c/commercial-divers

TIL my old way of checking my bailout bottle was a huge risk

For years, I'd just glance at the gauge on deck and call it good. Last month in Tampa, my tender pointed out I hadn't done a full function test in weeks. Now I always do a full pressure check and regulator breath before every splash, no matter how short the job. It takes two minutes and could save my life. How often do you guys actually test your bailout, not just look at it?

I finally listened to my dive buddy about the harbor current in Tacoma

He said to wait an extra 20 minutes after the tide chart said slack, and sure enough, the water was dead calm when we went in. Anyone else have a local spot where the charts are just plain wrong?

Always thought those fancy dive computers were just for show until my old watch died on a deep job.

I was working a salvage op off the Florida Keys, about 120 feet down, and my analog depth gauge just stopped. Completely fogged up. I had to buddy breathe with my partner to get back up safely, and it was a real wake-up call. The next week, I bit the bullet and got a Shearwater Perdix. The first time I used it, seeing my exact deco stops and real-time gas time left on the screen changed my whole view. It's not about being flashy, it's about having clear, live data when you can't afford a guess. That thing paid for itself in one job by helping me plan my bottom time better. Anyone else have a piece of gear they swore was overkill until it saved your skin?

Had a regulator free-flow at 90 feet on a bridge piling job in Mobile Bay last Tuesday.

Can we talk about using a zip tie as a temporary fin strap keeper?

My fin strap snapped on a job in Mobile Bay last month, and I looped a heavy duty zip tie through the buckle as a field fix that actually held for the whole 2 hour dive. Anyone have a better quick fix they keep in their kit?

I got a lot of flak for using a bicycle inner tube on a hose clamp, but it saved a job.

We were on a salvage job in the Gulf, and the standard clamp on a high-pressure water jet hose kept slipping. Everyone said to wait for the proper part, but I cut a short piece from a spare bike tube I had in my truck. I wrapped it under the clamp to add grip. It held for the full two days we needed to finish the cut. Has anyone else had to improvise a fix like that when the right gear was hours away?

A deckhand in Galveston told me something that clicked last week

We were rigging a lift bag on a murky bottom, maybe 80 feet down, and I was fumbling with the shackle. He just tapped my arm, pointed at my glove, and said, 'Your thumb is on the wrong side of the pin.' I flipped my hand over, and it slid right in. It was such a simple fix, but in the cold and the dark, you miss the obvious stuff. Anyone have a tiny tip like that that just made a job go smooth?

Showerthought: The difference a year of silt makes on a bridge piling

We did a survey on the same set of pilings under the I-10 bridge in Mobile last year and again last week. The before and after was wild, a whole foot of soft silt built up in just 12 months. It was like diving into a giant bowl of chocolate pudding, visibility went from 15 feet to about 6 inches in that layer. Anyone else had a job where the site changed way more than you expected between visits?

Cleaned my first hull solo last week in Tampa Bay

It was a 45-foot sailboat, and I managed to finish the whole job in under four hours. Anyone have tips for dealing with thick barnacle patches on fiberglass?

Finally gave those heated dive hood liners a shot after years of thinking they were overkill

My old crew in Seattle swore by them, but I always figured my 7mm was enough. Did a 45 minute inspection dive in 42 degree water last month with one and my head wasn't numb for the first time ever. Anyone have a brand they actually trust not to fail underwater?

My kid asked why we still use the old dive tables instead of a computer.

Had a close call with a silt out in a Florida canal last week

We were doing a simple inspection on a canal gate near Miami, maybe 30 feet down. The bottom was just soft mud and the viz was okay, maybe 10 feet. I turned to check a weld and my fin must have hit the bottom just right, because the whole world went dark brown in about two seconds. Couldn't see my hand in front of my face. My umbilical line got tangled on some old rebar I hadn't seen. I froze for a second, which is the worst thing you can do. I just focused on my breathing, felt my way down the umbilical to the snag, and got it free. Told topside I was coming up on the line and did a slow, controlled ascent. It felt like forever but was probably only a minute. Anyone else have a simple job go sideways that fast from a silt cloud?

Warning: a cheap harbor light almost got me stuck under a barge in Mobile

I grabbed a $30 backup light for a quick hull check last week, and the thing just died at 40 feet, leaving me in total blackness under the structure. I had to feel my way back to the drop line by touch, which was a real bad time. Anyone have a go-to brand for a solid, cheap backup light that won't quit on you?

My dive partner in Seattle said my umbilical checks were way too fast

He timed me at 45 seconds when it should be a full 2 minutes, and I missed a tiny cut on the main hose. Anyone else get lazy on the pre-dive check?

Showerthought: The visibility at the Port of Tacoma has gone from 2 feet to 15 feet in a year

They finally started enforcing the new sediment runoff rules for the construction project on the east side. I can actually see my gauges now without my backup light. Anyone else notice a big change in their usual dive spots lately?

Changed my mind about using a standard dive knife for everything

I was working a salvage job in the Gulf, cutting through some old netting wrapped around a prop. My knife got stuck, and I had to yank it hard to free it. The dive supervisor topside said over the com, 'Carter, you're fighting that thing like it's a machete. That's a prying job for shears.' He was right, I was using the wrong tool. I bought a pair of trauma shears the next day and they slice through line and netting way faster. Anyone else have a go-to tool they switched to for a specific job?

A weird thing I noticed about my drysuit zipper after a job in Seattle

Three years ago on a cold water job in Puget Sound, my main zipper started to feel stiff halfway through the dive, but I just figured it was the cold. Last week, I was cleaning my gear and saw a tiny bit of green corrosion right where the slider meets the teeth, and I realized salt had been getting trapped there for years without a proper rinse. How often do you guys actually take apart the slider to clean it, or am I just bad at gear care?

That $800 dive light I bought for a salvage job in Lake Michigan

I was working a deep salvage op in Lake Michigan last fall, and the vis was maybe two feet on a good day. My old light was fine for inspections, but this was different. I bit the bullet and got a specific 1000-lumen canister light for about $800. On the third day, we found the target tangled in old fishing nets in 150 feet of murk. That beam cut through the gloom like nothing else, letting me see the rigging points clearly. Anyone have a go-to light for zero-vis freshwater work?

Hot take: I always thought the 'wrap your umbilical around your thigh' trick for river currents was just old-timer talk, but getting spun around near a dam intake in Pittsburgh last week made me try it.

That single wrap gave me just enough extra leverage to keep my hose bundle from getting sucked into the grate, so has anyone else got a weird trick that actually saved your gear or your hide?

Just got back from a job on the Columbia River near Astoria and the current was way stronger than the charts said

We were doing some hull cleaning on a barge and the flow meter showed 4.2 knots at 30 feet, but the forecast said 2.8. Some guys on the crew think we should always add a 1.5 knot safety factor to any river chart now. Others say that's overkill and we just got unlucky with a weird tide push. What's your rule for dealing with bad current data?

A chat with a harbor seal made me question my whole comms setup

I was on a simple hull clean in Seattle last week, just me and my scrubber. This big harbor seal kept popping up next to my helmet, staring right into my faceplate. I swear, after the third time, I just said out loud, 'What's up, buddy?' over the comms. My tender, Dave, comes back with, 'You know he can't hear you, right? Your mic is internal.' It hit me that I talk to myself on dives way more than I realized, just because the comms are always open. Has anyone else caught themselves having full one-sided conversations down there?

Tried a different way to keep my comms cable from snagging on a pier job

Working under a busy marina dock last month, my surface comms line kept getting caught on every barnacle-crusted piling. After the third time I had to surface to free it, I was losing my mind and daylight. I grabbed a cheap pool noodle from a nearby store, cut a slit down its length, and wrapped about 15 feet of the cable in it. It floated the line just enough to keep it off the structure. Finished the inspection in one go after that. Anyone have a better method for dealing with lines in heavy overhead clutter?

TIL my choice between a $500 inspection job and a 3-day salvage gig cost me a lot more than I thought.

Honestly, I took the quick inspection cash last week, but then the salvage crew found a bonus payout in the wreck that would've covered my rent for two months, so has anyone else ever picked wrong on a job like that?

Hot take: My old way of cleaning a hull was just dumb

Back when I started, my method for a big hull clean in Seattle was to just go down with a scraper and a brush and start scrubbing like a maniac. I'd be down there for like 4 hours, come up exhausted, and the boat captain would always say, 'You missed a spot.' It was a total mess. What changed was a job last fall on a 60-foot yacht. This old timer on the dock saw me gearing up and said, 'Kid, you're gonna wear yourself out. Start at the stern and work in strips, like mowing a lawn.' I tried it, and it cut my time in half. Now I use a grid pattern with a reference line, and I don't miss a single barnacle. Has anyone else had a simple tip that saved your butt on a basic job?

Serious question, did anyone else see the harbor in Galveston get way worse for viz this year?

Back in March I could see maybe 15 feet doing hull inspections, but now after the big storms it's like working in chocolate milk, maybe 2 feet if you're lucky. The boss still wants the same number of dives done per day. How are you guys dealing with this when you can't see your hand in front of your face?