Saw a guy using a weight belt wrong on a job site yesterday

I was working a small bridge inspection gig down in Tampa last Thursday and watched this diver from another crew strap his weight belt on over his drysuit inflator hose. I had to stop and ask him if he realized he was basically one hard turn away from ripping the whole assembly off. He told me he'd been doing it that way for two years. Two years. That's the kind of mistake that gets you flooded at 30 feet or worse. I showed him how to keep the belt clear and pass the inflator through the crotch strap instead. He just shrugged and said no one had ever mentioned it before. Has anyone else seen stuff like this that seems basic to us but people keep missing?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark4368h ago

Bet. If it worked for two years maybe it's not as dangerous as you think.

murphy.aaron8h ago

Buddy of mine had one blow up on him.

the_alice7h ago

Two years of use and then it blows up? Sounds like a bad batch or user error to me. I've seen people leave these things running nonstop in their garages for way longer with no issues. Maybe your buddy just got unlucky with a lemon.