FredT
12-31-2002, 11:19 AM
John called Tues and thought he wanted to go hunt a few fish Wednesday morning if the rain let up. After checking the forecast I told the boss he probably wouldn't see me tomorrow unless the weather turned nasty. About 1900 I finally get clear of my office and head back to the MS coast. At 2300 Tues night it's still raining but the forecast and WV GOES8 photo shows a band of dry air heading our way. Note that in south LA and MS "dry" air is usually around 80% relative humidity or so, you just can't SEE it in distances of less than a mile. Humidity haze is pretty standard stuff here abouts so being able to actually see something several miles away is pretty neat.
0530 Wed morning I called up the weather buoy just east of the island (42007) and got calm winds, and seas of 0.7 ft with a longish period. Eventually got the weather radar on line and it showed one small thunderhead just over the mouth of the MS River. This is good news, as we plan to head SSE out of Biloxi. By the time we got the boat and gear loaded, ice picked up and the boat launched it was after 9:00 AM. The rain preventing boat loading the night before put us a 2.5 hours behind schedule. We finally got going about 9:30. When we passed through Dog Key Pass the water in the open gulf was actually calmer than the stuff in the Mississippi Sound. Even worse that that was we could actually SEE the top of the first rig peeking above the horizon, 18 miles away. This rig set is roughly 30 miles out, 12 to DKP, and then another 18 to the first rig. Normally they just materialize out of the haze when we get within a mile or two of the structure. No wind ripples on the Gulf most places either. We threw the throttle all the way open and headed out. We did eventually figure out where the 0.7' seas number came from. We crossed occasional wakes from workboats and tankers who had passed by a while ago (we never saw the ships) so I guess the buoy was seeing those. Otherwise it was FAC.
The first rig was a single tower with a tripod brace. It was little more than a wellhead and flowline. The big rig in that set had a workboat tied up and it looked like they were just starting to transfer cargo, so we passed on being chum and dove the little one. 5' of cool green water on top, HOT 15' vis water to about 20' then clearish 80' vis water to within 5' of the bottom, and even the bottom had over 10' of vis. No large snapper here but lots of Spadefish and smaller snapper though, along with the normal resident colony stuff of butterflies, jawfish, blennies, yellow hind, soapfish, etc.
As I was coming up I was strafed by a smallish cobia. I took him. He was about 45" long. Not big, but the limit is two, so the next one has to be huge. The next two dives were on an air force antenna (single post above water spreading to 4 angled piles below water, and a small gas production platform. The run to each of these is about 6 to 10 miles bearing S to SSE. Both rigs had all the normal small stuff and no large fish. I did pass on two more cobia about the same size as the one I took first thing. Water conditions improving with the surface green thinning out, and the hot layer thinning too.
The next rig was a gas compression platform roughly 60 miles out. This had a large 6'or 8' diameter single post with two well casings and bundle of satellite well flowline risers, and a trio of pipelines headed to the beach coming off the north side supported by two angled 48" braces. A workboat and a chopper were working the rig. About the time we decided to move on and head another 12 miles south the workboat left. After checking with the platform crew (the WB had to take a plate ashore for mods and would be back later, but we had a 3 hour window) we threw on the gear This is the first place we had seen Sows (large red snapper) over 3' long. I popped one, losing a wishbone in the process. We had a bit of a discussion with me finally providing her an attitude adjustment by cutting her throat. While stringing her and reloading with my remaining 2 bands I see a large cuberra snapper coming up to see what all the commotion is. He was big enough to eat my snapper as a lite snack. I probably would have made him a nice meal if I hadn't been wedged between the flowlines. I estimate he was well over 18" between his eyes. He saw John about the same time John saw him and started lining up for a shot, did a fast 180° turn and disappeared. The leg John was on was one of the 48" braces. That snapper's tail height was at least half the diameter of the pile, as I saw him turn right next to the pile, although a bit farther from me than the pile. The height of his tail was half the diameter of the pile from my viewpoint. He had obviously seen divers in his smaller days. I got a small grouper that was busy paying attention to John fight another sow snapper and not watching where he was going then we heard a workboat in the area. Up to the boat and moved off while ANOTHER part was transferred to the (different) boat. The vis is better here to about 95', where the vis completely disappears. Bottom is still another 60' down, but we don't go there. While off and field dressing the first 3 snapper we discussed cuberra strategy a bit and changed bottles. Once the rig was clear again we headed back to see if we could smoke him out again. No luck with him, but we did get 3 more sows on the boat.
The first of my two of those sows provided me with my Zieg moment. It turned from a run with 3" of sharp tip protruding from one side of its skull and headed straight for my belly. Not wanting to experience disemboweling firsthand I reached out and turned her by grabbing her nose. I succeeded in turning her but she succeeded in chomping down on my right hand in the meantime. Give the alternative I took the pain while I got her turned and obtained some control of situation and then got my hand out of her mouth. LOTS of puncture wounds both sides of my hand including 3 holes through fingernails and punctures into two knuckles, this with Kevlar and urethane gloves on. Grabbing her lower jaw when she grabbed me to prevent relative motion probably saved me from some pretty nasty lacerations, but these hurt quite enough, thankyouverymuch. The best way I can think of to describe it is as Zieg has described his moray moments. If you can visualize being clamped on by a pair of vise grips with teeth you have a pretty good mental picture :-((
The last dive of the day was on a production platform another 6 miles south. I got another sow, and so did John. Boat limit on snapper in hand, and no more room in the box, meant it was time to call it a day. We cleaned up the boat, got the fish field dressed and boxed and took a shower, then with clean dry clothes headed in, at 4:15PM. We got to the dock at 1830, and I had my 6 fish butchered by 2300. Jeanne finished preliminary skinning and ice packing the fillets and steaks by midnight. Sleeping was NOT a problem last night.
FT
BTW The sow that chomped me is in my profile photo on Scubaboard.
0530 Wed morning I called up the weather buoy just east of the island (42007) and got calm winds, and seas of 0.7 ft with a longish period. Eventually got the weather radar on line and it showed one small thunderhead just over the mouth of the MS River. This is good news, as we plan to head SSE out of Biloxi. By the time we got the boat and gear loaded, ice picked up and the boat launched it was after 9:00 AM. The rain preventing boat loading the night before put us a 2.5 hours behind schedule. We finally got going about 9:30. When we passed through Dog Key Pass the water in the open gulf was actually calmer than the stuff in the Mississippi Sound. Even worse that that was we could actually SEE the top of the first rig peeking above the horizon, 18 miles away. This rig set is roughly 30 miles out, 12 to DKP, and then another 18 to the first rig. Normally they just materialize out of the haze when we get within a mile or two of the structure. No wind ripples on the Gulf most places either. We threw the throttle all the way open and headed out. We did eventually figure out where the 0.7' seas number came from. We crossed occasional wakes from workboats and tankers who had passed by a while ago (we never saw the ships) so I guess the buoy was seeing those. Otherwise it was FAC.
The first rig was a single tower with a tripod brace. It was little more than a wellhead and flowline. The big rig in that set had a workboat tied up and it looked like they were just starting to transfer cargo, so we passed on being chum and dove the little one. 5' of cool green water on top, HOT 15' vis water to about 20' then clearish 80' vis water to within 5' of the bottom, and even the bottom had over 10' of vis. No large snapper here but lots of Spadefish and smaller snapper though, along with the normal resident colony stuff of butterflies, jawfish, blennies, yellow hind, soapfish, etc.
As I was coming up I was strafed by a smallish cobia. I took him. He was about 45" long. Not big, but the limit is two, so the next one has to be huge. The next two dives were on an air force antenna (single post above water spreading to 4 angled piles below water, and a small gas production platform. The run to each of these is about 6 to 10 miles bearing S to SSE. Both rigs had all the normal small stuff and no large fish. I did pass on two more cobia about the same size as the one I took first thing. Water conditions improving with the surface green thinning out, and the hot layer thinning too.
The next rig was a gas compression platform roughly 60 miles out. This had a large 6'or 8' diameter single post with two well casings and bundle of satellite well flowline risers, and a trio of pipelines headed to the beach coming off the north side supported by two angled 48" braces. A workboat and a chopper were working the rig. About the time we decided to move on and head another 12 miles south the workboat left. After checking with the platform crew (the WB had to take a plate ashore for mods and would be back later, but we had a 3 hour window) we threw on the gear This is the first place we had seen Sows (large red snapper) over 3' long. I popped one, losing a wishbone in the process. We had a bit of a discussion with me finally providing her an attitude adjustment by cutting her throat. While stringing her and reloading with my remaining 2 bands I see a large cuberra snapper coming up to see what all the commotion is. He was big enough to eat my snapper as a lite snack. I probably would have made him a nice meal if I hadn't been wedged between the flowlines. I estimate he was well over 18" between his eyes. He saw John about the same time John saw him and started lining up for a shot, did a fast 180° turn and disappeared. The leg John was on was one of the 48" braces. That snapper's tail height was at least half the diameter of the pile, as I saw him turn right next to the pile, although a bit farther from me than the pile. The height of his tail was half the diameter of the pile from my viewpoint. He had obviously seen divers in his smaller days. I got a small grouper that was busy paying attention to John fight another sow snapper and not watching where he was going then we heard a workboat in the area. Up to the boat and moved off while ANOTHER part was transferred to the (different) boat. The vis is better here to about 95', where the vis completely disappears. Bottom is still another 60' down, but we don't go there. While off and field dressing the first 3 snapper we discussed cuberra strategy a bit and changed bottles. Once the rig was clear again we headed back to see if we could smoke him out again. No luck with him, but we did get 3 more sows on the boat.
The first of my two of those sows provided me with my Zieg moment. It turned from a run with 3" of sharp tip protruding from one side of its skull and headed straight for my belly. Not wanting to experience disemboweling firsthand I reached out and turned her by grabbing her nose. I succeeded in turning her but she succeeded in chomping down on my right hand in the meantime. Give the alternative I took the pain while I got her turned and obtained some control of situation and then got my hand out of her mouth. LOTS of puncture wounds both sides of my hand including 3 holes through fingernails and punctures into two knuckles, this with Kevlar and urethane gloves on. Grabbing her lower jaw when she grabbed me to prevent relative motion probably saved me from some pretty nasty lacerations, but these hurt quite enough, thankyouverymuch. The best way I can think of to describe it is as Zieg has described his moray moments. If you can visualize being clamped on by a pair of vise grips with teeth you have a pretty good mental picture :-((
The last dive of the day was on a production platform another 6 miles south. I got another sow, and so did John. Boat limit on snapper in hand, and no more room in the box, meant it was time to call it a day. We cleaned up the boat, got the fish field dressed and boxed and took a shower, then with clean dry clothes headed in, at 4:15PM. We got to the dock at 1830, and I had my 6 fish butchered by 2300. Jeanne finished preliminary skinning and ice packing the fillets and steaks by midnight. Sleeping was NOT a problem last night.
FT
BTW The sow that chomped me is in my profile photo on Scubaboard.