Equipment Check!

Recently, I suffered a dry-suit leak during a dive with a substantial deco obligation. Fortunately, the leak was not catastrophic and did not flood the suit. The water was warm, the amount entering the suit small and everything turned out OK as I was able to complete all my stops as required. While I pride myself on maintaining my gear to the highest degree - after all, our lives depend on our gear - I came to realize that there was an area that I overlooked; the area within the bellows of my neck seal. A cursory examination revealed that my seal seemed to be in pretty good shape, as seen here. However, if I would have spent a bit more time checking out the seal I would have noticed this area showing signs of stress. Pulling on the material easily created this hole. The hole that cause the leak during my Bass dive was barely visible here. I felt the water seep into the suit as I bent to stretch a cramp out of my leg during a deco stop. The pulling action on the seal was enough to create a relatively small hole which soaked the upper half of my undergarments.

Lesson learned? The most minor malfunction can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of a dive plan. I now consider my exposure protection, particularly a dry-suit, to be as important as any regulator or other life sustaining equipment and I will be more vigilant about maintaining it.