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?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_riley5d ago

Glad you caught it, but that's a serious oversight. A pressure gauge reading doesn't mean the valve is flowing correctly. That's a pre-dive check for a reason.

mark6765d ago

Honestly, that gauge reading is the whole point, so maybe the check was fine. @the_riley is overstating the risk when the system showed it was working. Sometimes the basic gear check is just for show.