are that if the line is jerking around you have the length of the line to compensate. Check out Diver’s Ready’s video on Jon lines. He uses a Dive Rite Jon Line in a pouch and the video might help: https://youtu.be/JX3N6vzXePM
this is how I rig the pony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0sdSL-ng-g