Was working a pipeline inspection and had my favorite Hogue knife clipped to my pocket. Got hung up on a piece of rebar underwater and when I came up the pocket was empty. Went back down three times with a magnet on a rope and found it wedged between two pipes about 15 feet down. Took 45 minutes and I was running low on air. The magnet trick works but you gotta sweep slow. Anyone else ever drop gear and have to hunt for it blind?
I used to swear by dry suits with built-in boots. Thought they were more secure and less trouble. But after a 40-foot dive off the Gulf Coast last month, my left boot started leaking at the seam and I had to abort. Now I'm leaning back to the stock boots you put on separate. They cost about $200 less and I can replace just the boot when it goes bad. Anyone else gone back and forth on this, or is it just me?
I was doing a hull inspection on a cargo ship in Norfolk last month and felt like I was running low on air. My gauge said I still had 20 minutes left but I was getting anxious. I almost surfaced right then. Remembered what my old foreman Doug said about trusting the numbers not your nerves. I stayed down and finished the job with no issues. Turns out my regulator was just a little stiff from the cold water. Anyone else ever get that panic feeling even when your gear says you are fine?
I tried to fix a stuck zipper on my DUI drysuit myself last month with one of those repair kits, but I ended up botching the seal so bad I had to pay a shop $200 to redo it. Has anyone else here had better luck with those DIY kits or is it just a waste of money?
I used to swear by my old KM band mask for everything. Had it for about 6 years, used it on pipeline inspections off the coast of Venice, Louisiana. Then last winter I took a job doing bridge inspection in the Columbia River and the vis on my KM just kept fogging up hard. A buddy of mine loaned me his Ocean Reef G-Diver for a day and I could actually talk to the surface team without that stupid gum-nose mouthpiece. Switched over completely after that job. Cost me about $1100 to get my own setup with the comms kit. Now I don't think I could go back unless I'm on a deep mixed gas job where the KM is still the standard. Anyone else made the jump from a traditional band mask to a full face and found it changed how you work? What mask are you running now?
Honestly, I used to think steel handles were the only way to go because they felt solid and could take a beating. But after 3 months of diving in cold water up near Port Hardy, my hands kept cramping up on the steel handles. Switched to a basic fiberglass set from the local shop and it's night and day for grip and warmth. Has anyone else dealt with hand fatigue from their tools on longer jobs?
I used to think that was just lazy and dangerous, but a senior diver in Norfolk showed me how he does it with a specific knot and a backup line. Watched him work a full tide cycle on a bridge inspection without drifting once. Now I actually trust the method for shallow water jobs. Anybody else have a trick they were totally against until they saw it done right?
I was on a job near Port Fourchon last month and the supervisor was rushing us to get in the water. He told the tender not to bother with a full tank check because 'air's free and we got spares.' That stuck with me because it felt so off. I mean, sure we had extra bottles on deck, but what about the time it takes to swap someone out at 40 feet if something goes wrong? Or the fact that a bad valve can waste way more than just air. I get that production pressure is real, but skipping basic gear checks is how people end up in trouble. Has anyone else had a supervisor wave off standard safety stuff like that and just go with it?
Had a five-day pipeline inspection gig off the coast of Louisiana where the vis was crystal clear, currents were mild, and every single weld we needed to check was right where the surface team said it would be, which has never happened to me before or since - has anyone else had a perfect week like that where nothing went sideways?
I been diving for about 4 years now and always swore by hard hat rigs for anything past 60 feet. Last month a guy I work with in Gulf of Mexico told me I was crazy and he runs hookah down to 120 all the time. Got me thinking maybe I been overcomplicating things the whole time. Anyone here switch from one to the other and regret it or love it?
I hit 500 hours on a pipeline inspection job in the Gulf and it just hit me different - like I actually earned my place out here. How many hours did it take you to feel like a real diver?
He told me he adds an extra 5 minutes to every decompression stop when the water hits 85 degrees, and after I ran my own profiles I realized I'd been cutting corners for years, anyone else adjust their tables for water temp or am I the only one who never thought about it?
I figured it would be a quick way to save some money instead of sending my suit to the shop in Seattle. Installed everything last weekend, took it down to 30 feet at the dock, and the damn thing started free-flowing like crazy. Learned my lesson about trusting non-OEM parts, think I'll just bite the bullet and pay for the real repair next time. Anyone else had bad luck with those cheap rebuild kits?
I was down at 110 feet on a sunken barge near Port Angeles and came up with ice water in my suit. Took me two hours to warm back up in the truck. Has anyone else pushed past their comfort zone on depth and gotten caught with gear that wasn't ready?
I was on a job off the coast of Galveston last month, just finishing up a hull inspection on a tanker. This older diver, Mike, was waiting for me at the ladder and he just laughed and said 'you fight those fins every time.' I had no clue what he meant. He pulled me aside and showed me how I was arching my back too much and twisting my ankles instead of just using my hips. Took me like 3 tries to do it his way and suddenly my legs weren't burning after 20 minutes. I had been doing it wrong since my first cert and nobody ever said a word. Has anyone else had a moment where a simple tip from another diver saved you a ton of effort?
I was working a salvage job off Galveston last month and got tired of my dive light fogging up in the murk. So I rigged up a welding hood auto-darkening filter behind my faceplate (sort of a dumb idea in hindsight). It worked for about 5 minutes before the saltwater shorted the electronics and I was blind down there for 20 minutes while my buddy had to guide me back to the boat. Has anyone else tried something makeshift that backfired this bad?
Used to just wrap the old leaky one with extra tape until a bad seal had me taking on water at 90 feet. Now I just replace them every 2 years for $60. Anyone else put off maintenance till it’s a problem?
I dropped $450 on one of those no-name drysuits off Amazon and almost got myself killed on a 60 foot dive last month when a seam blew out at 40 feet. Water temp was 45 degrees and I was shaking so bad I couldn't seal the emergency valve. Who's got a budget brand that actually held up under pressure?
I was swapping out a hydraulic line on a job off the Gulf coast and the hat clamp on my Kirby Morgan just snapped. Thought it'd be a quick fix, but the bolt was seized and I couldn't get the new one seated without fighting it for what felt like forever. Finally got it sorted at 3 pm after burning through 3 cans of PB Blaster and my whole morning. Anyone else run into random gear failures that eat up way more time than they should?
I was working a pipeline inspection off the Gulf coast near Port Fourchon maybe 6 months ago. This guy in his 60s just grabbed my hand underwater and guided me through the signals without saying a word topside. Has anyone else had an older diver take the time to teach you something small like that?
I tried to save some cash last month by buying a $200 DIY drysuit zipper repair kit off an online surplus site. Figured I could fix a small leak on my old O'Neill suit myself, but the repair only held for about 15 minutes underwater during a harbor inspection job. The adhesive just peeled right off in 45 degree water, and I had to abort the dive and swim back up cold and frustrated. Ended up spending $350 at a shop in Norfolk to get it professionally resewn anyway, so the kit was a total loss. Anyone else had bad luck with those self-adhesive zipper patches for drysuits?
This guy from Galveston had a totally different way of staging his lift bags and it cut our bottom time by 20 minutes. He just tied them off with a specific knot I'd never seen before. Anybody else run into regional tricks that blew your mind?
I've been fighting cold hands every winter dive for years. This guy at the shop kept telling me to ditch the wet gloves for a dry glove system with a liner ring. I spent the extra money and tried it on a 38 degree dive last week. My hands were actually warm the whole time. Anyone else have a piece of gear they put off buying that turned out to be worth it?
I dropped $80 on a name-brand patch kit for my crushed neoprene wrist seal and it barely lasted 3 dives before peeling off. A buddy's rubber cement fix from the hardware store for $12 is still holding strong after 6 months... anyone else have luck with cheap alternatives?
Bought a used KM Band Mask off a guy in Louisiana last month. Told him I needed a medium shell. Got it in the mail and it's clearly a small. My forehead was slammed against the lens. Couldn't even get a good seal. Tried padding it out but still leaked during a 60 foot dive. Seller ghosted me after I sent photos. Anyone else get burned on used gear from Facebook groups?