That one Thursday in the Gulf made me question everything

Back in August, I had a day in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon where the vis was maybe 2 feet and the current was ripping at 3 knots on a pipeline repair. We spent 6 hours in the water and by the end, my dry gloves were shredded and I had a busted o-ring on my hat. It was the worst day of the year, but somehow the job went smooth and the check cleared for $1,200. Has anyone else had a shift that was brutal but ended up being your best payday?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_gray13d ago

Man that brings back some memories. Rough days like that usually taught me to lean hard on my pre dive checklist no matter how bad the conditions were. Forcing myself to triple check seals and gloves before jumping in saved my hide more than once when the current was nasty. Also started packing a backup bag with dry gear in a sealed container on the boat for those days you know are gonna be a fight. Made a huge difference when I could swap out a shredded glove or a flooded hat without losing an hour of bottom time. That $1,200 check feels a lot better when you don't spend half of it fixing gear you blew up on the first dive.

charles_henderson13d ago

Laughing at the thought of triple checking seals while getting tossed around like a ragdoll, thats when you really earn that paycheck. I tried that backup bag trick once but forgot to seal it properly, ended up with a soggy sandwich and a dry hat that wasnt even mine. At least when your gear blows up on the first dive you get a solid excuse to call it a day and crack a beer instead of fighting the current for another hour.