The worst dive I ever had was near Port Fourchon last August

I was working a 60 foot repair on a pipeline brace near Port Fourchon last August when my comms unit started screaming static in my ear for a solid 10 minutes. I could barely hear my tender and had to abort halfway through because I couldn't get a clear signal on the lift bag pressure. Anyone else dealt with bad comms gear that nearly cost you a full day's pay?

3 comments

3 Comments

fisher.reese22d ago

Fighting with the lift bag for twenty minutes" is a phrase that hits close to home for me (in a bad way). You gotta think though, maybe the real problem isn't just the brand of comms gear but how old the wiring is in those rig panels. Most companies never replace that stuff until it fails completely, so it's like we're all playing roulette with our paychecks every time we dive.

seandavis19d ago

Truth be told, I used to blame the divers for not being heavy enough on the gas or something. But hearing stories like that, where the gear just craps out and the company won't cover the lost pay, it makes you realize how much is out of your hands down there. Whole system feels rigged against the guy doing the actual work.

joseph52922d ago

Got a buddy who had that exact problem last summer. He was doing a simple valve replacement on a rig about 30 miles off Louisiana. His comms unit went completely dead right as he hit the bottom. Full static, couldn't hear a thing from the surface. He had to abort the whole job after fighting with the lift bag for twenty minutes. Lost half a day's pay and the company didn't cover it. Said he felt like he was working blind down there.