16
Overheard a dive supervisor say gravity checks are pointless... had to set him straight
I was in the gear room last week prepping for a 60 foot job at the Port of San Diego and I overheard this new supervisor telling a tender that gravity checks are just a waste of time. He said it's fine as long as the bottle is full. I held my tongue at first but after lunch I pulled him aside and showed him my old training video from 2018 where a guy almost died from a bad valve. We ended up running a quick demo with a scuffed tank and sure enough the reg hissed. Told him I've been diving 12 years and I've never skipped a gravity check even on shallow jobs. Has anyone else dealt with supervisors who cut corners on the basics?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
mark_price24d ago
Back in 2018 I was working a job in Long Beach on a 40 foot wreck and the dive sup told me to skip the gravity check because we were running late. I went along with it like an idiot and ended up with a freeflow at 30 feet. Had to abort the whole dive and it cost the client an extra day of charter fees. Ever since then I don't care who tells me to skip it. I just do it anyway right there in front of them. That supervisor you talked to needs to learn the hard way before someone gets hurt.
7