A crusty old diver in Morgan City told me my umbilical wrap was a death trap

Drew Lane · 2026-03-19T13:10:07.263+00:00

He saw me coiling my hose and comms line together on deck before a job in the Mississippi River last month and said, 'Kid, you tangle those, you lose air and voice at the same time. That's how you die alone.' I've been keeping them separate ever since, with a solid 6-inch gap between the wraps. Anyone else have a simple deck habit they had to unlearn after a scary warning?

nancy8206mo ago

Used to think like parker_sullivan, but that story convinced me.

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parker_sullivan7mo ago

My uncle did commercial diving for twenty years and always wrapped his lines together. Said the real risk was snagging on debris, not the wrap itself. That six inch gap seems like overkill if your gear is properly maintained.

5

uma_baker887mo ago

Damn, that's solid advice. Makes total sense when you think about it, losing both at once is a nightmare. Bet that old timer saved your life.

1