Lost a $400 bolt bag off the platform in the Gulf last Tuesday because I trusted a busted zipper

Was working a deepwater job off Louisiana and clipped my bag to the railing like always, but that old zipper gave out when I reached for my wrench and watched every single socket and fitting sink 200 feet down, still had to finish the shift with a spare spanner borrowed off the tender because the client wouldn't pay for a recovery dive, anyone else had a piece of gear fail at the worst possible second?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan.logan27d ago

Hold on, did you actually check if the clips on your bag were rated for that kind of salt spray and movement? I've been running offshore for 15 years and I've seen guys get lax with regular inspections. A $400 rookie mistake might be the cheapest lesson you ever get if it keeps you from losing a finger or worse next time.

pat_coleman27d ago

Happened to me with a brand new drill off a rig in the North Sea, watched it vanish like it never existed.

averywilliams27d ago

Did anyone ever find out if that zipper was original or a replacement? I see guys swapping out bag parts all the time and they never match the original quality. Had a buddy who thought he saved money by sewing a new zipper on his bag, but it blew out on his first trip back out. Salt spray eats everything eventually, even the good stuff. If that bag was a couple years old, the zipper might have been ready to go whether you checked it or not.