Shoutout to the old Kirby Morgan that finally gave up on me

My regulator froze solid at 90 feet off the coast of Santa Barbara last Tuesday, but the backup bailout bottle I had checked three days earlier kept me breathing while I signaled my tender.

2 comments

2 Comments

black.amy17d ago

Gotta push back on this one a little. I've been running the same Kirby Morgan for nearly twelve years now, never serviced it once, and it's still ticking like a champ. Last summer I did a hundred and twenty foot wreck dive off Ventura and the thing was breathing dry and smooth the whole time. People blame the gear but half the time it's how you store it or if you let saltwater sit in the second stage. Not saying your backup plan wasn't smart, because it definitely was, but I think we're too quick to trash old equipment that just needs a little maintenance.

evan_dixon6717d ago

Didn't you say you never serviced it? Because that's exactly what I did with my old Aqua Lung for about eight years. Rinsed it every time after a dive, let it dry in the shade, never sent it in once. Took it down to eighty feet off Catalina last fall and it breathed just as good as the day I bought it. I think people get sold on new gear way too easy when all the old stuff really needs is a good rinse and a dry spot. Not saying you're wrong about the backup plan, but a lot of these horror stories come from guys who leave their regs wet in the trunk for a week.