Pony Bottle
AL40 Pony Bottle
- For Lake Michigan dives over ~40ft
- 38.8cft volume / 3000 psi nominal
- ~1lb negative buoyancy when full
- ~1lb positive buoyancy when "empty"
General Opinion: Haven't dove it yet
ScubaPro MK2/R195 (DIN)
- Used on my AL40 Pony Bottle
- The ubiquitous Pony/Stage/Deco Regulator
- Piston First Stage (reliability)
- High freeze resistance (free flow protection at depth)
- One HP Port (so can't run SPG as well as AI)
- Reversible Hose Attachment on 2nd Stage
General Opinion: Haven't dove it yet
Wetsuit
Bare Reactive II (7mm) - XLT
General Opinion: I freaken love this suit! However, if it's cold enough for this suit I'd rather wear the drysuit. I keep it around as a backup to my drysuit.
Aqualung Aleutian Gloves (5mm) - Large
- I'd rather wear the 3mm gloves
General Opinion: They're not bad. Plenty of dexterity to do what I need under water. The stitching is not great after only 15 dives and I've had to apply a bit of wetsuit repair glue along some of the stitching as a preventative measure. I keep them around as a backup to my dry gloves.
Line Work
Dive Rite Trauma Shears
General Opinion: I have used these to do line work in my home quarry. Easy for me to grab and re-sheath and no chance of cutting myself or any dive gear.
Spare Spools
- 75ft (green)
- 100ft (white)
General Opinion: So far used only for dive map mapping. But pre-rigged and ready to go
Dive Reel - Light Monkey (400ft)
General Opinion: Works great and easy to use with drysuit gloves
Reef Hook - Homemade
General Opinion: Not Used it Yet
Organization
- A black piece of hard plastic that mimics a canister light for long-hose routing
General Opinion: Works as expected
Dryfob XL
General Opinion: Not used yet
Lights
OrcaTorch D530 (Spare Flashlight)
General Opinion: I don't generally use this flashlight, but I have it with me in my "Save a Dive Kit" just in case my primary fails before the dive or my buddy forgot theirs or wants to try one.
OrcaTorch Dive Beacon (mini)
- Used as a tank flasher in limited visibility
General Opinion: Most of my local quarry dives would be considered "low visibility" or "poor visibility" at best so I can run a tank flasher to make my dive buddy feel better about not losing me if needed.
Princeton Tec - Aqua Strobe
- Used as a downline marker in limited visibility
General Opinion: Works great when diving in Lake Michigan
Communication
Dive Slate \w Graphite Pencil
General Opinion: They work great under water. You need to figure out how to store them so you don't look like a christmas tree and have pieces parts flapping about off your DRings. But I used one on multiple dives when mapping my local quarry.
Diving Mirror
General Opinion: I've not dove with it much yet. So no real opinion.
Lift
Spare 3-1/2 ft dSMB
General Opinion: Perfect size for calm water deployment. Not too big and not too small. Have used it as a dive marker, a location marker and for dSMB deployment practice for safety stops. It does have a "push in" to inflate mouth piece which is a bit tricky to use under water. The Halcyon has a one way valve, so I prefer it.
xDeep dSMB (Orange) - Long (4-1/2 ft)
General Opinion: Only really carried as a backup when I am diving from a boat in the ocean. This dSMB has features that allows it to be used on the surface as a life ring.
XS Scuba 50lb Lift Bag (Yellow)
General Opinion: Have not used it yet
Misc
Kraken Roll Up Snorkel
General Opinion: I have it just in case I'm required by a dive operator without a clue or an instructor for a clueless agency who requires I have one on my person.
