Unpopular opinion: My old surface supplied helmet felt fine until I tried a Kirby Morgan EXO-BR

I was using a basic helmet for a job in the Gulf last month, and the comms were always fuzzy with that old cable. Switched to the EXO-BR for a 4-hour inspection dive and the difference was night and day. The airflow was smoother, the voice was crystal clear, and it just felt lighter on my neck by the end of the shift. I didn't realize how much extra effort I was putting into just hearing and breathing down there. What's the one piece of gear you upgraded that you now can't work without?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma4091mo ago

My dive buddy said his old helmet comms sounded like a tin can on a string.

park.robin1mo ago

The old gear just grinds you down over time. My old hat had a leak in the neck dam that would give me a cold shower every time I tilted my head. Upgrading to a proper seal changed everything. What was your biggest hassle before you switched?

jordan_young28d ago

The biggest hassle for me before upgrading was the fin straps. Every dive I'd have to stop and retighten them at least twice because they'd slip loose. One time I lost a fin mid descent during a night dive and had to swim back up in the dark to find it. Not fun at all. @uma409 knows all about bad gear moments but fin issues are a whole different kind of frustration because you're stuck floating around helpless until you fix it. Those old spring straps that come with cheap fins just don't hold up and they'll ruin your whole trip if you're not careful. Switching to a proper buckle system was the best move I ever made for peace of mind.