Gulf Rig Diving

[andercb1]

A buddy of mine and fellow diver just got a boat that will get us offshore. I am looking for some tips on rig diving especially out of Galveston.

How many miles offshore is generally needed to get into some decent viz?

Are there any certain things to look for when selecting a rig or platform?

What are some general guidelines to follow?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as we are both new to gulf rig diving.

 

[chrpai]

I used to know a guy with a boat and we'd leave out of Matagorda. I think we went about 40 miles if I recall. Depth was around 110 - 120 and the bottom was really silty. Stay off of it it'll cloud up.

You'll need a rig hook. The guy driving the boat knew more of this stuff then I did. Some rigs are manned, some are not. Some would get irritated and tell you to leave, some wouldn't. Sometime there are crew boats and cranes so stay away from that corner of the platform. Sometimes we'd not hook up and drop off and pick up really close to the rig.


Watch the weather reports carefully. August when it's hot as hell ( high pressure influence ) usually means a calm gulf.

BTW, I'd love to get some of that action going on again so if you ever need a buddy.

 

[gnominic]

How far out you go depends on where you leave from. The further east you go on the coast, the further you need to go for deep water. From Galveston you can reach 80 feet in about 30 miles, maybe a bit less. From Port A it's much faster.

Don't be afraid do jump into what appears to be low viz. The gulf often has a murk layer on top with less than 15 feet viz that opens up to great viz under. You'll also see a murk layer at the bottom (almost always cold water) too. The bottom layer is great for spearing.

For rig safety you should keep your radio on 16 in case the rig needs to run you off. They usually will not, but sometimes they have stuff going on that you won't want to be under.

I always recommend tying up to the +10, it's a horizontal crossmember (about 10 feet over the water), because it will be free of barnacles. Pass your line over the pipe and back to your boat - that way you can untie without approaching the rig again or quickly if you need to leave in a hurry.

Watch for fishing line and busted, rusted junk. You may find batteries near isolated or older platforms; leave those alone.

The best rig in the Gulf is the one inside the Flower gardens NMS. You didn't say how big your boat is, but that's a real hike out there and there are plenty of rigs on the way that are just fine too.

Trail a buoy behind your boat in case the currents are high or change. Leave a responsible person on board the boat. In high currents you can hide from the current behind the main legs and usually descend below the current. Just be careful if you're doing that.

If you swim into the rig legs, make sure you descend below the surge before you go in. Once you're in, watch your head and be aware of the overhead environment. Keep watching for entanglements.

The middle gulf is very calm in the summer. It will be hot and still a lot of the time. As you move west, that is, most of the Texas coast, it gets windier and rougher.

You should try to make a trip with someone who has done it and get a feel for it. It's not tough, but it's not as easy as picking up a mooring buoy and jumping in.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Guba]

I'm no expert, but I know I learned a few things by going out with folks who are. Gnominic has great info, but here are a few things you might consider.
The rig inside the FG is High Island 369, and it's being decommissioned (if not already). There is a movement to "save" it in order use it as an artificial reef, but that's a really uphill battle. The neat thing about it is that since it's in the Sanctuary, the legs are left "uncleaned" for the most part. It has a HUGE buildup of sponges and even coral, and it's quite an ecosystem on its own. However, one thing to remember...you didn'te say you and your friends would be spearfishing, but if you are, remember that HI369 is INSIDE the sanctuary---no spearguns allowed!

Another little tidbit to watch for is pretty rare, but it prevented us from tying up to a large rig once. In the late summer when the water is warm and currents are slack (pretty rare in the Gulf, but it can happen), a phenomenon actually makes it dangerous to tie up to a rig. In the middle of the day, the rig shades and cools the surface water somewhat, and the water sinks nearly straight downward. Other surface water flows in to take its place and this produces a slight pull TOWARD the rig, from all directions. Any boat tied up to it runs the risk of being pulled into the legs or underneath the platform. It's a rarity, but the captain with us said it happens once in a while.

Have fun, but stay safe (and legal)!

 

[gnominic]

I'm no expert, but I know I learned a few things by going out with folks who are. Gnominic has great info, but here are a few things you might consider.
The rig inside the FG is High Island 369, and it's being decommissioned (if not already). There is a movement to "save" it in order use it as an artificial reef, but that's a really uphill battle. The neat thing about it is that since it's in the Sanctuary, the legs are left "uncleaned" for the most part. It has a HUGE buildup of sponges and even coral, and it's quite an ecosystem on its own. However, one thing to remember...you didn'te say you and your friends would be spearfishing, but if you are, remember that HI369 is INSIDE the sanctuary---no spearguns allowed!

Yeah, the OP didn't say they were spearing. I just threw that in as extra info. I didn't mean that you could spear in the sactuary. I should have pointed that out. Definitely off limits to spearing.

But, I thought the rig was being saved. I'm sure that even if they remove the surface structure they will leave the legs in place ("reefing in place" I think they call it). Maybe Wookie will weigh in; he is better connected with the sactuary than most of us.

Another little tidbit to watch for is pretty rare, but it prevented us from tying up to a large rig once. In the late summer when the water is warm and currents are slack (pretty rare in the Gulf, but it can happen), a phenomenon actually makes it dangerous to tie up to a rig. In the middle of the day, the rig shades and cools the surface water somewhat, and the water sinks nearly straight downward. Other surface water flows in to take its place and this produces a slight pull TOWARD the rig, from all directions. Any boat tied up to it runs the risk of being pulled into the legs or underneath the platform. It's a rarity, but the captain with us said it happens once in a while.

While it is true there are times when there isn't enough wind or current to keep you boat off the rig (it's a common problem in fact), I would say the hypothesis of sinking water because of the rig shadow is a little silly. You certainly need wind or current to keep your boat hanging off the rig. In a case like that you can drop you divers and drift until they (all) surface and then go pick them up. Just make sure your divers don't surface inside the rig and keep the boat off a good safe distance. Remember SMBs for ocean diving are not optional too.

Good luck out there.

 

[Guba]

I think the status of HI389 is still being decided. I volunteer as a sort of "spokesperson" for the FGBNMS at a number of events, and I get daily updates from the educational specialist with the sanctuary. Unless I've missed something, the latest info was that the platform is officially on the decommissioned list, but no removal date has been set. There is an ongoing movement being organized to petition the company to leave the structure in place, but only two alternatives are likely. A third party (such as a public sector group) will have to come up with the funds to equip the platform with lights, warning devices and radar reflectors, or the company might be persuaded to leave the legs after removing the superstructure. There are depth limits with that last alternative, though. I THINK (but am not sure) that the legs must be no shallower than 85 feet below surface.

As for the "sinking water" theory, hey...I only know what the captain of the vessel told me. Who am I to question HIM?

 

[andercb1]

Thanks for the tips. We plan on heading out in the next few weeks. No spearing for me, at least not right now. I will post back with a report. Until then if anyone has any further guidance, let's here it.

 

[Guba]

Here's an article I received today from the FGBNMS regarding plans to remove a LARGE number of idle platforms in the Gulf.

Rigs to Reef Shows Promise in Gulf of Mexico#

 

[Bill Parker]

Here's an article I received today from the FGBNMS regarding plans to remove a LARGE number of idle platforms in the Gulf.

Rigs to Reef Shows Promise in Gulf of Mexico#

Thanks for the link. Environmentalists tried to stop the rigs from
being installed in the first place. Now that obsolete rigs are
being removed they want to stop that as well. And
environmentalists had the law written to require the rigs to be
removed when they were finished with them instead of simply
abandoning them. I find it somewhat humorous that they are
now complaining about getting exactly what they asked for.

 

[gnominic]

Unfortunately, I think a lot of the time the idea is just to oppose anything the oil companies propose. Kind of like congress, come to think of it.