Used to skip the pre-dive check on my Kirby Morgan 37. Not anymore after a close call in the Gulf last month.

4 comments

4 Comments

Man, that's a sobering read. I saw a report once that said most diving incidents trace back to a skipped step in the pre-dive routine. It's crazy how something that takes a few minutes can make all the difference. Glad you're okay and sharing this, it's a good reminder for everyone to slow down and do the checks. That stuff is no joke.

the_rose2mo ago

A buddy of mine had a similar scare up in Lake Michigan. He rushed his checks on a cold morning, just wanted to get in the water. His neck seal was barely seated on the suit, didn't even notice. Got down about thirty feet and felt the cold rush starting, just a trickle at first. He had to shoot up and deal with a real mess of water in his drysuit. It wasn't a full blowout, but it scared him straight. He spends twice as long on his checks now, even in good conditions.

finley_smith1d agoMost Upvoted

Is it though? I mean, sure, skipping checks is bad, but I've had gear fail on me when I did everything by the book. I had a drysuit dump valve just crack open on a dive in Puget Sound, no warning, no way I could have caught it on a surface check. Another time a buddy's inflator hose blew out mid descent, and he'd literally just had it serviced. Saying it's mostly skipped steps kind of lets the gear manufacturers off the hook for making stuff that can randomly crap out. Sometimes it's just bad luck, not a rushed morning.

carr.luna2mo agoTop Commenter

Most diving incidents trace back to a skipped step" feels like an oversimplification to me. Sometimes gear just fails even when you do everything right. Putting all the blame on the diver ignores the role of bad luck or equipment problems.