Being Too Cheap Can Kill You

[Eastwest]

Invest in top quality dive gear your life depends on it but sometimes I fail to take my own advice . Like using eight year old air in my scuba tanks safe or use it anyway if not rusty tasting . I have had plenty of close calls , mishaps or scary **** due to not checking and maintaining my gear liking to say my life depends on it . Here goes a few tails from the past first one was when making a lobster night dive on the Star of Scotland solo from my boat and had put down some baited hoop nets earlier in the day and started to descend . There were huge lobsters every around those baited hoop nets . I grabbed two big bugs while holding that large UK light so needed to set the light down on something and bag those dudes . As the story goes one in the bag and I glance at the light sitting on a hunk of wreck " oh **** " water was filling inside the light . I still had the other bug in a bearhug so what could I do , bag this dude or go for my back up light. Well having three young children and a wife my decision was to let the bug go and turn on the light . Guess what , no working backup light , so pack up and go before all goes dark . I have had plenty of dives on this wreck at 80 feet bottom depth but doing a controlled ascent blind is a question in mine and no anchor line . All lights go out , with plenty of air and standing on the bottom , relax and make a slow controlled ascent blind . I filled my BC barely enough and with a kick started my ascent . All seem going well until feeling a sqeeze "oh **** " your going back down . Landing in a deep hole in that wreckage was not a pleasent thought to behold . Lucky me had a safe landing , relax and time to make another ascent . This time I had a perfect slow safe ascent . Rumdumb me emptied the water put duct tape on the light and made another dive . More similar stories to be told but good to be alive !!! Have a nice day or night. Rumdumb

 

[Lorenzoid]

I don't understand what you're trying to say you were "too cheap" about in this incident. Are you saying Underwater Kinetics ("UK") lights are poor quality? If so, I think I disagree. Or are you saying you failed to maintain them properly, or failed to replace them when they already looked damaged (battery corrosion, maybe)? Good story, but I just don't understand what about the story you're saying is an example of the title of your thread.

 

[lexvil]

I’m exceedingly cheap, not dead yet.

 

[stevel97]

Decent gear can be found without breaking the bank. So not sure what your measure of "cheap" is.

The other thing is proper maintenance.

 

[MidOH]

Paragraph spacing gave me a seizure.

I dead.

 

[Wibble]

Lessons…

• Stuff fails. If it’s important bring two.
• Lights are annoyingly expensive for top quality high performance lights. However, there’s lots of alternatives and backup lights are quite cheap. Even moderate primary lights are cheap.
• Cheapo Chinese lights are generally crap. They fail.
• Everything needs maintenance. For lights this is always checking that the threads and O-rings are clean and lightly greased. Every time the battery is removed.
• Failures are excellent learning opportunities.

 

[Eastwest]

No blame intended with UK underwater lights . My fault to overtighted the battery lens cover but did purchace a set of sartek lights . My purpose is not to scare new divers or brag about being a impulsive knuckle head but to share lessons that I may have learned . New gear will last a long time . I have had ruptured hoses and a low pressure hose can empty your tank very fast . Is ten year old air some with 30% 02 safe to breath ? good times Rumdumb

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm the poster boy for the cheap Scottsman (despite my last name I'm mostly Scottish). I will use tanks with 6 month old air and have my reg serviced every 3 years. But, my dives are to 30 feet usually, so any problem and I can CESA my way up. No 80 foot solo diving dark holes for this Scott.

 

[Searcaigh]

I'm the poster boy for the cheap Scottsman (despite my last name I'm mostly Scottish). I will use tanks with 6 month old air and have my reg serviced every 3 years. But, my dives are to 30 feet usually, so any problem and I can CESA my way up. No 80 foot solo diving dark holes for this Scott.

There's only one T in Scotsman, your Scots heritage has been revoked

 

[crofrog]

Paragraph spacing gave me a seizure.

I dead.

Litterally unreadable.

I asked ChatGPT to make it coherent;

Investing in high-quality diving gear is crucial because your life may depend on it. However, I must admit that I don't always heed my own advice. For instance, I once considered using scuba tanks filled with eight-year-old air, wondering if they'd still be safe unless the air tasted rusty. My lax approach to checking and maintaining my gear has led to numerous close calls and frightening incidents, underscoring the importance of vigilance given the stakes.

One memorable incident occurred during a solo lobster night dive on the Star of Scotland. Earlier in the day, I had set some baited hoop nets. When I descended, I was thrilled to find large lobsters near the nets. While attempting to bag these lobsters, I had to set my large UK light down on a piece of the wreck. To my horror, I noticed water seeping into the light. Faced with a dilemma, I chose to release the lobster I was holding to activate my backup light, considering my family's well-being. Unfortunately, the backup light failed, forcing me to ascend in total darkness from a depth of 80 feet without an anchor line.

Navigating a blind ascent was daunting, but I managed to start rising by filling my buoyancy compensator just enough. The ascent was going smoothly until I felt a sudden drag pulling me back down, landing me in a deep hole within the wreckage. Fortunately, I landed safely and was able to make a successful second attempt at ascending.

Despite this harrowing experience, I rashly decided to drain the water from my light, seal it with duct tape, and dive again. This is just one of many tales that illustrate the risks of neglecting dive gear maintenance. It's a stark reminder of the need to prioritize safety over adventure. Wishing everyone safe diving, whether by day or night.