Old timer in Port Fourchon told me to replace my drysuit zipper every 18 months, I ignored him

I figured he was just trying to sell me something, so I pushed my zipper to 3 years on a job near Grand Isle. Then it failed at 70 feet during a current, and I spent an hour in freezing water waiting for a standby diver to hand me a backup. Anybody else learned that lesson the hard way or was it just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.reese23h ago

That zipper failure at depth, did the whole thing just let go at once or did it start leaking first? I had a buddy on a job out of the Gulf who ignored the same advice for two years, and when his zipper gave out at 60 feet it was like a blowout, just instant flood down his chest. The old timers say 18 months because that's about when the rubber around the teeth starts getting micro cracks from the salt and flexing, you cant see it but it's already weakened. After my own close call I just started marking the installation date on the inside of the suit with a sharpie and swapping at 18 months on the dot, cheaper than a rushed deco or a hypothermia case.

reese_lane291d ago

That old timer knew what he was talking about for sure! My buddy learned this same lesson on a job out of Venice a couple years back. His zipper blew out at like 80 feet and he had to surface early which meant a rushed decompression. He was fine but spent the whole day in the chamber shaking his head. Ive been swapping mine out right at 18 months ever since hearing that story. The cost of a new zipper is nothing compared to what can happen when it fails deep. Those seals take a beating from salt and grit and you just cant see the wear until its too late. Better to spend the money on prevention than risk a bad day underwater.