That moment last week when my drysuit inflator stuck open at 40 feet

I was working a pipeline job off the coast of Corpus Christi last Tuesday. About 15 minutes into the dive, my inflator valve jammed open and I started blowing up like a balloon. I had to ditch my weight belt and make a controlled emergency ascent. Took me two hours to get the gear back and finish the inspection. Has anyone else had a drysuit valve fail on them like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley_jones1mo agoTop Commenter

Hell yeah @kelly.charlie that's exactly what I'm talking about, it's like the universe decided your dive was over right then.

kelly.charlie1mo ago

Man I had the same thing happen on a job off Long Beach about three years ago. Inflator stuck open at like 60 feet and I shot up so fast I thought I was gonna pop out of the water like a cork. My buddy said I looked like a fat seal doing a cannonball. Spent the next hour sitting on the boat convincing the foreman I wasn't trying to kill myself for a shorter shift. Glad you made it up okay but man those emergency ascents really wake you up better than coffee.