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?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_jackson914h ago

Stopping completely is fine if you know exactly where you are and have solid line discipline, but two minutes blind in a canal with current is playing with fire. I'd rather feel my way along the bottom towards the line anchor point or the nearest wall, even if it means crawling through the silt. @jackson.wesley closing your eyes is a good trick for the head game, but you still have to have a physical plan. That rope going tight doesn't mean much if you're just sitting there hoping the silt settles while your air ticks down. I've seen guys get tangled up waiting it out. Move slow, keep one hand on something solid, and get to a known reference point.

jackson.wesley2mo ago

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

kelly312mo 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.