c/commercial-divers

Had a close call with a silt out in a New Orleans canal last week

We were doing a simple inspection job, but the bottom was way softer than the charts showed. My buddy kicked up a wall of silt and I lost all visual for a solid two minutes. We had practiced line signals, but feeling that rope go tight in zero vis is a different thing. What's your go-to move when you get caught in a total blackout like that?

My dive partner told me to always double-check my bailout bottle valve, and it saved my neck last month

We were doing a 160 foot inspection on a platform in the Gulf. I was geared up and ready to go, but my partner, this old hand named Carl, stopped me before I hit the water. He pointed at my bailout bottle and said, 'Check that valve again. I saw you turn it, but did you feel it seat?' I was in a hurry, but I did it. Sure enough, it was only a quarter turn open. If I'd needed that gas in a hurry, I would have been sucking on nothing. That simple five second check, which I used to think was overkill, was the difference between a normal dive and a real bad day. It's stuck with me. What's one piece of simple advice you got that you almost ignored, but ended up being a lifesaver?

Just changed my mind about using a standard lift bag for a small salvage job after a close call in the Cooper River.

I was bringing up a 150-pound outboard motor and the bag started to spin wildly in the current, almost hitting me, so now I always rig a tag line from the surface for any lift, no matter how small the load.

Just hit 500 hours on my new drysuit and the wrist seals are still perfect

I mean, I was fully expecting to replace them after maybe 300 hours, especially with all the steel work we've been doing. I've been logging every dive in a book since I got it, and when I added it up yesterday I was shocked. The key seems to be the talc and careful rolling technique my old dive partner showed me in Seattle. I do it the exact same way every single time I suit up. Has anyone else gotten way more life out of a seal than they thought possible?

Got stuck for three hours on a simple bolt because of a stripped nut

Was on a job in the Gulf last week, doing a basic inspection on a platform leg. Had to remove a small access panel, just four bolts, no big deal. The first three came off fine, but the fourth nut was totally rounded off, probably from some old corrosion. Thought it would be a quick fix with some vice grips, but nothing worked. Ended up having to carefully cut it off with a hacksaw in tight quarters, fighting the current the whole time. What should have been a 10 minute job turned into over three hours of messing around. What's your go-to method for dealing with a rounded bolt underwater when you can't just torch it?

TIL a trick for clearing silt in zero vis on the Mississippi

Got stuck in a total blackout trying to find a valve, so I tied a small garden sprayer to my umbilical and gave it a few pumps. The jet of water cut a clear line right to the target in about 30 seconds. What's your go-to move when you can't see your hand in front of your face?

A simple trick from a bridge inspection in Portland changed how I handle my comms line

I was under the Willamette River last fall, doing a routine check on the Steel Bridge footings. My comms cable got caught on a piece of rebar, and my tender on the surface couldn't hear me for a full minute. After that, I started clipping a small carabiner from my tool belt to the line every 15 feet as a quick visual marker. It lets me see at a glance if the line is running clean or starting to snag. Anyone else have a little trick like that for keeping your umbilical tidy?

Appreciation post for the backup O-ring kit I keep in my truck

My primary comms cable fitting started weeping on a hull cleaning job in Tampa Bay yesterday. The spare from the kit got me through the rest of the shift without losing contact with topside. What's the one piece of backup gear that has saved you recently?

Had a regulator free flow at 80 feet on a bridge inspection job

This happened last Tuesday on the Columbia River job. I was checking a pier, everything normal, then my primary just started dumping air. Full free flow, that loud hiss right in your ear. I used to think the first step was to hit the purge button hard, that's what an old boss told me. But that just made it worse this time. I switched to my backup, got my breathing sorted, and then tapped the first stage with my knife handle. That fixed it, just a bit of grit stuck in the seat. The whole thing was over in maybe 30 seconds, but it felt longer down there. It made me change my mind about always going for the purge first in a panic. Anyone have a different trick for a sudden free flow?

PSA: That 'simple' hydraulic line flush on the crane barge took us 8 hours

Everyone said it was a two hour job, but a tiny piece of O-ring lodged in a check valve had us pulling the whole manifold. We finally got it with a fiber optic borescope and a homemade hook. Anyone have a better trick for finding debris in a closed hydraulic loop?

Saw a diver skip his pre-dive comms check and it almost cost him big time

I was working a job on a barge in the Gulf last week, and the diver next to me was suiting up. He got his hat on, gave a thumbs up to the tender, and started to go over. The tender stopped him and asked for a comms check. The diver just waved him off, saying 'it was fine yesterday.' The tender insisted, and sure enough, his mic was totally dead, just static. If he'd gone down with zero comms on that murky bottom, we'd have had a real problem. I've seen this lazy thinking before, and it's how bad things happen. You can't assume gear from one day is good for the next, especially something as basic as talking. Has anyone else had to push back on a crew member skipping a basic safety step like that?

Why does almost every new diver I see in the Gulf rush their pre-dive gear check?

I was working a salvage job off Pensacola last week and watched a guy from another crew almost jump in with his comms cable not fully seated in the helmet connector. It was just a loose quarter turn, but that's a flooded helmet waiting to happen. How do you drill that habit into new guys without sounding like you're nagging them?

Just read a report that said 80% of our gear fails in the first 5 years

I was looking at a safety study from the ADCI the other day. It said about 80% of all dive gear, from knives to comms, needs major repair or gets replaced before it hits five years old. I always thought my stuff would last longer if I just rinsed it good. The report broke it down by part, and lights/comm units were the worst. It made me go check all my own kit dates. Has anyone else seen this and started a stricter replacement schedule?

My old dive partner in Seattle said he'd rather work with a rookie who listens than a vet who won't.

We were talking about a tough salvage job last month, and he said a 20-year diver almost got them in trouble by ignoring the dive plan. It made me think hard about crew picks. Do you take the greenhorn who follows orders or the salty dog who might go off script?

Just logged my 100th hour in zero-vis harbor water

I was working a regular hull cleaning job in Norfolk and my dive computer hit the number after a muddy bottom sweep. It really hit me how much of this job is pure feel and memory when you can't see your hand in front of your face. How do you guys mentally prep for those long zero-vis shifts?

Update: A salvage job in Mobile Bay last week changed my mind on using lift bags alone.

We were pulling up a small engine block in about 90 feet of water, and I had two 500-pound bags on it. The current picked up hard, and the whole thing started to spin like a top, almost hitting the hull. Three years ago on a calm lake job, I would have said bags are fine. Now I think you need a guide line to the surface no matter what, just to keep control. Anyone else run into this with a strong tidal pull?

Just wasted $350 on a 'budget' dive light that flooded at 60 feet

Bought a $400 heated vest for a cold water job and it was a game changer

Honestly, I was working a salvage job in Lake Michigan last month and the water was way colder than forecast. I grabbed this heated vest on a whim from a dive shop near the dock. It ran me about $400, but it plugs right into my suit's power feed. Tbh, I could stay down for almost an hour longer without getting that core chill that makes your hands useless. Anyone else found a piece of gear that seriously extended your bottom time?

Spent $800 on a heated vest for winter harbor work and it's a total game changer

I got the Damen Diving one after a buddy said it was worth it. Working in Boston harbor last month, the water was 38 degrees and I stayed warm for a full 4 hour shift. My hands didn't get stiff, so I could actually work the tools right. What's the best cold water gear you guys have bought?

Appreciation post: I was sure that new wireless comms unit was just a gimmick, but it saved my bacon on a murky harbor job yesterday

A crusty old diver in Galveston told me to pack my drysuit seals with silicone grease every month, and after my last dive in 45 degree water, I'm glad I listened.

I thought it was overkill until my neck seal started leaking on a 3 hour job in Lake Michigan last week, and now I'm asking what other simple upkeep tricks I've been missing.

My primary light flooded at 90 feet during a night hull clean in Tampa Bay.

I switched to my backup, finished the job by feel, and now I double-check every O-ring seal before a night dive, what's your go-to pre-dive light check?

I finally hit 500 hours on my Kirby Morgan hat and the number threw me

Just got the service report back from the shop in Morgan City. I bought it used three years ago and figured I was maybe halfway there. It's not just a number, it's every minute of bottom time, every cold deco stop, every time I trusted it to keep me breathing. Makes you think about all the gear we rely on without a second thought. How do you guys track your major gear hours and decide when to really start worrying?

Had a real bad time with a grout bag on a bridge job in Savannah last month

We were doing a concrete patch on the pilings, about 20 feet down. The grout mix was too thick and the bag nozzle kept clogging. My dive partner topside kept adding water, but then it got too runny and just washed away in the current. We wasted three full bags before we got the mix right. How do you guys deal with mixing grout for underwater work when the specs from the engineer just don't seem to work in the real water?

I finally switched from my old neoprene drysuit to a trilaminate one after a job in Puget Sound last winter.

The water was 42 degrees and I realized I was spending half my energy just shivering, which messed with my deco stops. Anyone else make a gear change that seriously improved your bottom time?