Blew a hose connection 60 feet down last Tuesday and learned a hard lesson

I was doing a hull inspection on a barge in Portland harbor around 2pm when my pneumo hose fitting let go. Water started creeping up my mask and I had to emergency surface way too fast. Turns out I hadn't checked the o-ring on that connection since I replaced it back in March. Three years ago I would have blamed the gear but now I know it's on me for skipping pre-dive checks. Any of you guys do a full fitting inspection every morning or am I the only one who got lazy?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_aaron1d ago

Man that sucks but I'm right there with you. I blew a fitting on my truck's hydraulic pump last summer and it cost me a whole day of work and a tow bill. I got lazy too after years of doing it right every time. Now I make myself check all the connections every Monday morning before I even start the engine. It feels like a pain but it beats scrambling to fix something broken sixty feet down or stranded on the side of the road. You are definitely not the only one who let the little stuff slide.

simon_black1d ago

Did you catch that recent post on r/Justrolledintotheshop about the crane operator who skipped his daily fluid check and ended up with a hydraulic cylinder blowout? The guy said he'd been doing it for years without issue, then one day the ram just let go and the boom dropped halfway down. He was lucky nobody was under it. It's wild how fast that kind of laziness catches up with you. I bet that Monday morning check of yours has saved you from a similar headache more than once.