Had a close call with a silt out in a New Orleans canal last week

We were doing a simple inspection job, but the bottom was way softer than the charts showed. My buddy kicked up a wall of silt and I lost all visual for a solid two minutes. We had practiced line signals, but feeling that rope go tight in zero vis is a different thing. What's your go-to move when you get caught in a total blackout like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

jackson.wesley20h ago

Totally agree! I even close my eyes sometimes to fight that panic, makes waiting for the line signal way easier.

kelly311d ago

Two minutes is a long time to be blind down there. My go-to move is to stop moving completely, grab the line, and just wait it out. Trying to swim up or out in that soup usually makes it worse. I keep one hand on my gauge console and just breathe until it clears. The urge to bolt is strong, but staying put has always worked better for me.