Dive superintendent took 20 mins to set up my twinset, still think about it

Working a gas pipeline job off Galveston last fall and my manifold was being finicky in the chop. This old superintendent, guy named Sal, waded over and just started reconfiguring my hoses without saying anything. He turns to me and goes 'kid, your valve drill is your lifeline, slow down and own it'. He showed me his trick of taping the reserve knob at a 45 degree angle so you feel it in thick gloves. Ive been doing that on every dive since and it changed how smooth my checks go. Anyone else got a small tip from a vet that just stuck with you?

1 comments

1 Comment

david_stone14d ago

Wait, taping the reserve knob at 45 degrees actually works for you in thick gloves? I always thought that was just some old timer superstition, figured you'd just feel the knob anyway if you paid attention. But honestly, after reading this, I get it now. I used to rush my valve drill like it was a race, especially on a choppy surface, and I'd fumble around with my fingers trying to find the knob. That little angle trick probably saves you a solid 10 seconds of searching, which sounds small but means everything when you're on a live job and the pressure is on. Now I'm kinda kicking myself for not listening to the old guys sooner, they usually know what they're talking about. I'm definitely stealing that one for my next rig.