Comms went dead on a 60-foot dive off the Jersey coast last spring

I was working a bridge inspection job in the Delaware River and my through-water comms unit just quit halfway through the bottom run. Had to fall back on rope pulls and hand signals with the tender. Anyone else have a backup system that actually works when your primary fails?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim9632mo ago

That backup system thing is a real pain point. I had a similar issue on a bridge inspection in the Delaware River where my through-water comms just died on a deep run. We ended up using a simple diver recall line with pre-arranged tugs for emergency signals, it worked but felt real raw. What finally worked for me was switching to a hardwired comms system with a waterproof connector on the umbilical, it never let me down after that. The key is having something that doesn't rely on batteries or signal strength, just pure copper and a good connection.

sullivan.finley2mo ago

That hardwired setup sounds solid, but how do you handle the cable management on a 60-foot dive with current and debris? I've seen umbilicals get snagged on wreckage or wrapped around pilings more times than I can count, especially in murky Jersey water. Did you have to add any extra strain relief or tether points to keep the connector from taking a beating during the job?

adam_thompson5325d ago

I mean, that rubber sleeve trick sounds smart but honestly, I've noticed this same problem shows up in weird places. Like, my buddy rigged a kayak with a GoPro mount last summer, and we spent half the day untangling his line from branches and rocks in this shallow creek. It's basically the same thing underwater, just more dangerous. So for that dive, we ran the cable through a series of these little fabric loops zip-tied to the umbilical every five feet, then clipped each loop to the harness with a carabiner. That way if the cable snagged on something, the loop would just slip off instead of yanking the connector or pulling the whole rig apart. It's not fancy, but it cuts down on the stress points where stuff usually breaks.