Surface supplied vs scuba for hull cleaning: which one actually works better?

I went with scuba on a job in Port of Seattle last month cause the boat was small, but the current almost pulled me under, so I'm wondering if surface supplied gear with a harness would have been safer for a 2 hour shift - what do you guys use for shallow water work like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena58216d ago

That "current almost pulled me under" part is exactly why I switched to surface supplied years ago.

ward.anna16d ago

Do you ever feel like surface supplied gives you this false sense of control though? I mean sure you're not fighting the current as bad but now you're tethered to the boat and if that line gets snagged or the anchor drags you're going for a ride too. I saw a guy get towed like 50 yards once because his tender didn't realize the boat was drifting. It's still a risk just a different kind of risk. Sometimes I think we trade one danger for another without really thinking it through.

nancy_king2915d ago

Gotta push back on that a little. Surface supplied gives you a direct air line and a hardwire comms that make problem solving underwater way smoother. If you get tangled or snagged, sure, it's a risk, but with a well-managed line tender and a proper shot line setup, you can cut yourself free way faster than you could fix a tank clip or a freeflow at depth. The tow incident sounds more like poor boat handling than a inherent flaw with the system. Plus, being able to just stay down and work through a issue without burning through your back gas is a huge safety margin.