Finally cleared a 40-foot silt-out in the Potomac after 6 tries

I do inland salvage work around the DC area, mostly bridge inspections and small jobs. The Potomac has this one spot near the Wilson Bridge where the bottom kicks up mud if you breathe wrong. My first 5 attempts I had to abort, couldn't see my own gauge. This Tuesday I switched to a different approach, slower kick cycles and staying 2 feet higher off the bottom. Got the full inspection done in 22 minutes, visibility stayed around 3 feet the whole time. My tender even said it looked smooth from the surface. Anyone else have a site that just clicked after you changed one small thing in your technique?

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thomas_roberts1d ago

That silt-out spot near Wilson Bridge sounds miserable, I've seen videos of zero vis in that stretch and it's no joke. Good on you for sticking with it and figuring out that the problem was your height off the bottom, that's a real lesson in reading the site instead of forcing it. I've had a few dives where just slowing down my legs fixed everything, it's wild how such a tiny change can turn a nightmare into a routine job.