Lost my knife over the side in Port of Houston on a 20-foot viz day

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?

2 comments

2 Comments

umab351d ago

Magnet trick is solid but you gotta be careful with the setup. Some magnets aren't strong enough for the bottom, especially if there's silt or muck in the way. A neodymium one on a chain works way better than a cheap bar magnet.

thomas_roberts3h ago

...and that magnet trick really is the way to go, but what @umab35 said about the neodymium ones is totally on point. I had a cheap harbor freight magnet snap right off the chain when I was sweeping for a lost flashlight, and I ended up having to buy a new magnet too. It sucks losing gear like that, especially when it's a favorite piece of kit like your Hogue. I've been there where you're fighting the bottom time and the current, and every second feels like you're watching your money float away. Glad you got it back though, those 45 minutes of hunting feel like forever when your air is dropping.