Fouled prop near the pilings in Tampa Bay, now I double-check every line

I was doing a routine hull inspection off the Sunshine Skyway when my umbilical got snagged on a stray cable wrapped around a piling. It took me 20 minutes of careful untangling while the current pushed me sideways, and my supervisor on deck kept yelling stop moving. Has anyone else had a close call with debris on old dock structures, and do you carry a spare knife on your harness or just rely on the dive team?

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grace_wright2d ago

Whoa, 20 minutes tangled up while the current's shoving you around? That's nightmare fuel right there. I would've been losing my mind, especially with someone yelling from the deck like that doesn't help at all. I always keep a small line cutter clipped to my chest strap, not just a knife, cause reaching for your hip when you're wrapped up is a whole different game. And honestly, after hearing this, I'm gonna double check every single piling I get near, old cable or not.