Am I the only one who sees guys not checking their bailout bottle pressure before a dive?

I was on a job in Tampa last week and the diver next to me just strapped on his rig without a glance at his secondary air gauge. His tender had to call him back topside to check it, and it was sitting at 500 psi. How common is this oversight on your crews, and what's your pre-dive check routine?

4 comments

4 Comments

quinncoleman8d ago

Yeah, that's a scary one. I watched a guy almost jump in with his bailout valve shut once. Now I check mine, then have my buddy check it too.

jake_patel22d ago

Saw a report last year from a commercial diving association. They said not checking bailout is one of the top three procedural failures they see. It's stupid but it happens. My crew's routine is brutal. We check our own gauges, then our buddy checks them, and the tender does a final look. If you miss it, you're benched. That guy in Tampa got lucky his tender was paying attention.

susan8122d ago

Honestly, the real problem is guys treating their bailout like a spare tire they never check.

tessap7322d ago

Man, that story makes my stomach drop. It's terrifying how a simple skip can turn into a life or death situation in seconds. I've heard similar stories from friends in commercial diving, and it always comes down to rushing or getting too comfortable. That tender deserves a medal for catching it. My own routine is obsessive now, checking my own gear twice and then having a buddy verify everything before we even get near the water.