Working in murky water forced me to rethink my approach

Last month, I was on a hull cleaning job where the sediment was awful. Every move I made just churned up more muck and I couldn't see a thing. I was about to call it quits for the day, which would have cost time and money. Then I tried something simple, I switched to using one hand to feel along the surface while barely moving my fins. This kept the silt down and let me finish the task by touch. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done without delaying the project. Now I always consider touch techniques when visibility drops fast.

4 comments

4 Comments

laura1891mo ago

During my first dive, I panicked and hugged a sea turtle thinking it was my buddy. Your method seems way more controlled than my blind grabs.

wood.logan1mo ago

Yikes... sounds like underwater blind man's bluff. At least you didn't grab a fish by mistake!

logan_allen681mo ago

Man, people forget how much your mask can fog up down there. It's like swimming through weird, thick stuff.

jordan_young1mo ago

Yeah that touch thing works. I got stuck once in zero vis harbor water and just listened. My old dive master said if you can't see, trust your ears. Heard a faint boat engine hum above me and followed it straight to the anchor line. Sound travels weird down there but it got me out.