I was fighting my umbilical for a whole year before a guy in Corpus Christi showed me the trick

I kept getting my umbilical wrapped around every piece of structure on the bottom, fighting it constantly on every dive. I thought it was just part of the job, you know, like a bad dance partner. Then last month, I was working a job on an old platform and this old hand, Mike, watched me get ready. He just said, 'Kid, you're feeding it like a garden hose. Give it a half twist every ten feet as you go down.' I tried it the next dive, and it was like night and day. The line lays flat and doesn't catch on every bolt head. I must have saved 30 minutes of bottom time that day alone just from not fighting my own gear. Why does nobody teach that in the basic courses? Anyone else have a simple trick that saved them a ton of hassle?

3 comments

3 Comments

king.lisa2mo ago

Always thought it was just me fighting my gear, but that twist trick is a total game changer.

finley_flores2820d ago

Three pairs of bindings in and I finally figured this out last season @king.lisa. The twist trick saved me from tossing a brand new pair of straps that kept slipping. Did you notice a difference in how tight you can get them now?

rayc382mo ago

The "twist trick" is a solid tip, but calling it a game changer might be a bit much. It's more of a basic fix for a specific problem with binding straps. If your gear is a constant fight, the real issue is probably fit or the gear itself being worn out. That little twist just stops a buckle from sliding, it doesn't fix a bad setup.