Had a real bad silt-out inside a wreck off Key Largo last month

I was doing an internal survey on a 150-foot steel hull, and my fin clipped a rotten bulkhead. The whole room went black in seconds, zero viz. My buddy line got tangled on a pipe run, and I could hear my own breathing get fast. I just froze for a second, then felt along the line hand over hand until I found the hatch. Anyone have a good drill for staying calm when you're literally blind down there?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly_coleman6111d ago

Just close your eyes and breathe, man.

willowroberts11d ago

Man, that's rough. My buddy got pinned in a silty cave once, couldn't see his hand in front of his mask. He said he just focused on the feel of his guideline, counting each knot he passed with his fingers. He made himself move slow, one knot at a time, humming some dumb song in his head until he saw the cave entrance. Said that stupid rhythm kept him from freaking out.