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That visor leak on a 60 foot bell dive in the Gulf
I got a slow trickle down my cheek on a saturation dive back in March near Port Fourchon. Figured it was just a bad seal and swapped the neck dam but it kept coming. Three days of chasing it before I noticed a hairline crack along the helmet shell. Took a full day to get a replacement shell choppered out. Any of you guys run into tiny cracks that are a pain to spot?
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hill.david1mo ago
Heard that before, man. You gotta wonder how many guys just swap out the neck dam and call it good when its really the shell itself giving way. Those hairline cracks can be a real sneak, especially when the anodizing hides them. Did you try using a bright light and mirror trick to check for them? I've had luck with that on some older gear, but it still takes a sharp eye. Stuff like that makes you appreciate the time it takes to really inspect every inch of the hat before a deep bell lockout.
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sanchez.blake1mo ago
Yeah, that bit about the anodizing hiding cracks is something I read in a diving gear maintenance guide once. Makes you wonder how many guys skip that whole inspection routine and just hope for the best.
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cole_patel412d ago
Holy hell, that's crazy. I can't believe the anodizing actually masks cracks like that. I always figured it was just a coating to stop corrosion, not something that could hide a failure point that might kill you. That's one of those details that makes you rethink your whole gear check routine. Makes me wanna double check every piece of aluminum I own tonight.
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