My backup air hose got pinched on a Shell job, now I carry a spare regulator too

Out on a platform near Houma last month, my primary reg started free flowing real bad during a bell run. I grabbed my backup hose from the gear bag, hooked it up, and guess what, the damn thing had a pinch in it from where I shoved it under the deck box. Took me 25 minutes to realize the gas wasnt flowing right, and the super was yelling at me over comms. Swapped to the third reg I had in my truck, finished the dive, but that was a stupid close call. Now I keep a spare diaphragm kit and a back up reg in a dry bag at all times, not just the one hose. Has anyone else ever had backup gear fail because it sat too long in one spot?

1 comments

1 Comment

wyatt_shah8518d agoMost Upvoted

You ever notice how the gear you trust the most is always the stuff that's been crammed in a bag since the last job... yeah, that's how it works for me too. I had a backup mask sit in my truck for six months, and the strap turned to crust, fell apart the second I needed it. We're all just hoarding junk until the worst possible moment, I swear. At least you got a spare reg in the truck, I've had to borrow a buddy's O2 bottle on a dive once because my backup everything was garbage. Now I check my spares every month, like a weird ritual, just to feel less dumb about it.