robert_bennett29•2mo agoProlific Poster

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?

3 comments

3 Comments

brown.susan2mo ago

Yeah, the "pure feel and memory" thing is real. I do a lot of sewer line inspections and it's the same blackout conditions. You just learn the exact number of hand-over-hand pulls to get to a junction.

the_sage2mo ago

Used to believe tech made that kind of skill outdated. Reading about your sewer line work totally flipped my view. It shows some jobs just build a physical map in your head that gadgets can't replace. That muscle memory from doing the same pull over and over is its own kind of knowledge. Makes perfect sense why you'd trust the feel after a while.

patricia38523d ago

And I totally get that, it's the same way with some of the old electrical panels I've worked on. You just know by the weight of the pull and the way the cable feels when it's about to get a little stuck that you're at the third junction box or whatever. My first few times I was counting out loud and marking the cable with tape, but after a while your hands just remember the rhythm of it. It's funny how your body can learn a route like that before your brain even catches up.