A simple trick with a zip tie saved a 12-hour job from going sideways

We were on a 3-day job in the Gulf, replacing a valve 150 feet down. The new bolt pack wouldn't seat right, and we were about to call it and surface. My dive partner, an old hand from Louisiana, grabbed a spare zip tie from his kit and looped it around the bolt head as a makeshift guide. It worked on the first try, letting us torque it down properly. We finished the whole valve swap in 8 hours instead of blowing the whole schedule. What's the one weird little item in your save-a-dive kit that's pulled you out of a jam?

3 comments

3 Comments

sams253mo ago

Honestly that's a good point about the zip ties lol. It's wild how often the simplest, cheapest fix is the one that saves the day. You see it everywhere, like using a paperclip to reset a router or a bit of duct tape on a hose. Makes you wonder why we overcomplicate stuff so much. The best tool is sometimes just whatever junk you have in your pocket.

sandra2033mo ago

That's a great save, but zip ties degrade surprisingly fast in saltwater.

-1

james_ross23d ago

Wouldn't that mean you're basically just adding plastic pollution to the ocean one zip tie at a time? I guess when your jerry-rigged motor mount finally gives out, at least you'll have a good story about how that one little plastic strip was your boat's last stand against the sea.