Realized my dive knife is basically just a fancy letter opener after reading about drysuit valve failures

Was browsing through the DAN incident reports last night and saw something that stopped me. Drysuit valve failures are way more common than I thought. Like about 1 in 200 dives something goes wrong with the inflator or dump valve. I always figured it was just a occasional thing. But a dude in the report said he spent 15 minutes at 30 feet with his suit inflating uncontrollably because his inflator stuck open. All I could think is I carry a dive knife I never use and zero spare o-rings or a valve tool. Anyone else carry backup parts for their drysuit or just hope for the best?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_murphy901mo ago

Carried a full o-ring kit and a Lil valve tool in my drysuit pocket for years after watching a buddy do a uncontrolled ascent at 60 feet. His inflator stuck wide open and he was fighting to vent while rocketing up. I just reached for my knife too and realized how useless it was. Now I keep a spare inflator hose and a couple zip ties in my save a dive kit, plus I check my valves every few dives for any grit or corrosion. Honestly the biggest thing is learning how to do a drysuit dump without relying on the auto valve, just in case. Also carried a small pair of pliers in my pocket ever since that day, they work way better than a knife for turning a stuck valve.

troy_palmer761mo ago

Yeah, pliers are the real lifesaver down there. Learned that one the hard way too.