That old diver who showed me how to tie a knot underwater changed everything

Working a job off the coast of Galveston around 2015, I was struggling with a lift bag line when this crusty guy named Red swam over and tied a perfect clove hitch with one hand in about 2 seconds. He just said, "Don't fight the water, let it help you," and swam off. Anyone else had a mentor like that who gave you one piece of advice that still sticks?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim.zara5d ago

Red sounds like the kind of guy who could probably tie a knot with his eyes closed while a shark was nibbling on his fin. Must be nice to get wisdom dropped on you like that, meanwhile my mentor was just some guy who yelled "don't drown" and then pushed me off the boat. Tbh I would have probably responded with something smart like "yeah, tell that to my lift bag that's now floating to China" and then silently cursed myself for the rest of the dive. Classic case of someone making a complicated thing look effortless while the rest of us are just flailing around like confused turtles.

hunt.nora4d ago

That lift bag heading to China line got me laughing because I've literally watched two grand worth of camera gear drift into the blue because I tied a knot wrong. Red sounds like he could probably tie a butterfly bend with a sea lion watching and still get it perfect on the first try. The rest of us are just hoping our fins don't fall off while these guys make it look like breathing.