fiona_west21•2mo agoMost Upvoted

PSA: A seal in Seattle taught me to always double-check my gear bag.

I was suiting up for a hull cleaning job on a ferry docked up there, and I pulled out what I thought was my backup mask. It was my wife's snorkeling set from our vacation, complete with a pink strap. My tender laughed so hard he almost dropped the comms unit. Anyone ever grab the wrong kit in a rush?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_lisa2mo ago

Cold water is a very good teacher.

angela5872mo ago

@the_lisa It teaches you fast, that's for sure.

william_garcia1mo ago

Come on, that's just basic prep. I don't get how you leave that to chance. Checking your gear is the first thing you do, not something you learn after a mistake. It takes two minutes to lay it all out. @angela587, it doesn't just teach you fast, it should never happen at all. That's your safety on the line, not a funny story. My rule is my bag gets packed right after a job, so it's always ready. Grabbing the wrong kit means your system already failed.

paul_taylor212mo ago

I used to just throw my gear in the bag and go. After grabbing my kid's swim goggles instead of my mask on a lake job last spring, I check every single piece now. That cold water was a real shock.