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Talking to an old school diver changed how I look at my drysuit valves
I was shooting the breeze with this guy Gary who's been diving since the 80s, he was telling me about how he still packs his own valve o-rings because the factory ones are junk. That hit different because I've been fighting a slow leak for months and just assumed it was the suit itself. He said to pop the valve apart and regrease everything, told me most guys never touch them until they fail. Has anyone else found a simple fix like that that saved you a huge headache on gear?
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wendy_lee4813d ago
Get that old timer wisdom while you can, those guys have forgotten more about gear than most of us will ever learn. Gary's zip tie trick reminds me of a story from my own dive buddy's dad who used a cut up soda can to shim a loose hose fitting on a rental regulator back in the 90s. Dude said it held perfectly for the whole boat weekend. It's crazy how much of this stuff comes down to basic mechanical common sense rather than buying the newest titanium widget. Those factory o rings are probably made as cheap as possible and no one thinks to check them until they're already soaked and miserable. Wish more shops would just show people how to service their own valves during a routine class or something.
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