Overheard a deckhand say he never checks his bailout bottle before a dive

That got me thinking about how I've been skipping pre-dive checks on my Kirby Morgan helmet seals for the last 6 months, and now I'm wondering what else I've been lazy about that could actually kill me down there - anyone else catch themselves cutting corners on the little stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.parker3d ago

Man I gotta admit, I used to be one of those guys who thought pre-dive checks were overkill. Like I'd be the one rushing to get in the water and skipping the little stuff because "nothing bad has happened yet." Then a buddy of mine had his drysuit inflator stick open on a deep dive and his buoyancy went totally out of control. He had to dump all his gas and do a CESA. After hearing him tell that story I started doing every single check before I get in. Better to be the slow old guy on the boat than the one getting hauled out. You ever have a close call that changed how you prepare?

spencer_ross2d ago

Yeah that CESA story gives me the chills just thinking about it. I had a similar wake up call myself with a rental BCD that had a slow leak in the dump valve I didn't catch. Got down to about 60 feet and started drifting up without even realizing it until my ears popped. After that I really focus on checking every single valve and connection before getting in the water. It only takes a few extra minutes and can save you from a really bad day.