Do you really need to blast your tank cap with full air pressure without going through your regulator? Probably not – oh well. Yet many divers do, this is a pretty widespread practice, I am meaning worldwide, everywhere I dive I see this. I have been known to use air to dry the dust cap, that is usually unusual circumstances though, I prefer to use my shirt or towel to dry the cap when I can.

Naturally it can be done, but it should be done at low-pressure, there are better ways to do it though. What really happens is you get an ear splitting crack as the valve is opened too far and excess air blasts out. I find it annoying, it really isn’t required, there are options that people don’t seem to consider. This is usually the result of poor instruction from instructors and learning content creators.

There has been the discussion of potential air embolism, but I do not know of actual cases, as a health and safety practitioner, I follow safety incidents in Western Australia and the other states. I don’t see incidents of air impregnation of the skin. In industrial workshops, we warn against compressed air safety, once again, we do not see a lot of statistics to warrant corrective actions.

Is there a better way? Well, yes there is, I get out of my wetsuit before dismantling my equipment so I have a shirt on so I use my shirt to wipe dry the cap. Between dives and a quick surface interval? Still use my shirt, even if I am not wearing it, that will be in my dry bag. People have towels in their bags and overhead storage bins, it is not hard to carry a small shammy in their kit or some other wipe – so yes, there are other ways.