LA Oil Rigs - Analysis

[Steel Shootin']

Type of Dive: Dive on an oil rig in Gulf off Louisiana. Beautiful weather, flat seas, heavy surface current, 20 - 30' murk layer.

Incident Details: Third dive of the day. Murk layer much worse, but visability good enough to shoot once through the murk. Max depth on this dive roughly 110' . Shot some triggers and a 15# American Red Snapper at the end of the dive that I threaded onto my 3/32" steel cable. Upon ascent, and while fulfilling a deco obligation, I wound up in a "matrix" of smaller diameter pipes, a suddenly worse murk, a ripping current with an undertoe effect, and sharks trying to find the twitching red snapper in the murk. While trying to jab at sharks and cudas, the trigger was pulled (unloaded), and the shaft came out. I grabbed the shaft and let the gun float. There was no visability to correct the situation, and all physical strength was used to:

a) Stay on the rig and not get blown off, where I would wind-up in a bigger population of sharks, and

b) not get sliced and diced along the pipes I had wound up around.

Not getting bit by a shark was also starting to cross my mind.

I surfaced finally and the cable was caught in the pipes, but the gun was on the surface and I grabbed it, called the boat, but I was still trying to keep from getting slammed into the pipes.

I handed the gun up, but the boat was unable to hold the gun for long because it was now in the same current that I was in. The ARS was up at the surface on the cable. I was exhausted and unable at that point to go in, at which point the gun was released in hopes of going back in for it. A few minutes later, when a diver went in for it, it was no longer tangled, and was probably at the bottom due to sharks getting the fish, or someone getting untangled in the current.

Damage Control: Mainly to my ego and wallet! I was slammed against several pipes, which did not injure me. I aggravated a rotator cuff injury trying to grab the boat and hold onto the gun,
and later received an injection into the shoulder. My wallet was injured by the loss of a new gun, shaft, stringer, 15# ARS, and triggers. The gun I'll miss. We've shared some good moments together. Dammit, now there's a tear in my beer.

Remedial Measures: Looking back on this dive, I believe the following actions might correct the danger:

1. A dive plan is important on the rigs, which should include a survey of the condition before the dive. The survey should include the current and the general layout of the structure. I may not have appreciated the current with a better survey, but I damn sure would have picked a better pipe to ascend on. I wound-up ascending in the worse possible area on the rig: multiple small pipes that did not provide shelter from the current, and basically turned me into a human pinball.

2. I probably should have descended a little through the murk and "cleaned-up" the situation, by getting the shaft and line under control. In a deep, no-vis murk layer a deployed shaft with floating gun can only result in a bad situation. I actually untangled it multiple times in the poor vis but the last tangle on the surface found me out of gas.

3. I think people should buddy dive the rigs. There are just too many things going on potentially. Several of our dives were deep.

Conclusion: This was my first time on the rigs, and part of my problem was due to lack of experience. Shooting the rigs, in my inexperienced opinion, is somewhat paradoxical in that it can be both the easiest and toughest shooting you'll ever do. If you wind-up on a platform with a bunch of fish you can get some good licks in. And the murk layer and current are not that bad on some rigs when we were diving. However, it changes quickly and you can come up in conditions that are quite different than when you left the boat. I have a lot to learn about diving out there, but enjoy a challenge.

I would like to hear from some experienced rig divers, especially about their pre-dive plan when doing the rigs.

[Steel Shootin']

I have never seen so many damned triggerfish in my life. The first dive found no red snapper in the deeper stuff, so I came up to 100' or so, found a platform, and had a little fun.

This photo also gives you a good view of a larger oil rig.

I also want to mention that I had a hell of a time diving with Pat Bennet (fisizition) and Chris Hill. Steve Moore and his Keys Mobile Diving Vessel is awesome. Steve, who is not a native to LA, did his homework and got us some good stuff to dive on.

[Steel Shootin']

Hey Bucket, I had a great time. I just post in this detail to bring some issues to others attention who may be new to the rigs. It's great diving, and maybe some experienced rig divers will offer some tips. Someone has to be willing to wear the dunce cap around here, so it might as well be me.

Man, congratulations on those great fish... . on your birthday no less! I hope Dan will still have me on his boat after reading this pathetic post of mine. :D

[Steel Shootin']

Fisizition and Chris shot some very nice ARS that placed high, shown here:

http://www.spearboard.com/patandchris.jpg

[kitefisherman]

Scott: Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm headed to the rigs for the first time next month, and that's exactly the kind of stuff I need to be thinking about. I'm looking forward to some pearls of wisdom from the experienced rig divers. Good thread topic!

Pat & Chris: Nice fish!

[fizisition]

Originally posted by kitefisherman

Pat & Chris: Nice fish!
Thanks Kite,mine went 22 3/4#'s and chris' was 24 3/4#'s
Best advice I can give you is after you shoot a red snap get your gun reloaded as quickly as possible as this is when the big boy will "chum" in.

[fizisition]

here's chris

[mushkee]

nice...is it hard to freedive these rigs with that murk level...

[KJNDIVER]

Sorry to hear about your story. I was talking to Chad Carney at the wiegh in today and he told what had happened. Bummer. Had hoped to meet you and the others at the weigh in, guess itll have to be next year. Seems that yall's decision to head back earlier may have been a wise one as shortly after the scales closed it seems that a hurricane/monsoon set in upon us. It tried to rain things out and was doing a pretty good job of it but still passed a good time. Heres hoping to better luck on your next rig trip.

[fizisition]

Originally posted by Bucket One
That's one big ass spade.

We were very happy when we shot our category 8 and 9 pounders,but chris said there was no way he was going to let that one get away .He went 11+ and should be a new rodeo record.

[fizisition]

Bucket we also shot a few more yellow mouth's:) ! J/k

[Griswold]

When approaching a rig dive, I plan the following:

(1) Note current and look at compass to see which corner of the rig the boat is tied to. Sounds dumb, of course the boat is on the down current side, but the current often stops and even goes different directions once you get through the murk layer. It's easy to get disoriented.

(2) Planning your ascent is especially critical when heavy murk, current and seas are present. Scott, you had 2 out of 3. Heavy seas could have made your situation bad. Those cross pipes hurt when a 3 foot wave slams you into one. (Yes, I learned the hard way.)

(3) My buddies and I always agree on a max depth and hold eachother accountable for not breaking it.

I'm not someone who believes that buddy diving is always necessary, but I do think that anytime you do something new staying together is a good idea.

As I'm sure you know now Scott, tucking behind a big leg basically eliminates the current, gives you something to follow up when the murk is so bad that you can only see 3 feet, and if you pick the right leg - leads to the boat.

[fizisition]

Scott ,
THANKS,
it was great to shoot the rigs with you and I am sure you would have shot several more huge fish had you not injured your shoulder.I hope you can find the time to plan another rig trip.

[Griswold]

Nice fish.

Kinda cool that a bunch of guys came from hundreds of miles away, threw the boat in the water, and competed.

I look forward to more stories.

[biggsy]

Good post Scott...with the exception of the lost gear, I am glad you made it out okay! Great shot of that rig in the background!

[fizisition]

Originally posted by mushkee
nice...is it hard to freedive these rigs with that murk level...
Not all the rigs have a murk layer ,It constantly changes.I would consider the murk a huge advantage for a really good freediver as you can pop right out of it and surprise the fish

[SpearDiverTampa]

That spadefish took me for one hell of a ride, luckily I had a riding rig for just such an occasion. Thanks to the riding rig, I was able to shoot him at 25', finally get to enjoy the "nantucket sleigh ride" as he beelined for the bottom, and tie that bad boy off to one of the crossbeams of the rig at 250' and let it fight the rig. I ascended to let things cool down and backdove the rig later to capture the beast. :D j/k

[ROCK BOTTOM]

Now don't disrespect that spadefish. The second you take him for granted, he will tie all of your stuff up in a knot and really piss you off.

Rig diving safety. Scott, you hit the nail on the head. It is the easiest diving and it is the hardest diving.

Current and Murk. After doing this for a while you lose the fear of the murk and the current but that doesn't make it go away. It is just the anxiety that goes away. As you found out, the current and murk can be dealt with. By staying tight to the stanchion pipes, you shield yourself from the current and the stanchion pipe will lead you down through the murk. Problems 1 & 2 solved (except that it is a bitch to hunt if the current extends down to the bottom.)

Tangle hazards. There is enough stuff under that rig to be worth mentioning. I have seen more commercial fishing line and shrimp nets wrapped up in a ball under the rigs to scare most divers. It seems the fish like this stuff too. With all of the entanglement hazards, the last thing you need to do is let your stuff dangle and get caught on the rig. Did you notice how the growth on the rigs is like Velcro to your cable? Bad stuff.

Depth control. Pay attention to your depth gauge. Pay attention to your air. Should I repeat any of this? Also, since we do not drift over the bottom, buoyancy control is not as critical, especially if you are adept at wrapping your legs around the pipes to hold yourself in place while re loading or other tasks.

Buddy diving. As a beginner, it is best that you hunt fairly close together. I usually wear a pony bottle but somehow lost its fill and dove without it on day three. I stayed with my wife and coached her at around 100 fsw. On the one drop I made over 200, she was shadowing me at 145 fsw in case something went wrong. I, of course, was only diving that deep to look for fish because there weren’t any higher up in the water column.

[ramblin'wreck]

There are plenty of more experienced rig divers around this board, but I can throw my two cents in. (not specific to Scott's predicament, but generally good sense)

1. Have your stuff buttoned up before you re-enter the murk. Fish strung, shaft and line under control, etc. This includes your "mental stuff". The murk is usually not more than 30' deep, and once you get into influence of wave action and strong currents, with little to no vis, it's too late to start worrying about controlling all that gear. Nor is it a calming environment. I think it's natural to feel somewhat out of control when you can't see the end of your gun.

2. Hug THE INSIDE of a rig leg to protect you from current. Why the inside? because on the outside of the corner poles there is almost always a "bumper pole" that extends just down to the waterline but not futher. This is a perfect piece of barnacle-covered steel to brain yourself on, especially if the seas are rough. I like the inside of the leg even when the current pins me against it instead of being sheltered from the current (exception - no wetsuit or other protection - ouch!)

Don't worry, I'll bet all of us have had our butts kicked by the fish/murk/oil rig combo at some juncture.

[ROCK BOTTOM]

My head is still a bit foggy, but in my post above I mentioned depth control only from a shoot/reload/string perspective. Never forget that you are probably diving in water that is a bit deeper than you might feel comfortable bottoming out in. It is very easy to end up deeper than you expect to go so it is critical to monitor the depth gauge. I hammered down to 203 fsw Saturday and tried to hunt up some big grouper. I couldn't see three feet through the bottom murk. Shooting a fish in this crap really requires a plan. You have to be ready to shoot and get the hell out of there because your air consumption goes through the roof at this depth. Also, you burn a lot of air reloading your gun at depth. Do this after you have come up in the water column.

Zz

[Wet Spot]

Like anything else it just takes getting used to. But like Rock said, it still doesn't eliminate the factors. I was decompressing at fifteen feet (in blue water) holding onto a rig leg flagging like an idiot latched on to a worried barnical because of the seas and current. Meanwhile my grouper, which was a much easier fight, floating on the surface (via riding rig) is trying to jerk me off of the pipe with the wave action, etc. The current can get so bad you have to map your dive according to the pipes so you can hide behind them at every move. A few big amberjack come flying by only entertained by the current and you try to swing your gun (basic exercise in futility) while your bands are screaming for mercy. That's all before you even pull the trigger! One thing rig diving will do for you is make you really appreciate the good days.
God I love this sport.

[Steel Shootin']

Those are all great suggestions.

We've talked about the current, and it does rip at the surface, but when you come-up around several pipes, as I did, the current almost becomes "confused" and developes into a strange cyclone effect. In this type of situation, there is even an undertow that can pull you down from the surface temporarily, at least I am pretty sure there was. Does that make sense?

Another thing that really needs to be stressed: Watch overhead as you ascend or swim horizontally. That is common sense for sure, BUT, what I am trying to stress is that I was carefully watching overhead, and still almost managed to brain myself a couple of times, ESPECIALLY in the murk. On one occassion, I did nothing more than turn my face to the side to look for fish, and there was a pipe inches away that could have given me the nickname Tony Montana. On another occassion, it was just coming up through the murk.

I would venture a guess that hitting your head or face on a pipe is one of the most common causes of a diver injury on those offshore rigs. Or maybe I am just a klutz. :D

[ramblin'wreck]

One other thing. I've had people tell me that tide doesn't translate to current when diving the deepwater platforms, but my personal observation has been that big tidal ranges usually mean lots of current, especially on the surface. Tidal ranges last week were all >2', up to 2.6'. For this area that is a huge tide! Typical is 1-1.5', and my favorite days are 0.5' or less. God help the man diving the Main Pass rigs with a 2.5' tide ripping!

[ROCK BOTTOM]

I can attest to the severity of the current at Main Pass for the Rodeo. It was smokin'. It was stiff on Thursday, so we moved further east on Friday. Saturday we started at MP299 and moved east again during the day but never got out of it. Don't believe them when the say it has no relationship with the tide, it definitely does.

Zz

[Wet Spot]

A full moon in main pass usually equals white water, no matter what the tide charts say. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is how common reverse and cross currents are. In 200ft of water you can sometimes get blown three different directions (and go through a couple of murk layers) before hitting the bottom. Did I even mention thermoclines that will raise your voice a few octaves?
Scott, good chance of getting sucked down in all of those pipes. You can get a pretty good upwelling behind a big pipe so I imagine getting sucked down is fairly easy. Hitting your head is a big problem and people have died because of it. It's habit for most of us to hold one hand over our head or the gun above our head with one hand on top of our head while coming up through a heavy murk.

It takes some guys years to get comfortable enough with all of the adversity to finally concentrate on the hunt. Some guys never do.

[Spear One]

It can be mighty hard to concentrate on shootin' a speargun when all you can think about is how to avoid getting sucked down one of those pipes! That rig divin' is for the big dogs for sure!

[Steel Shootin']

I have a whole new level of respect for you rig guys who do it all year. This thread has a lot of good suggestions, but the thing about rig diving, in my very limited experience, is that you need to a couple of skills as a diver to do it as well and as safe as possible:

1. The ability to adapt to changing conditions (e.g., your first dive was in a 3ft murk with light current....you move three miles and your next dive is a 40ft murk layer with strong current).

2. Learning to "read" the pipes. This is where I really lacked, and hope to get a handle on it for next time. As Gulf divers, we typically get to the bottom and start looking for things to shoot. Not a lot to survey on the way down. On these rigs, the surveying starts on the boat. You are looking at your reef, as it sticks well above the water line. The survey should continue as you descend, and you might be thinking about your ascent (routes) as you make a descent.

Those are a couple of observations, but since I have not dived out there much, it is just theory on my part.

[Mobile Diver]

All,

I have been on the road & so am getting to this discussion late. These are all great points to think about. I defintely noticed surface conditions were NOT predictive of very much: the viz & current & temp were all subject to pretty radical change as you descended. You had to deal with whatever you found when you found it. We didn't dive Main Pass; we were in Miss. Canyon/South Pass Thur-Fri & West Delta Sat. I am used to some 3 knot currents in the Keys & I doubt we saw any over 1.5 knots, but like Scott said you never knew where it was coming from. Like anything else, it requires experience & there is only 1 way to get that. That being said, rig diving is addictive. I just love it & since I have kids that live in the area, I plan to return as often as possible.

[Chad Carney]

With only three scuba trips of two days each and one freedive trip of two days under my belt I'm certainly no expert at rig diving, but I noticed stronger surge on this HDR trip than all the previous trips, even though one trip was much rougher. I think it was the current in combination with the surge that made it so tough in the top 15 ft. I took dozens of photos of the full moon setting behind the rig in the early morning on Friday.

My sollution to the problem was to hange 5 to 10 ft lower, where it made it much less of a problem, just like an ascent with slightly less lead than you would like. On one dive, which I had a deco obligation of 7 minutes, I did move up to 10 or 11 ft to get my computer to out-gas more quickly, but it was a pretty wild ride until I found a calm spot and something to hold onto which was solid. It felt like Skyway Bridge diving for stoneys, but with 5 foot waves too!

On my first rig trip the current was so light that by following my buddies instructions, I swam straight down and met the outward reaching legs of the rig at around 50 to 60 feet. Piece of cake!
By contrast on this trip you had to swim your ass off while cocking your gun and observing and following the rig direction or you would: (a.) never make the rig in the first place, or (b.) constantly be the last hunter to get into the fish. (I was usually in the last column anyway because of my awkwardness with the line gun and slip tip rigging.)

All the above said, I'll be diving up in rig country at least a couple times a year!

Chad

[diligaf]

Chad… I think that is excellent advice. In rough seas or surge conditions, many tech divers opt to do their entire last stop at 20’ instead of 10’-15’. Their thinking behind doing the deeper stop is that the effect of surge and wave height is less, making it easier to maintain a more constant depth during their deco.

[Wet Spot]

Dave, I see some guys hugging a small rig pipe at 15ft to keep from flagging while decompressing. The sudden and constant depth changes that occurs in a rough sea concerns me. Their body is experiencing a pretty drastic change and I don't believe they realize the danger involved.

[Frog_Legs]

Hey Scott,

Man I feel your pain! ExFrog and I got our butts kicked on our first trip to the rigs. Both of us have done a fair amout of low vis diving but adding the current and surge really created a challenging stage! We should be headed back down sometime in August for a re-match. Like a lot of other things there is just no substitue for OJT.

A couple of changes after the first trip:

1. Added pony bottles.
2. Changed to riding rigs. We had originally added tie off lines to
the back of our guns.
3. Added true cable cutters to the basic load out.
4. Got rid of the fins I loaned Jim for the first trip. Get something that
will let you power into the rig from the boat when the surface current
is running hard.
5. For the first couple of dives we would designate a primary/backup
shooter. Backup would act as safty diver.

So much for the fun stuff...Gotta' get back to some rock anchor grout mix design.