c/commercial-divers

Unpopular opinion: I always thought saturation diving was the most dangerous gig, but a report from the IMCA on surface-supplied air diving in zero-vis harbor work changed my mind.

Honestly, reading the 2023 IMCA safety flash about a diver getting his umbilical snagged and nearly dragged under a moving barge in Rotterdam harbor, with visibility under six inches, made me realize the surface-supplied guys doing that grunt work face a different, more immediate kind of risk every single shift.

My instructor said to always double-check my bailout bottle myself, even if the tender says it's good

He told me this back in dive school in Jacksonville. Last month on a bridge piling job, my tender gave me the thumbs up on my bailout. Ngl, I almost didn't check it, but I did. The valve was only a quarter turn open. If I'd needed it in a hurry, I would've been sucking on nothing. Honestly, how common is it for you guys to find gear prepped wrong by the surface crew?

Back in the early 2000s, I dropped $2,500 on a custom drysuit heater pack from a company that went under six months later.

Update: That cheap drysuit repair kit cost me a full dive day

I tried to patch a small leak myself with a $40 kit from a random online store. The glue failed at 60 feet during a harbor inspection job, and I had to surface early. What's a good brand for real repairs that won't let you down?

Just logged my 500th hour on a single salvage job and everyone says that's crazy, but honestly it felt normal to me.

Appreciation post: A simple trick for clearing silt in zero viz

Working on a pipeline inspection in the Mobile River last month, we hit a patch of zero visibility from stirred-up silt. The job was to find a specific weld, but you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I remembered an old-timer telling me about using a small, cheap bilge pump. I had a Rule 500 GPH pump in my kit. I rigged it on a short pole, pointed the discharge hose downstream, and turned it on. It created a small, clear cone of water right in front of me, just enough to read the weld numbers. It wasn't perfect, but it got the job done without waiting hours for the current to clear things. Has anyone else tried something like this, or have a better method for working in soup?

I used to think a 5 minute surface interval was enough after a 45 meter dive in cold water.

My dive partner in Seattle pointed out my sloppy logs and made me track my actual deco times for a month, and now I stick to a strict 15 minute minimum. Anyone else have a rule they thought was flexible until data proved you wrong?

Appreciation post: I thought those heated dive socks were a total gimmick

My buddy swore by them for years, but I always said my thick wool ones were fine. Then I got stuck on a 3-hour job in 38-degree water in Puget Sound last month. He tossed me his spare pair and my feet were the only warm part of me, lol. I ordered a pair the next day. Anyone have a brand they like that holds up?

Tried a new way to clean my dive helmet camera lens and it actually worked

I was on a job in Mobile last month and my helmet cam kept fogging up inside the housing. I remembered an old trick about using a tiny bit of dish soap on the inside lens, but I was worried about residue. I mixed one drop of Dawn with about 20ml of distilled water and wiped it on with a microfiber cloth before the dive. The lens stayed clear for the full four hour shift, no fog at all. I was sure it would just smear. Has anyone else tried this, or do you have a better method for keeping that viewport clean?

Can we talk about the right way to check your bailout bottle pressure?

I keep seeing guys on the boat just glance at the gauge and call it good. That's a big mistake. You need to actually open the valve for a full second and watch the needle drop to see the real working pressure. My dive partner in Seattle last month had his gauge read 3000 psi, but when we did the flow test, it dropped to 2500 almost right away. That's a 500 psi difference you would never catch with a static check. It matters because if you need that air in a real emergency, you might not have as much as you think. What's your routine for checking your bailout before a dive?

Had a chat with an old salvage diver in Galveston that shifted my view on cold water work

Honestly, I was telling him how I dread any job under 50 degrees. He just said, 'Kid, you're not fighting the cold, you're fighting your own gear. A drysuit leak isn't a nuisance, it's a countdown clock.' Ngl, that hit different. Made me realize I've been treating my suit checks like a chore instead of a real safety step. Anyone else have a simple gear check tip that changed their comfort level down there?

Shoutout to the old-school diver who showed me a better way to handle my umbilical

For years, I just let my umbilical drag behind me on the bottom, which worked until I got it snagged on a wreck in Lake Michigan last fall. An old-timer on the boat saw me struggling and said, 'Kid, you're making it hard on yourself.' He showed me how to use a simple carabiner and a short length of rope to clip the umbilical to my weight belt, keeping it up off the deck and giving me way more control. I've been doing it that way for six months now and haven't had a single tangle. Anyone else have a simple trick like that for umbilical management?

Tried a new dive knife sheath on a job in Mobile and it just... vanished

It was a magnetic one that clipped to my leg, but after an hour of working on the pilings, it was just gone without a trace. Anyone have a sheath that actually stays put in heavy current?

A simple check on my bailout bottle almost went wrong

I was doing a hull clean in Seattle last Tuesday, about 20 feet down. My dive partner signaled for a tool, and I went to hand it over without looking at my own gear first. That's when I saw my bailout bottle valve was only a quarter turn open. I had been diving like that for three jobs, thinking it was fine because the pressure gauge read okay. Has anyone else caught a small mistake that could have turned into a big problem?

Choosing a Kirby Morgan over a band mask for my first harbor job

Everyone on my crew said a band mask was fine for the visibility and short dives in the Charleston port. I went with a full Kirby Morgan 37 helmet instead. It felt safer and let me talk clearly to topside, even though it was heavier. That choice saved me when a current shifted and I needed to give a fast update. Anyone else pick the 'overkill' gear and have it pay off?

Tried using a cheap plastic mixing tub for my Kirby Morgan seal grease, total disaster.

Picked up a small tub from a hardware store for like $5, figured it would be fine for keeping my grease clean on the boat. Left it in the sun for maybe an hour during a surface interval in Tampa. Came back and the whole thing had warped and cracked, grease everywhere. My supervisor just shook his head. Learned that lesson: spend the extra on a proper stainless container. What do you guys use to keep your grease kit together on deck?

Tried a new way to clean my dive helmet camera port versus the old way

For months I was using a basic lens cloth on my GoPro dome after each dive, but the salt haze kept coming back. Yesterday I switched to a spray with a tiny bit of vinegar in distilled water and a microfiber cloth, and the view is crystal clear now. What do you guys use to keep your camera ports spotless?

Reading an old salvage report from the 80s and the depth numbers blew my mind

I was going through some archived project files from a company that used to work in the Gulf of Mexico. I found a handwritten log for a pipeline repair job from 1985. The diver's notes listed a working depth of 850 feet on air, with a total bottom time of just 12 minutes. I had to double check that, because today that's a hard hat saturation dive without question. It really shows how much the safety standards and tech have changed. Has anyone else come across old logs with procedures that would be totally unthinkable now?

Showerthought: I heard a kid at the pool say 'it's just water' and it made me think about our gear checks

I was at the local YMCA pool yesterday, teaching my nephew to swim. This other kid, maybe ten years old, was scared to jump off the side. His friend just shrugged and said, 'Dude, it's just water.' That simple phrase stuck with me the whole drive home. In our line of work, we know it's never 'just water.' It's a work site with zero visibility, currents, and tasks that need perfect focus. That kid's offhand comment made me realize how our daily pre-dive checks are the exact opposite of that mindset. We treat every element, from the O-rings to the comms unit, like it's a critical part of a system that keeps us safe, because it is. It was a good reminder that the respect we have for the environment is what makes a pro. How do you guys mentally shift into that hyper-focused mode before a dive, especially on routine jobs?

Working on the old Port of Tacoma pier pilings last month

We were doing a standard inspection dive, about 25 feet down, and I noticed the concrete on the pilings was way more eaten away than the last survey from 2018 showed. It wasn't just general wear, it looked like something was actively boring into it in specific spots. We're talking holes the size of a fist in areas that were solid five years ago. My dive partner thought it might be a new type of gribble or shipworm moving into the area. Has anyone else run into accelerated piling damage in the Puget Sound recently, and what did you log it as?

Serious question, has anyone else compared a Kirby Morgan Superlite 17 to a standard hat for a long inspection dive in a current?

After a 4-hour job in the Cooper River last week, the Superlite's lower profile and weight distribution meant I was way less fatigued than my buddy in the old-style hat, so what's your go-to helmet for high-current work?

Switched from a standard Kirby to a full face mask for a job in Lake Michigan last week

Always thought the extra bulk wasn't worth it, but the viz was maybe 2 feet and the current was strong. The full face let me talk to topside clearly without dropping my reg, which saved a ton of time and air. Anyone else make the switch for low viz work and stick with it?

Update: My dive partner told me to use a different grease on my drysuit zipper

He said the stuff I was using would gum up in cold water, and sure enough, my zipper got stuck on a job in Seattle last month. I switched to the silicone paste he suggested and it's been smooth for three dives now. What's your go-to trick for keeping gear from freezing up?

My old way of cleaning a prop was costing me hours every job

I used to just go at it with a wire brush and a scraper, took forever on a big workboat in Seattle. Then a guy on a barge job showed me his Milwaukee M18 cordless angle grinder with a nylon brush wheel. I switched about 8 months ago and now I can clear heavy growth in under 20 minutes. The time saved on just one job paid for the tool. Anyone got a better method for really caked-on barnacles on bronze?

Warning: The visibility in the Houston ship channel has gone from 'okay' to 'mud soup' in the last 18 months.

Used to be you could get 5-6 feet of viz on a decent tide. Now you're lucky to see your gauges past your chest. The constant dredging and runoff from all the new construction upriver is just wrecking it. Bosses still want the same inspection pace, but it's like working blind. How are you guys adapting your survey methods for zero viz? Do you just rely on touch and comms now?