Was working on a bridge pier inspection. 45 feet down. Old latex seal started leaking bad. Swapped to a silicone one from a guy at the dive shop. Lasted the whole 6 hour shift no issues. Anyone else make the switch and notice a difference?
I just got back from a 3 week rotation near Grand Isle and I gotta say, everyone talks about the big paydays but nobody mentions the constant 2am callouts for the smallest stuff. I pulled in $22k for that hitch but I slept maybe 4 hours a night because the super wanted us running bell every time a current changed. Anyone else feel like the North Sea operators treat you more like a person?
I was doing a hull inspection on a tanker last Thursday and my flag mount just broke clean off in the current... lost the whole assembly over the side. Had to finish the dive with just a surface float and a handheld light. Anyone had a mount fail on them like that and found a brand that holds up better?
Got it from a guy on Craigslist in Tampa last month, said it was 'lightly used.' First dive down to 60 feet and the exhaust valve started leaking like crazy, flooded my face. Had to surface and call it a day, lost the whole job. Anyone else get burned buying used gear online?
Honestly, back in 2005 I had to pick between sticking with scuba gear or getting trained on surface-supplied systems. I went with scuba because it was cheaper and I knew it already. After about 6 months working oil rigs in the Gulf, I realized I was missing out on deeper jobs that paid double. Switched over to surface-supplied in 2006 and it took me a full year to feel comfortable with the umbilical and comms. Has anyone else made a similar gear choice that set them back a bit?
Bought it off some random Facebook group and the visor seal failed at 45 feet after 20 minutes, has anyone else had luck with those cheap imports or am I just an idiot for trusting the deal?
Was doing a hull inspection at the Port of Seattle and my umbilical got twisted up in a mooring line. Took 4 guys and me sitting there like an idiot while we figured it out. How do you guys keep your lines from turning into a rats nest on deck?
I was doing a bridge inspection in 15 feet of water near Portland last spring, and my dry suit started flooding through a pinhole in the wrist seal. Everyone says you need full dry suit cert, but I just kept working in my wetsuit like I've done for years. The water was 55 degrees and I finished the 3 hour job without issue. Has anyone else found that dry suits get way more hype than they deserve for low depth jobs?
I was waiting for a tank fill last Friday at a shop near Galveston and heard this older supervisor tell a rookie "the most dangerous 10 feet of a dive is the first 10 feet after you hit the surface." Never thought about it that way before... it made me realize how many close calls I've had right at the end of a job when everyone's tired and rushing. Has anyone else noticed that post-dive hazards are way more common than you'd expect?
He told me he never trusts a diver who brags about their bottom time because the real pros are the ones who take their time on ascent, and after my last 200-foot job I kind of see what he meant.
I've been using a $40 USD diving mask for three years now. I figured a mask is a mask, right? Then I was on a job in the Gulf last week and a saturation diver named Pete let me try his $300 mask for one dive. The difference in visibility and seal was like night and day. Has anyone else had a piece of gear that you were totally wrong about for years?
I used to think a big dive knife was the way to go for cutting through fishing line and rope. Then a salvage diver I met off Shelter Island showed me how a small blunt-tipped trauma shear cuts way faster and safer, especially when you're working blind. Anyone else make the switch from a big blade to shears?
Old Salty Pete told me to use a standard Kirby Morgan band mask for my first 150-foot dive off the coast of Galveston, said it's all you need. The damn thing fogged up so bad I couldn't see my gauges and had to abort the job 20 minutes in. Anyone else get led astray by someone who's been diving since the 80s and won't update their gear?
I spent last Saturday fixing a buddy's drysuit leak at 80 feet off Fort Lauderdale. His inflator valve had salt creep that made it stick open, so he was dumping air every 30 seconds trying to stay neutral. It took me 15 minutes at the dock to clean it with vinegar and a toothbrush, and he said the difference was night and day for his next dive. Has anyone else had a valve fail on them mid-job?
I tried running hot water during a deep repair on a platform off Grand Isle last month. The suit kept me warm but the umbilical got so tangled in the current I spent half the dive fighting it instead of welding. My buddy was running ambient water and finished his part way faster with no drama. Now I'm wondering if hot water is more of a comfort crutch than a real tool for certain jobs. Anyone else had a job where hot water made things worse instead of better? Or am I just missing something about how to rig it right?
I was working on a bridge pier inspection last month in the Hudson River and the visibility was maybe 6 inches. Total nightmare trying to feel my way around the pilings. A older diver I know told me to try using a garden hose nozzle on my air supply line to blast water sideways instead of straight down. It kicked up way less muck and I could actually see a foot or two after a minute. Has anyone else tried something like that for murky water jobs?
I was on a salvage job in Norfolk a couple years back, using these super neat bowline knots on every lift bag. My supervisor saw the job photos and said 'those look nice but they'll slip under load, you need fisherman's bends with backup.' I'd been doing them the same way for 2 years before that. Swapped to his method next dive and my gear stopped getting hung up on debris. Has anyone else had to unlearn a knot they were dead sure was fine?
Spent the whole morning on a gas riser replacement near Port Fourchon. Zero viz, had to do everything by touch. Took me three tries to get the flange bolts lined up right but I finally felt that seat click into place and the pressure test passed first go. Anyone else have days where the hard work just pays off like that?
Was working a dock inspection in Port Fourchon last month. The client's riser valves were completely silted shut from the dredging work nearby. Tried backflushing with the surface pump for an hour, nothing. Foreman told me to hook a garden hose to the downstream side and run it for 20 minutes before trying the backflush again. Cleared it right out. Saved a full day of pulling risers. Anyone else got a go-to trick for silt buildup on inshore structures?
Used to think dry suits were just an expensive pain to deal with until I did 4 straight weeks of 45 degree water dives up near Bellingham. After the third week I finally dialed in my undergarment layering and realized I wasn't shivering after 2 hours underwater for the first time. Anyone else have a specific setup that finally clicked for them on cold water jobs?
After 500 dives I figured I'd stop making rookie mistakes, but I nearly forgot to check my air on a deep job in Galveston last week. Anyone else hit a milestone and realize they still have blind spots?
I was doing a routine underwater inspection near the Port of Seattle last week when I ran into a simple problem that turned into a whole day. The bolt on a cathodic protection anode was completely seized from years of corrosion and marine growth. I figured I'd use my impact gun and it would pop off in 10 minutes tops. No luck. Tried soaking it in penetrating oil for an hour, still nothing. Ended up having to use a hydraulic cutter to shear it off, which meant a surface trip to get the right tool. By the time I was done and had the new anode mounted, the shift was over and I'd spent 6 hours on one stupid bolt. Anyone else ever have a simple task turn into a massive time sink like that?