c/commercial-divers

Dry gloves vs wet gloves in 4 degree water, I switched teams mid-season

I spent the last 3 months on a pier inspection gig in Tacoma and started with wet gloves because that's what my old supervisor swore by. About 6 weeks in I got fed up with the numb fingers during the 45 minute bottom times and shelled out $210 for a dry glove system with a liner setup. First dive felt like I was wearing oven mitts, zero dexterity for taking measurements, but by week 3 I could undo a shackle faster than I ever did with wets. Here's the thing though, I popped a seal at 40 feet last Tuesday and the whole glove flooded instantly, which never happens gradually with wet gloves. Anyone else run into that blowout risk with dry systems, or did I just get a bad ring?

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jason_fisher4•2d ago

That harbor mud in Galveston nearly sank me until I tried the old-timer's trick

I was fighting zero visibility and my lift bag kept rolling sideways on the wreck cable, but after a guy yelled at me to use a 3/4 inch line with a half hitch around the bag's bottom strap instead of the top ring, I cleared the whole job in 20 minutes, anyone else run into this or do you swear by a different knot?

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the_karen•2d ago

Dive gear shop in Galveston looks like a museum now

Stopped by the old shop I used to hit before Gulf jobs. Walls full of brass helmets and vintage regs. Owner said nobody asks about the old gear anymore. It got me thinking about my first Mk V dress. Anyone else miss the old heavy stuff or am I just getting old?

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richardharris•3d ago

Spent $700 on a fancy drysuit valve kit, wish I had just bought the cheap rebuild parts

Last fall I ordered that new titanium valve setup for my drysuit, the one everyone in the forums swore was bulletproof. Paid $700 plus shipping from a shop in Seattle. First dive out of Port Angeles, the inlet valve stuck open on a safety stop and I came up with a suit full of water. Turns out the O-rings inside were the same size as the ones on my old setup, and my buddy had a $12 rebuild kit in his truck. They were never compatible with my suit brand anyway, the threads matched but the seal face was off by a hair. I spent three weeks sending it back and forth for a refund, lost two paying jobs because I was waiting on that thing. Has anyone else got burned by "premium" drysuit gear that just needed a standard part from a hardware store?

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garcia.charles•3d ago

Blew a seal on a 300ft dive because of my thumb

Honestly, I always pushed the purge valve on my helmet with my thumb during descent, thought it was normal. Last month in Gulfport, an old timer pointed out I was screwing with the exhaust pressure the whole time, told me to use my palm. Has anyone else had a habit like that that just felt right until someone called it out?

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cameron770•4d ago

Just realized the Navy dive tables I memorized in 2012 don't match the new US Navy manual at all

I was checking a decompression schedule for a 130-foot job in Galveston and pulled up the 2023 revision, but my old 2008 tables show a 5-minute shorter deco stop, so which one are you guys actually following on your live boat dives, or is everyone just using a computer these days?

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derekp70•5d ago

Trimix deep stops, 6 years of doing it backwards? What flipped your protocol?

I ran my deep stops on a 180ft Trimix dive in the Gulf of Mexico for years because my old instructor in Panama City swore by the 50/50 rule. Then a buddy pulled up the NEDU study and showed me how my 20-minute stops at 140ft were actually building up more deco stress, not less. Now I'm split: do you follow the old school tables that got you through real jobs, or the new gradient factor stuff that says shallower is safer? Which side made you switch or dig in?

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brian_ward55•6d ago

Shifting from wrist slates to the Sensus and I'm not looking back

Used to run paper slates with a grease pencil on every dive, spent 6 years in the Gulf doing it that way. Switched to digital after my slate got ripped off my wrist on a salvage job near Port Fourchon last spring. The Sensus unit maps better and I can actually read it in murky water, no more squinting at smudged numbers. Anyone else make the jump and miss the old setup, or am I the only one who used to lose half my notes to the current?

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charles_green•11d ago

My comms box went full boat anchor last week off Port Canaveral

I was doing a hull inspection on a 90 foot catamaran, 40 feet down, when my through-water comms just started buzzing static mid-word. Tried the backup unit, dead battery, the spare was left on the truck (my fault, classic move). I switched to hand signals with the tender for the last 20 minutes, felt like I was back in training school. Anyone else ever have a coms failure and have to bust out the old arm waving routine?

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baker.phoenix•13d ago

Helmet comms vs hand signals, I chose hand signals and regret nothing

On a 60ft wreck dive off Morehead City last month, my comms unit died 10 minutes in. Everyone else turned back, but I switched to old school hand signals and finished the job on the hull inspection. Got a bunch of crap from the other guys, but honestly, the work got done faster without the chatter. Anyone else ditch their comms for basic taps and pulls on shallow work?

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viola_cooper62•13d ago

300th dive logged, still can't shake the nerves on zero-vis days

Logged my 300th commercial dive last Tuesday off the Port of Seattle, a routine hull inspection in 8 feet of silt-filled water. That number surprised me because I still get the same tight chest going down a ladder into black water as I did on dive number one. Anyone else hit a milestone and realize the experience doesn't kill the fear, just teaches you to work through it?

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theagarcia•14d ago

Got stuck on a valve replacement for 5 hours, turns out I had the right tool all along

Tbh I spent nearly a full shift wrestling with a stuck 3-inch gate valve off the coast of Galveston, then realized my cheater bar was already in the van the whole time. Anyone else lose hours to something that simple, or is it just me?

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ivangrant•16d ago

Dive logs went from paper to tablet, still miss the feel

Started logging dives in 2004 with a battered waterproof notebook. Pencil and plastic sleeve, the whole deal. Now I use a tablet strapped to my arm, syncs everything to a cloud file. The switch happened around 2015 when an inspector wanted digital records for a pipeline job in Port Arthur. Took me a week to trust it. Faster for sure, but I can't flip back through pages the same way. Anyone else keep a backup paper copy just in case the battery dies?

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jones.grace•17d ago

Switched from trimix to heliox for the deep stuff, here's why

Used to swear by trimix for anything past 150 feet, even in the Gulf. Then got on a job near Corpus Christi last spring where the narcosis hit me harder than usual, and the dive supervisor pointed out my reaction time was crap on the comms. Read up on the gas density numbers and tried heliox on a 180-foot pipeline inspection, felt way sharper and less foggy. Anyone else made the swap for deep work, or do you stick with trimix because of the cost?

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thomas862•17d ago

Switched from drysuit to hot water suit for the North Sea job

Always thought hot water suits were for the soft guys until I spent 3 hours in 4 degree water off Aberdeen last month. My core temp dropped so fast I called it early, and the next day I tried the hot water unit on a pipeline inspection and felt like a new person. Anyone else make the jump or stick with drysuits for cold work?

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ivan873•18d ago

Still getting used to dry suits after 15 years of wet suits

I started diving in the Gulf of Mexico back in 08 and always used a wet suit. Never had an issue with it. But up here in the Pacific Northwest last winter, I got a dry suit and man it's a whole different game. Getting the seals right and not flooding out takes some getting used to. Anybody else struggle with the switch or have tips for not feeling so stuffed in there?

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paulc93•20d ago

Wasted $600 on a drysuit that was supposed to be 'like new'

Bought a used drysuit off a guy on Facebook Marketplace 3 months ago. He said it was barely used, maybe 20 dives on it. First real job in Puget Sound at 50 feet and I felt water running down my leg within 15 minutes. Turns out the wrist seals were dry rotted and the zipper was leaking through the cover. Had to abort the dive and lose a whole day's pay plus the suit cost. Has anyone else had luck getting a refund on used gear like this or am I just stuck eating the loss?

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craig.reese•22d ago

Vent: A diver told me to stop pulling so hard on my drysuit zipper

This old saturation diver I worked with in the Gulf last fall told me I was going to wreck my zipper by yanking it like a gorilla. He showed me how to push the zipper from the outside instead of pulling from the inside tag, said it saves the teeth from binding up. I figured he was just being picky, but after 6 dives where the zipper kept catching, I finally switched to his method. Now the zipper glides smooth, no more pinched seals. Anyone else get a weird piece of gear advice that actually fixed a problem?

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the_nathan•24d ago

Diving with a drysuit vs a wetsuit for cold water jobs - what's your pick?

I had to choose between a drysuit and a 7mm wetsuit for a bridge repair job in the Puget Sound last month, and I went with the drysuit because of the long bottom times. Ended up being the right call since the water hit 45 degrees and I stayed warm for 4 hours straight, but I missed the flexibility of my wetsuit on the ladder climb back up. For you guys working in cold water, do you stick with drysuits even when the job doesn't demand it, or do you deal with the cold for the mobility?

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hannahs71•25d ago

Hit 200 dives this morning and it got me thinking

Didn't even realize I was close until I checked my logbook after a 45 foot hull inspection in Port Arthur. 200 sounds like a lot but it's only been 3 years. Kind of makes me wonder what the average is for someone doing this 5+ years. Anyone here keep close track of their total dive count?

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elliots49•26d ago

Learned I was holding my torch wrong for a decade

Last week in Port Arthur, a senior diver watched me tack a line and just shook his head. He showed me I was blocking my own air hose with my arm position, could have been a real problem on a deep bounce. Anybody else get a basic habit corrected way later than they want to admit?

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emeryn83•27d ago

That moment your air hose snags on a piling at 40 feet

I was inspecting a pier in Norfolk last month and my air hose caught on a barnacle-covered piling. Had to cut the hose and surface on bailout gas before I got pulled into the current. Has anyone else had to ditch gear in a hurry like that?

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karen_sanchez10•28d ago

Changed my mind about drysuits after that 39 degree water hit me

I used to think drysuits were for wimps and extra neoprene was all you needed. Then I did a job last month in Puget Sound where the surface temp was 48 and the bottom was a COLD 39 degrees. I was in a 7mm farmer john with a hooded vest and my core was shaking after 20 minutes. The lead diver handed me his backup drysuit and told me to just try it for one dive. That warm, dry feeling blew my mind, I could actually focus on the work instead of fighting shivers. I looked up the stats later and found out hypothermia sets in way faster at those temps than I ever realized. Now I own a drysuit and I'm never going back, has anyone else made the switch later in their career?

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derek_burns•1mo ago

Debate: dry suit valves in cold water. Vent at the top or dump at the bottom?

Last week on a job in Puget Sound, 45 degree water, my buddy swears by venting at the shoulder every time. Says it keeps the bubble from shifting when you roll. But I've always dumped at the hip valve, 3 years ago a supervisor in Alaska told me that's the only safe way in current. Got into it with my buddy after a 2 hour dive, neither of us budged. Is it just personal preference or is one method actually better for safety in moving water? I want to hear from guys who do this every day, what's your go-to and why?

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wyatta30•1mo ago

Compared two dive computers on a 90-foot wreck in San Diego last month and the Suunto Zoop Novo was way easier to read in low viz than the bulky Garmin I tried first.

The Garmin had so many menus I nearly missed my deco stop trying to find the depth reading, has anyone else switched back to a simpler model for actual work?

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