Dropped $400 on a Kirby Morgan mask retrofit kit, and it actually saved my hearing

I been diving for about six years now, mostly on inland jobs like bridge inspections and dam work. Last month I finally bit the bullet and bought a full MK2 communication retrofit kit for my old KM 37. Cost me around $400 from the dive shop in Baton Rouge. Honestly I was pissed at myself for spending that much on something I thought was just a fancy speaker upgrade. But on my third job with it, I was working near a massive hydroelectric turbine that was just humming and vibrating like crazy. The noise canceling in that headset let me actually hear my topside tender clearly for the first time in years. My ears weren't ringing after a six hour shift either. Has anyone else tried those aftermarket comms kits or am I just late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina8341mo ago

Oh absolutely, I put one of those on my old mask last year and wondered why I waited so long too.

jennifer_fisher1mo ago

...and my friend Sarah did the exact same thing @nina834. She kept complaining about her old mask leaking air and fogging up her glasses for months. I finally told her to just get that silicone frame thing and she rolled her eyes at me like I was overcomplicating it. A week later she texted me a photo of her mask with the new frame installed and said "why did I fight this for so long?" She said the difference was like night and day, no more adjusting every five minutes. Now she's the one telling everyone at work to do it too. It's funny how we all resist these little upgrades until we finally try them.