jordanl82•29d agoProlific Poster

I almost lost a tool bag in 60 feet of murky water last month

I was working off the coast of San Diego on a pier inspection job. My primary cutting tool slipped out of my hand and sank into the silt. I had to decide quick between going after it blind or calling it a loss and moving on. I spent about 10 minutes feeling around in zero visibility before I grabbed it by the hose. It was a close call and it made me rethink how I clip gear on my harness. Do you guys go after dropped tools or just mark it as gone? Has anyone else had a near miss like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

jason52429d ago

Nah, I'd be going in for that tool every time.

nathan_hill6029d ago

That murky water situation is a solid reminder that the right gear saves your bacon, but the real issue might be the prep work before you even drop the tool. A lot of guys don't think about the currents or the bottom type in that spot. If it was soft silt, you had a chance. If it was jagged rock or old debris, feeling around blind could slice your gloves and your hands. The same goes for the tool's position - if it lands on a flat ledge, easy grab, but if it tumbles down a crevice, you're out of luck. So maybe the better question isn't if you go in, but what you're feeling for and how fast you can decide. Did you check the bottom composition before you started work that day?

hugo_nelson29d ago

Nathan brings up some good points about prep work, but I gotta disagree with him on the main thing. Once that tool hits the bottom, all the prep in the world doesn't change the fact that you have to make a split second call. Ive worked around plenty of murky water spots and yeah, knowing the bottom helps, but you still cant see what that tool is actually sitting on until youre down there feeling for it. The real issue is that every second you spend thinking about currents or silt is a second the tool could drift away or get buried deeper. Bottom line is, if you drop it, you either go in right then or you lose it for good. Jason gets it, sometimes you just have to commit.