New guys need to stop ignoring their drysuit valves during pre-dive checks

I was working an inspection job off the Gulf Coast last Tuesday and watched a guy suit up, jump in, and surface five minutes later because he never opened his exhaust valve. He said he 'thought it was fine' and just skipped the check. That kind of stuff drives me nuts because it wastes time and puts people at risk for something that takes 30 seconds. Ive been diving commercial for around 12 years now and I can tell you the difference between a smooth day and a cluster starts with those little checks. If you cant be bothered to twist your valves and check your seals before you get wet, you shouldnt be in the water at all. How do you guys handle new guys who blow off the basics like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthewperry6d ago

Hang on, are we really gonna pile on a new guy for one mistake and act like none of us have ever skipped a step? I mean yeah, skipping the exhaust valve check is dumb, but I've seen old timers with 20 years in forget to open their LP inflator. The real issue isn't that he didn't check, it's that nobody probably showed him a good pre-dive routine that actually sticks. If you just hand a new guy a list and say "do this," he's gonna space it when he's nervous. Maybe ask him to walk you through his check out loud next time, that helps them remember.

holly_gonzalez616d agoMost Upvoted

That one skipped exhaust valve check almost got him bent though, @matthewperry. I mean sure we all mess up but maybe it's a little serious when a simple mistake can put you in a chamber.