Serious question, got a tip from an old saturation diver in Morgan City

I was working a job in Morgan City a few years back, tied up at the dock waiting on gear. An old saturation diver, probably mid-60s, saw me struggling with a stuck valve on a crossover hose. He walked over and said "son, get a strap wrench and some dish soap, not the fancy lube they sell." He showed me how to wet the threads with soap before reassembly, let it sit 5 minutes. That hose never gave me trouble again for the rest of the season. I still keep a bottle of Dawn in my tool box to this day. Has anyone else had a random tip from a vet diver that just stuck with you?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellat871mo ago

Got a tip from an old diver in the Gulf once - said to use a pickle fork and a half-assed prayer to free up a stubborn flange. He laughed and told me "son, that's all you need when the sea wants to keep its fittings." Pretty sure I still smell like WD-40 and that same pickle fork's stuck in my memory like a bad tattoo. Your soap trick's way smarter though, bet it tastes better too if you accidentally get it in your coffee. I swear half the tips we get out here are just old guys messing with us to see if we'll try it.

beth_hunt1mo ago

Wait, wait, wait. A pickle fork? Like for actual pickles? I can't tell if that guy was a genius or just messing with everyone's heads (including yours, @stellat87). And now I'm imagining a coffee mug that permanently tastes like salt and grease and I'm honestly a little horrified for you.