Oil rig dive in the Gulf made me wonder about our gear standards

I was working a job off the coast of Louisiana last week and noticed two different dive teams using totally different brands of drysuits for the same type of work. One guy swore by his Viking suit for the durability, while another said his Seamax was way more flexible in the warm water. It got me thinking - does brand loyalty actually matter in our line of work, or is it all just personal preference? What do you guys look for when picking gear for a long offshore gig?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavincampbell3d ago

Hey man, that's a tough question and it really hits home for all of us out there.

ryang652d ago

Those Viking guys are ALL about the durability thing but I wonder how many of them actually put their money where their mouth is on a 30 day hitch. You ever see a Seamax blow out a seam on a rusty platform leg? I watched a guy lose his whole zipper on a brand new Viking last year, so that durability argument goes both ways. What's your personal cutoff point - do you switch based on the water temp and job type or are you a one suit for everything kind of diver?