A senior diver in the Gulf told me to always check my regulator dry before a wet bell lockout, I skipped it once and it nearly cost me a shift

Last month I was on a job off the coast of Louisiana. Old timer named Red kept telling me to do a full dry test on my regulator before any wet bell lockout. I thought it was just extra caution since my gear was barely used. Skipped it cause we were running late. Got down to 60 feet and started free flowing like crazy. Had to abort the bell run and lost half a day. Red looked at me like I was an idiot. Now I test everything dry every single time before hitting the water. Anyone else been humbled by ignoring something simple?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_anderson5413d ago

Red's been around long enough to know those little checks separate a good shift from a wasted one... once you get complacent underwater, it's a fast way to eat your words.

the_cameron13d ago

Kept a waterproof checklist on my wrist slate. Never missed a step after that.

fionamurphy12d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, preach! I started using a mini slate strapped to my forearm a few years back and it was a total game changer. I used to forget little things like checking my tank pressure on the hour or verifying my buddy's position before heading into a tight space. Now I just tick off the steps as I go, and I swear I feel way more locked in and calm during the dive. Nothing worse than surfacing and realizing you skipped a safety stop because you got distracted by a cool wreck.