I thought the old-timer's trick of using a potato to stop a mask leak was a joke until my buddy did it on a job in Mobile Bay last fall.

We were 60 feet down on a pipeline inspection and my mask seal gave out, so he just grabbed a spud from his lunch bag, cut a slice, and jammed it in the skirt, which held for the whole 45-minute dive and saved the day. Anyone have a better field fix for a torn silicone skirt when you're miles from the shop?

4 comments

4 Comments

nelson.vera2mo ago

What about using a bit of neoprene cement?

rileygarcia2mo ago

Honestly that potato thing is just the best kind of hack. It's like using a bit of duct tape on a hose or a folded up gum wrapper in a fuse box. People just use whatever's around to make things work for one more day. It feels like we're all just out here doing weird little fixes, from jamming a matchbook under a wobbly table leg to using a butter knife as a screwdriver. The real skill isn't having the right tool, it's knowing how to use the wrong one perfectly.

ward.jamie1mo ago

Yeah but what about neoprene cement in a pinch though? I mean the potato trick is wild but that stuff is basically the same as the glue used to patch wetsuits, right? I've heard of guys keeping a small tube in their pocket with a little brush and just painting it over a tear, letting it set for a minute underwater, then pressing it down. It's not perfect but it'll Buy you time until you can get back to the shop for a real fix.

emeryj662mo ago

Wait, he just had a raw potato in his lunch bag down at 60 feet? That's the part that gets me (like, who does that). Neoprene cement is a solid idea, but you gotta have it on the boat.