TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Pony Bottle for for setting anchor or for prop wrap

Hello all, I am a certified diver who occasionally sets up Rendezvous dives with local dive outfits to avoid bringing all of my bulky diving gear. On occasion, I encounter a tricky anchoring situation in over 25 feet of water depth. This is beyond my comfort zone to try a free dive to the anchor to orient it for proper bite (set). I am strongly considering purchasing a DXDIVER Pony Bottle Diving Kit, 13 CF (1.9 L) with conventional hose, regulator. My thinking is to use this for setting anchor or dealing with a wrapped propeller. That is, such as a lobster pot line wrap in open water (not a dinghy rode wrap in a calm anchorage). The cost at Amazon is $399.00 By the way, I have seen ads for 0.5 L bottles (mouthpiece attached to tank) being marketed for recreational use (video showing young kids using it) which I find quite alarming! This is a disaster waiting to happen! Thanks for your thoughts ( preferably from professional dive operators ).

I can't give advice on dive equipment...

...but I can say that correctly setting an anchor doesn't ever need to involve diving. Correctly setting an anchor in every possible scenario can and should be achieved from the comfort of your cockpit and foredeck.

CaptBligh,

Not sure I would haul down to islands in my checked luggage, but might come in handy on my own boat. For boat bottom cleaning and zinc replacement this looks perfect.

[quote=Christo...but I can say that correctly setting an anchor doesn't ever need to involve diving. [/quote]

Mooring chart briefing used to recommend diving you're anchor after every set. Better to be safe than sorry.

I usually just rent a standard tank and regulator/weights for the duration of the trip.
Good to have lots of air if doing anything strenuous, even when shallow.

KF Quinn MD

Had to chuckle when I read this post. I had the same thought ever since I dropped something off the back side of our cat on a mooring ball in 35ft of water. Unfortunately it was not a sandy bottom and I was unable to free dive, locate the item and retrieve it. After a lot of back and forth I just bought the exact system you are talking about. I now have a Lagoon 450 in one of the BVI charter fleets and plan to leave the gear in our locker at the base. Frankly I am am perfectly fine just snorkling when I am down there, but love the idea of having the gear readily available so I can retrieve something dropped over board, inspect the hull, or unfoul a prop or anchor (later is purely hypothetical since I have always been able to retrieve our anchor). A couple of things to consider. The one I bought only had the button type HP gauge mounted directly on the first stage. I decided I wanted something I could see while diving, so I added a traditional HP gauge on the end of a 6” HP hose. This way it will sit at my waist and be visible when I glance downward. Also, didn’t like how the bottle was secured in the fabric sleeve and how the waist belt was attached to it, so I took it apart and “tailored” it to my liking. Finely, I also bought the adapter that allows the bottle to be filled directly from a standard scuba fill station. What comes with the pony bottle is the adapter which allows you to only fill it from another tank. Since I will not have another tank, not sure if the dive center would rather fill directly or let me draw down one of their full tanks. Regardless, now I have the option for both.

If you have your own boat or have somewhere you can leave it to avoid having to travel with it, then if you would like to have this option open to you I would say yes. But if you are planning to travel down with it each time, I would say no. All dive tanks regardless of how small they are have to be open, ie the valve removed to be able to travel on a plane, also even though they are smaller, they will still take up a far bit of your baggage allowance.

AGREE 100%. It amazes me how many people think they need to dive the anchor to sleep well. What would you do in the cold, murky waters of New England?

I am a diver that hasn't SCUBA dived for several years. When I was actively diving we had a "Golden Rule"; never ever dive alone, for any reason! Approaching your anchoring spot at dead slow ahead and directly down wind, come to a full stop and lower your anchor. Let the wind take you back while you pay out your rhode. When you reach the end of your scope, go to reverse at idle and it will set. If you didn't drop the hook on grass or rocks, you will be fine. This has ALWAYS worked for me and I've been doing it for over 40 years. Have a fun safe trip!

That was my thought. I am hauling down a bunch of stuff to outfit our new boat, so taking up room in our lugage wasn’t a concern. Also, easy to remove the first stage/valve of a new tank that has never been filled.

I can answer your question. I have traveled with a SpareAir 3cf bottle for years, which I use for two purposes. First is I carry it when scuba diving for emergency situations (never happened yet) and secondly always take it with me when sailing. Not only is it excellent for checking anchor or cutting line from the propeller, it is also great for retrieving items accidentally dropped overboard just out of reach otherwise (perhaps limited to about 30 feet for safety reasons). I have retrieved multiple items from under the boat without the hassle of suiting-up in scuba gear. Simply grab your mask and fins, perhaps a 5 lb weight if handy, hold the SpareAir in one hand so that you can clear ears with the other if necessary. I find it can be used with no hands by having a good grip on the mouth piece. I wouldn't go any deeper than where you would be able to swim to surface by holding your breath, in case you drop it or deplete the air.

The bottle is filled by using the adapter that comes with it. Simply attach to any FULL scuba tank and open the valve. When traveling it is necessary to de-pressurize the unit, unscrew the regulator from the bottle, and pack in your luggage. I wouldn't store in my carry-on, you might hold up the line if some agent does not immediately recognize what it is. Flying with the unit is legal, but it must be de-pressurized and regulator separated. If you are not planning to scuba dive, simply stop by a dive shop near your boat and have them fill it. You can view it at www.spareair.com (new is about $300.00) or ebay has both new and used for sale. No problem with buying used, but be sure the 'hydro' is current, otherwise you will need to ship to SpareAir to have it serviced at about $75.00.

I find it surprising how easily and frequently my crews tend to drop stuff overboard, just out of reach.