A simple zip tie saved a whole day's work on a Seattle harbor job

We were doing a hull inspection on a 120-foot tugboat last Thursday, and my primary light cable kept snagging on every piece of rigging. After the third time it pulled loose, I grabbed a spare zip tie from my kit and looped it through a grommet on my harness, creating a quick clip point. That little fix kept the cable tidy and out of the way for the rest of the 6-hour dive. What's your go-to small item that always seems to save the day down there?

4 comments

4 Comments

nelson.vera24d ago

Nah, zip ties are a one time fix and then you gotta cut them off. My real lifesaver is a small carabiner clipped to my d-ring. It's a permanent clip point for lights or tools, you can open and close it a hundred times a day, and it never leaves trash in the water. Way more reliable for actual work.

emery29024d ago

Oh man, I saw a post last week about a dive team that switched to carabiners for that exact reason. They got tired of finding little bits of cut zip ties everywhere on the reef, even when they tried to be careful. It just adds up over time. That permanent clip point idea is solid, you're not fumbling around each time you need to stow something. Makes way more sense for repeated use.

sean_green4424d ago

Dude, zip ties are basically duct tape for divers.

joelmoore24d ago

Forget the trash, my issue is they always snap at the worst time. Had one give out on me while clipping off a light, sent it straight to the abyss.