The one thing most guys overlook on their dive helmets is the exhaust valve seal

I was working a job off the coast of San Diego last month, swapping out anodes on a pier support, and my helmet started leaking like crazy at 35 feet. I checked the neck dam, the faceport, everything seemed fine. Turns out the exhaust valve seal had a tiny crack in it, probably from UV damage or just old age. My supervisor, a guy named Dave who's been diving since the 80s, told me most divers only clean the outside of their Kirby Morgan hats and never pop the exhaust valve apart. He showed me how to do it, and I found a bunch of sand and silt trapped behind the seal too. Now I'm checking that seal before every single dive, and I've already caught two more helmets with the same issue. Has anyone else run into this problem with their preferred brand of helmet, or am I just working with beat-up gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabeth9001mo ago

Saw a Coast Guard report about this exact problem.

danielb431mo ago

Stopped me cold when you mentioned sand and silt behind the exhaust seal. I clean my hat after every trip but never thought to pull that valve apart, and now I'm wondering what's hiding inside mine. Going to check it before my next night shift ends and I head to the boat later this week.

faithwalker17d ago

Read a report from a marine mechanic up in the Chesapeake who pulled one of those apart after a guy kept losing power. Found a whole nest of mud dauber wasps in there. @danielb43, you're smart to check it.