Old timer told me to start with a lighter weight on my bailout bottle

I was doing a salvage job off the coast of Port Townsend last summer and this guy who's been diving since the 80s kept telling me to swap out my 80 cubic foot bailout for a 40. I thought he was crazy because what if something goes wrong and I need the extra air. Well last month I had a valve issue on my main gas at 90 feet and trying to kick up with that heavy 80 on my side was brutal. I barely made it to the deco stop and my legs were cramping like crazy by the time I hit the surface. Next day I went and bought a 40 and now I get why he said lighter is safer for most work. Has anyone else had a close call because they were carrying too much extra weight on their rig?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly_miller801mo ago

Buddy of mine nearly drowned hauling a heavy tank up from a wreck.

amyr571mo ago

My dad worked salvage on the Great Lakes back in the 70s and told me about a buddy who tried to lift a 200-pound anchor chain by himself. The chain shifted and pinned his leg to the bottom for a good two minutes before another diver got him free. He was lucky he didn't drown, but he never dove alone again after that.