Diverite wing failure

[TSandM]

The PADI OW class video has a whole section on inspecting your BC and other equipment for possible problems, before you even assemble your gear. For a long time, I thought it was overkill, but over time, almost anything that CAN wear, break, come apart, tear, untie itself, or otherwise malfunction, has. I tell myself over and over again that I just need to LOOK at all of my gear as I set it up, rather than throw it together. Cave line working on untying itself, and mouthpiece flanges almost chewed through, would be found by doing that. I think that's the biggest lesson from this story. Gear ain't right unless you KNOW it's right. In the wrong situation, this malfunction could have been a very bad one.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

And even after you inspect it carefully it can still fail. My first and to date only rebreather experience ended after 20 minutes and me bailing out to my 40 after the mouthpiece on the unit split and I began to fill one of the counterlungs. Didn't know enough to realize what exactly was wrong underwater but knew enough that something was not right. So I went to what I knew. OC bailout. It did not put me off rebreathers as I want to try one again. But that mouthpiece has a prominent place on my bench so that every time I set up a reg to go diving or check one it reminds me that one check may not be enough. Two doesn't take a but a few minutes longer.