Spent 15 minutes talking to a retired navy diver at the bait shop yesterday

He was telling me about how they used to use old fire hoses for lift bags back in the 70s because proper gear was hard to come by. Said they'd just clamp em off with vice grips and hope for the best. Made me think about how much we take modern lift bags for granted. Has anyone else run into old school tricks that actually still work better than the new stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

foster.jordan1mo ago

I used to think old school diving gear was just outdated junk. But hearing about those fire hose lift bags changed my mind. Those guys were solving real problems with stuff they had lying around. Modern bags are safer for sure, but there is something to be said for knowing how to make things work when you don't have the fancy stuff. My grandpa was a commercial diver and he always said duct tape and a good pair of vice grips could fix almost anything underwater. Maybe we get too comfortable with all the new gear and forget the simple solutions that still get the job done.

harper9141mo ago

You ever actually tried putting a vice grip to work underwater? Not as easy as it sounds. Takes practice to get the feel for it when your hands are cold and visibility is crap. But once you learn, it sticks with you forever.

valc911mo ago

Your grandpa and my dad must have gone to the same underwater McGyver school. My old man used to patch a hole in his wetsuit with a piece of a truck tire inner tube and some crazy glue. Worked like a charm until the glue gave out mid dive and he came up looking like a half-deflated pool toy. Modern gear is great until the fancy computer on your wrist dies and you're stuck trying to remember how to read a bottom timer. Those old timers had a point though. All that training in making things work with nothing builds a different kind of confidence. Maybe we do get a little soft with all the shiny new gadgets.