Rig "can-holes"

[gnominic]

When a jack up rig jacks up it cuts "can holes" into the bottom to gain footing. I've been told that these holes hold fish, but I've never seen one (a hole that is). Anyone have experience with this?

The holes are so large that they are a threat to the smaller elevating boats that service the platforms after drilling is finished. They can slide into the holes and fall over. So, we're talking about a pretty big hole. They should come in sets of three or four, depending on the drilling rig, and two should be within 50ft of most platforms.

It seems to me that the murk layer is usually such a ripping current that it would quickly erode away these holes.

-dennis

[JLittle44]

I can't even find the Acadia, and it's only 100 yards off Surfside beach. Finding a set of those holes would be pure luck at best.

If you called someone at a company that owns one of them, maybe they would give you coordinates of where they have recently drilled? If they've already punched a hole and left, it shouldn't be secret information or anything, and if the jack-up had been there recently the holes may not have yet filled in.

Barranowski may have the inside track on something like that.

[kaborkian]

One problem though is that you're on the bottom. Western gulf bottom tends to have a 15' or more murk layer with near zero vis. Unless you hit that perfect day (I can count how many I've seen on one had in the last 5 years), you won't be able to see enough to spear anything.

[SaltyFingers]

The Minerals Management Service website posts all drilling/wellhead activity.

[from the sea]

working in the gulf, (dive tender) ive fallen to 4 if them walking on the bottom, never could see a thing, just fell into them

[gnominic]

They should be easy to find, save the murk factor. The rig will always jack up on the side with surface casing - those are vertical piping that protect the wells. Usually there are half a dozen of those casings together on one side of the rig.

I think the biggest thing is the zero viz....

-dennis

[rigdvr]

I know a rig with some of those holes and Ive actually seen them on a couple of occassions over the years hunting that spot. The holes almost always hold piles of fish.