A supervisor chewed me out over my mask seal 6 months ago

I was diving on a pipeline job off the Gulf coast near Galveston and kept getting a trickle of water inside my hood. The supervisor pulled me aside and said I was breathing too shallow and breaking the seal when I turned my head to the left. He made me practice slow, even breaths while rotating my neck in the hot tub for 20 minutes. I changed my breathing rhythm and started checking my face seal before every drop. Now I hardly ever get leaks even on deeper wreck dives. Has anyone else had an old timer correct a simple habit that saved them hassle?

3 comments

3 Comments

joseph5291mo ago

Man that's a good story, I had a similar thing happen with my drysuit neck seal on a cold water job. A guy I was working with noticed I was getting water in and told me to stop yanking my head around like I was watching a tennis match. I slowed down my movements and started tucking my chin more, and it made a world of difference on those long shifts.

the_daniel1mo ago

Tucking your chin is key, but you gotta relax your neck too not just freeze up.

simon_sanchez5823d ago

Tucking your chin is important but I see guys overcorrect and compress their airway. Tense neck muscles fight the seal instead of letting it do its job.