Rant: Lost comms for 45 seconds off the coast of Da Nang

I was doing a hull inspection on a cargo ship near Da Nang, Vietnam, about 3 months ago. Water visibility was maybe 2 feet, so I was working by feel mostly. Halfway through the dive, my comms went dead. No radio, no line pulls, nothing. I had about 15 minutes of bottom time left but I couldn't hear the topside guy at all. I signaled my tender by yanking my line three times hard and started my ascent right there. Turns out a kink in the comms cable had shorted out against a sharp edge on the hull. I got up fine but that silence felt like forever. Has anyone else had gear fail mid-dive like that and had to just bail on the job?

2 comments

2 Comments

mitchell.lee27d ago

Man that sounds terrifying, I'm glad you made it up safe.

abbyg6027d ago

Oh man, no kidding. The worst part is when you get that sudden drop in temp and your hands start shaking. I always keep an extra pair of gloves and a hand warmer pack in my pack now. @mitchell.lee, have you ever tried the toe warmer stickers? They save my feet every time on those long exposed ridges.