🐿️Pinecone Attack

c/commercial-divers

10

kevin_roberts41•4h ago

Rant: My old regulator setup froze solid on a job in Lake Superior last January

I used to run a standard twin-hose reg with no dry-air kit, thinking it was fine for cold work. After 45 minutes in 34-degree water my second stage started free-flowing bad and I had to cut the dive short. Anyone else switch to a heated or dry-air reg after a close call in cold temps?

3

linda_mason82•17d ago

Remember cutting steel with a torch and a prayer?

Used to burn through 10 tanks of oxy-acetylene a week on a pier job in Boston back in 2009, now I just grab my hydraulic shear and slice through 3 inch steel in under a minute, how do you guys handle the switch to newer gear without losing the old feel for the metal?

4

abby_martin28•18d ago

That time a seal stole my fin off the boat in Newfoundland

I was working a harbor inspection job up in St. John's last fall and left my gear on the gunnel while I was suiting up. This big gray seal just swam right up, grabbed my fin by the strap, and took off with it like it was a toy. My buddy got it on video and the client still brings it up every time we see them. Has anyone else had wildlife mess with their gear while on the surface?

4

wyattbennett•19d ago

Debate: Air lift bag went sideways on me in Puget Sound

I was working on a pier repair job near Seattle last month. My lift bag snagged on a piece of rebar at 40 feet and started tilting bad, really throwing off my buoyancy. I had to dump air quick and swim clear before it pinned me against the piling. Did I handle it right by aborting the lift, or should I have tried to free it with a knife while it was still under tension? What would you guys do in that spot?

24

hannahs71•20d ago

Almost lost a finger to a bad drysuit zipper last week

I was on a job near Seattle last Tuesday, about 20 feet down in the harbor, when my drysuit zipper started failing. It wasn't a slow leak, it was a sudden pop and then cold water just poured in. I had to abort the dive real fast and surface, but the zipper got stuck halfway up my chest. I was fighting with it for a good 3 minutes before I got it sealed again by using a zip tie I always keep in my pocket kit. My buddy Dave had the same thing happen 3 years ago off the coast of Maine, and he ended up with hypothermia because he couldn't get his suit closed in time. I'm thinking of replacing my suit's zipper with a heavy-duty metal one instead of this plastic junk. Has anyone else had a zipper go bad mid-dive like that?

20

blair_davis50•21d ago

First time I tried a Kirby Morgan band mask instead of a full face...

Ive been diving for about 8 years now mostly oil rig work in the Gulf. Always used a full face mask never thought twice about it. Last month my buddy let me borrow his band mask for a inspection job off Louisiana. Figured itd be fine. First hour was great felt lighter. But around hour 3 the seal started leaking every time I tilted my head up to check something. Wasted like 20 minutes fighting with it before I just swapped back. Guess Im stuck in my ways. Anyone else have bad luck switching gear like that?

25

the_miles•22d ago

Had to choose between a Kirby Morgan band mask and a neck dam for cold water work in Alaska last month

I took a job on a dock up in Valdez in February and couldn't decide if I should use my Kirby Morgan 37 with a band mask or switch to a neck dam setup. My buddy Dave swore by the neck dam for colder temps but I went with the band mask because I hate dealing with fogging. First dive at 34 degrees and the neck seal leaked a little which made me second guess my choice. Anyone else run into this problem deciding for freezing conditions?

18

faith_schmidt•23d ago

Near miss with a downed line off Louisiana taught me a hard lesson about checking currents twice

Last month I was on a job about 12 miles out from Grand Isle, doing an inspection on a platform leg. The surface current looked fine when we dropped, but 30 feet down it was ripping hard and pushed me straight into a loose cathodic protection cable. That cable wrapped around my umbilical and started pulling me sideways before I could signal topside. I got cut free after maybe 20 seconds, but it felt like an hour. Now I always pull a current profile with a drogue line before I even suit up. Has anyone else had a close call from something stupid like a stray cable or line?

23

the_joel•23d ago

Almost lost a job last month to a bad umbilical splice

I was working off a dive boat near Port Fourchon last week when my comms went dead at 60 feet. Turned out the splice I'd done three months ago had corroded inside the boot. Anyone else double-checking their cable connections more often now?

11

riverwhite•23d ago

Old timer showed me a trick with a half hitched line to keep my comms gear from swinging into the wreck

Was deco hanging on a buoy line off the coast of Louisiana and a 20-year veteran on the boat just reached over and wrapped a knot that stopped my helmet from banging against the steel all day, anyone else had a simple knot save your setup?

14

michael880•23d ago

Had to pick between a Kirby Morgan hard hat and a cheaper import for my first helmet buy

I was saving up for months and finally had enough for a used KM 37, but a buddy offered me a new Chinese knockoff for half the price. I went with the KM because I figured resale value would hold better and parts are everywhere. Three months in and I have no regrets, but I still wonder if the extra cash was worth it for a starter setup. Any of you guys go cheap first and regret it?

16

oliver242•25d ago

Had to pick between a drysuit and a wetsuit for a wreck dive last week

I was supposed to dive a 100-foot wreck off the coast of Maine and my drysuit had a leaky wrist seal... so I grabbed an old 7mm wetsuit instead. Figured I'd just tough it out for the 20 minutes on the bottom but I was shivering so bad by the time I surfaced I could barely sign my logs. Any of you guys ever tried a wetsuit in near-freezing water and regretted it?

7

brian303•26d ago

Shoutout to the welder who fixed my grinder on a job in Port Arthur

I was on a pipeline repair last month in Port Arthur and my angle grinder died halfway through a cut. A welder on the crew had it running again in ten minutes with just a screwdriver and a zip tie. Anybody else ever had a random guy save your day with a quick fix like that?

1

faithb74•28d ago

Got tangled in a sling line off Port Fourchon last Tuesday...

Last Tuesday I was doing a routine inspection on a platform leg near Port Fourchon, nothing crazy, just checking for marine growth and corrosion. I had my sling line set up perfect, but then a supply boat came through and kicked up the current... my line wrapped right around a loose cable from a previous job. Took me 20 minutes to get untangled, all while my air was running low because I was down at 80 feet. The visibility went to crap too, maybe 2 feet max, so I couldn't even see what I was doing. My tender was yelling at me on the comms but I couldn't hear half of it over the bubbles. Has anyone else run into abandoned cables or loose gear left on a job site? How do you deal with it?

12

stellat87•29d ago

Old air hose habits I finally kicked after a nasty close call

For years I used to just coil my air hose up wet after a dive, thinking it saved time. Last summer off the coast of Galveston, I grabbed my regs for a 60 foot job and the o-rings were all dried out and cracked. I almost had a free-flow underwater that could have been real bad if I didn't catch it quick. Now I make sure to rinse everything with fresh water and hang the hose up to dry in the shop overnight. I even bought a dedicated hose rack from a dive supply place for like 40 bucks. My gear lasts way longer and I don't get that panicked feeling before a descent. Has anyone else switched up their post-dive routine after a close call?

16

jakerivera•29d ago

Wasted $350 on a cheap drysuit zipper repair kit

I figured I'd save a buck and bought this off-brand zipper repair kit from a dive shop in Louisiana. It failed on my second dive in 45 degree water, and I had to abort the whole job. The shop charged me another $200 to put in a legit zipper after that. Anyone else tried to cheap out on gear and learned the hard way?

14

stellat87•29d ago

Hot water vs cold water for drysuit valves - which side are you on?

Last Tuesday on a job in Portland harbor, I spent 20 minutes stuck in a freeze-up because I always use cold water to flush my exhaust valve, but the old-timer I was with swears by warm water to prevent ice. Which method do you run and have you ever had a valve seize mid-dive?

14

bencampbell•1mo ago

Rant: Why I stopped using the top-of-the-line Kirby Morgan band masks

I used to swear by the KM Band masks, thought they were the only way to go for deep work. Then I was on a job in the Gulf last month, 120 feet down on a pipeline inspection, and my buddy had a neck-dam style mask. He switched out his comms in under two minutes while I was still fiddling with my straps. That one moment on the deck, watching him just pop his mic in, made me realize the band system isn't always faster. I've since grabbed a neck-dam for shallow stuff and I'm not looking back. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a difference in your setup time?

27

vera_dixon89•1mo ago

Just hit 1000 logged dives and found something wild in my logbook

I was going through my old paper logbook from back when I started in 2018 and noticed my first 50 dives averaged 12 minutes longer than my last 50 dives. Has anyone else seen their bottom times shrink like that as they got more efficient?

26

faithb74•1mo ago

Serious question, got a tip from an old saturation diver in Morgan City

I was working a job in Morgan City a few years back, tied up at the dock waiting on gear. An old saturation diver, probably mid-60s, saw me struggling with a stuck valve on a crossover hose. He walked over and said "son, get a strap wrench and some dish soap, not the fancy lube they sell." He showed me how to wet the threads with soap before reassembly, let it sit 5 minutes. That hose never gave me trouble again for the rest of the season. I still keep a bottle of Dawn in my tool box to this day. Has anyone else had a random tip from a vet diver that just stuck with you?

11

abby836•1mo ago

Diving in the Gulf without a comms box back in the 80s

I got my start diving in the Gulf of Mexico around 1984. Back then we used hardwire comms from a topside box that weighed maybe 40 pounds. You had to run a physical cable down the umbilical and if it snagged on a platform leg, you lost communication for a few minutes until you sorted it out. Now I work mostly inland and use a wireless diver communication unit that clips right onto my harness. The unit costs about $300 and works clear for a hundred feet underwater. The old way taught you patience but I sure don't miss hauling that heavy box around. Has anyone else seen the switch from wired to wireless on their jobs?

3

riverwhite•1mo ago

Warning: That 'quick release' clamp I got from the harbor freight in Norfolk let go on my dive basket at 40 feet yesterday

It was holding my spare air tank and the whole rig dropped toward the bottom before I grabbed the lanyard in time, has anyone else had these fail on them underwater?

6

parker_foster53•1mo ago

Had a drysuit zipper blow out at 60 feet off the coast of San Diego last month

I was doing a standard inspection dive on a pier piling about 20 minutes into the bottom time when I felt a weird tug at my chest. Looked down and saw the zipper on my drysuit had popped open about three inches. Water started flooding in fast and I couldn't get it sealed back up. I signaled my tender topside and started a controlled emergency ascent, but I was shivering hard by the time I hit the surface. Got back on the boat and my buddy had to peel me out of the suit because my hands were shaking too bad. The zipper was a 10 year old brass YKK that I'd been meaning to replace for months. Has anyone else had a zipper go bad on them during a dive and how did you handle the situation?

14

tyler368•1mo ago

Hot take: Kirby 17 vs. SuperLite 17 on a 90-foot repair job

I had to choose between using a Kirby Morgan 17 and a SuperLite 17 for a pilothouse repair off Galveston last month. Picked the K17 and ended up with neck strain after 5 hours of work because the battery pack kept shifting the weight. Has anyone else had that issue, or am I just not used to it yet?

6

thompson.christopher•1mo ago

Kirby Morgan vs. Desco band mask on a 60-foot barge job

I ran a Desco band mask for three months off Port Fourchon and switched to a Kirby Morgan 37 last week. The difference in communication clarity was night and day, I could actually hear the crane operator without yelling. Anyone else make the switch and notice a big jump in comms quality?