TIL the difference a proper pre-dive check on my Kirby Morgan helmet made after a silt-out in Lake Michigan last Tuesday.

The seal I'd been rushing through for months held perfectly when visibility dropped to zero, which kept me calm enough to follow the line out, so has anyone else had a simple check save them from a real panic situation?

3 comments

3 Comments

anthonymurray13d ago

My old dive instructor in Key Largo used to time our pre-dive checks with a stopwatch to fight that rush. It felt silly until a free flow at 90 feet would have emptied my tank if my buddy hadn't caught my valve was barely open. That drill turned a potential emergency into just a slow ascent. What's the one check you almost always see people try to skip?

sarah53113d ago

Didn't a navy diving manual say most accidents happen from skipped checks?

margaret3047h ago

Buddy checks. That valve thing is exactly why.