Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Aka "Gentleman's Agreement".
The version below represents the most recent update that I have for these protocols, which was November of 2007. I have eliminated the phone numbers for USCG and the rig control room because there's no need for those to be publicized in this type of a forum. If you need them, you may contact me privately.
- Ken
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PROTOCOLS FOR DIVING THE OIL RIGS
(Updated 11/27/07 - please pay special note to procedures marked in bold type - plus new phone numbers for USCG)
GENERAL
1. Diving to be done from commercial dive vessels only. No private boats. Vessels must be under 100' in length.
2. Diving to be conducted only between the hours of 8AM to 4PM.
3. Diving must not interfere with the general operation of the rigs, including workboats and rig crews.
4. Boats may not tie up to the rigs.
5. The rigs are marked "No Trespassing." Divers may not board the rigs, above or below the waterline.
6. No game may be taken from the rigs.
7. No more than one dive boat and their divers may dive a specific rig at one time.
8. No more than three dive boats on-site (max one per rig) at any given time.
9. Boats not adhering to protocol may be excluded from further dives on the rigs.
PRE-TRIP
1. Boat operator or charterer will contact Platform Elly-Ellen control (562/XXX-XXXX) 24-72 hours prior to planned dive and will inform operator of intended date, number of divers, number of dives, and hours planned hours on-site.
2. Platform operator has option to deny based on rig operational needs &/or commitments to other dive boats already scheduled.
3. If request is denied, platform operator will explain why.
4. Once the rigs are notified, boat operator or charter will contact US Coast Guard so USCG can list vessel on their board for that particular day. The numbers have changed as of November, 2007. Generally, call Waterways Management at 310/XXX-XXXX to let them know your plan. If theres no answer or if its the weekend, contact the USCG Officer-On-Duty at 310/XXX-XXXX.
5. If there are any changes in the plan, including cancellation of the trip or changing to a non-rig destination, boat operator or charter will inform both the rigs and the USCG of such change.
DAY OF THE DIVE - BEFORE LEAVING THE DOCK
1. Boat operator or charter will have a complete manifest, including all passengers and crew, available to fax to USCG upon request.
2. Upon arrival at the vessel and checking in, boat operator or charterer will confirm identity of all passengers through a certification card issued by a recognized scuba agency and a picture ID issued by government entity (driver's license, passport, etc.). Divers without proper identification and documentation will not be allowed to make the trip.
3. Prior to departure, boat operator or charterer will confirm that no passenger has brought aboard explosives or any other materials that could constitute a threat to the rigs.
4. In addition to standard dive briefings and USCG-required boat briefing, a special safety briefing specific to hazards of diving the rigs shall be conducted, paying special attention to hazards of depth, possibility of tools falling off the rig and injuring divers below, need to avoid crane and supply boat operations, and a warning about underwater pumps and intake pumps which could trap an unwary diver.
5. Divers shall also be informed that they are diving at their sole risk.
6. All tanks on board will be counted and that number will be noted on both the sign-in manifest and the divemaster slate for future reference.
DAY OF THE DIVE - ACTUAL DIVING
1. Boat operator shall contact Platform Elly-Ellen Control on channel 16 when boat is 15-20 minutes away from rigs and coordinate with control operator where diving shall take place.
2. Control operator shall inform boat operator of any known or planned supply boat operations or crane movements.
3. On all rigs, all divers shall enter and exit the water on the West side of the rigs, at the side/corner opposite and furthest away from the large supply boat moorings.
4. Divers shall be dropped as close as possible to the rigs, and instructed not to submerge until they can visually see the legs of the platform underwater.
5. Divers shall also be instructed that if they lose visual contact with the rig, they are to immediately abort the dive and make a safe direct ascent to the surface. Once on the surface they should either signal for boat pickup.
6. Divers should dive with a buddy. If during the course of the dive, the buddies become separated, when returning to the boat, divers must inform the divemaster of that situation.
7. No game of any sort - including all fish, invertebrates, scallops, and mussels - may be taken.
8. Divers shall be instructed to do their ascent and safety stop along the legs of the rig. They should surface no further than 30' from the legs of the platform. Once on the surface, they should then kick away from the platform to be picked up. Do not kick back to the boat underwater.
9. At no time shall any divers be picked up on the East side of the rigs. Divers inadvertently surfacing on that side must swim, on the surface or underwater, to the West side for pickup. If that is impossible (due to current or other reasons), divers must remain on the surface, signal the boat, drift free (downcurrent) of the rigs, and may be picked up once they are 100 yards away from the rig and clear of crane and workboat operations.
10. When starting a dive, boat operator shall contact Platform Elly-Ellen Control and inform that divers are in the water and under the rig (specify rig name).
11. Immediately after the last diver has been picked up on a given dive, the boat operator or divemaster shall confirm by visual roll call (each diver must be physically seen) that all divers are present and accounted for.
12. In addition, as a back-up, a tank count shall also be conducted to further confirm all divers are present and accounted for.
13. In the event that any diver is discovered to be unaccounted for or missing, the boat operator shall immediately contact the Coast Guard and provide all known and pertinent information.
14. Once all divers are present & accounted for, boat operator shall again contact Platform Control and inform that all divers are back on board, and give an estimated time and rig for starting the next dive.
15. Procedure in #3 through #14 shall be repeated for each rig dive made during the day.
DAY OF DIVE - END OF DAY
1. Prior to departing rigs, boat operator or charter shall confirm by visual roll call and tank count that all divers are present and accounted for.
2. Boat operator shall notify Platform Control that divers are accounted for, diving operations are over, and that the boat is leaving the site.
The version below represents the most recent update that I have for these protocols, which was November of 2007. I have eliminated the phone numbers for USCG and the rig control room because there's no need for those to be publicized in this type of a forum. If you need them, you may contact me privately.
- Ken
----------------------------------------------------------------------
PROTOCOLS FOR DIVING THE OIL RIGS
(Updated 11/27/07 - please pay special note to procedures marked in bold type - plus new phone numbers for USCG)
GENERAL
1. Diving to be done from commercial dive vessels only. No private boats. Vessels must be under 100' in length.
2. Diving to be conducted only between the hours of 8AM to 4PM.
3. Diving must not interfere with the general operation of the rigs, including workboats and rig crews.
4. Boats may not tie up to the rigs.
5. The rigs are marked "No Trespassing." Divers may not board the rigs, above or below the waterline.
6. No game may be taken from the rigs.
7. No more than one dive boat and their divers may dive a specific rig at one time.
8. No more than three dive boats on-site (max one per rig) at any given time.
9. Boats not adhering to protocol may be excluded from further dives on the rigs.
PRE-TRIP
1. Boat operator or charterer will contact Platform Elly-Ellen control (562/XXX-XXXX) 24-72 hours prior to planned dive and will inform operator of intended date, number of divers, number of dives, and hours planned hours on-site.
2. Platform operator has option to deny based on rig operational needs &/or commitments to other dive boats already scheduled.
3. If request is denied, platform operator will explain why.
4. Once the rigs are notified, boat operator or charter will contact US Coast Guard so USCG can list vessel on their board for that particular day. The numbers have changed as of November, 2007. Generally, call Waterways Management at 310/XXX-XXXX to let them know your plan. If theres no answer or if its the weekend, contact the USCG Officer-On-Duty at 310/XXX-XXXX.
5. If there are any changes in the plan, including cancellation of the trip or changing to a non-rig destination, boat operator or charter will inform both the rigs and the USCG of such change.
DAY OF THE DIVE - BEFORE LEAVING THE DOCK
1. Boat operator or charter will have a complete manifest, including all passengers and crew, available to fax to USCG upon request.
2. Upon arrival at the vessel and checking in, boat operator or charterer will confirm identity of all passengers through a certification card issued by a recognized scuba agency and a picture ID issued by government entity (driver's license, passport, etc.). Divers without proper identification and documentation will not be allowed to make the trip.
3. Prior to departure, boat operator or charterer will confirm that no passenger has brought aboard explosives or any other materials that could constitute a threat to the rigs.
4. In addition to standard dive briefings and USCG-required boat briefing, a special safety briefing specific to hazards of diving the rigs shall be conducted, paying special attention to hazards of depth, possibility of tools falling off the rig and injuring divers below, need to avoid crane and supply boat operations, and a warning about underwater pumps and intake pumps which could trap an unwary diver.
5. Divers shall also be informed that they are diving at their sole risk.
6. All tanks on board will be counted and that number will be noted on both the sign-in manifest and the divemaster slate for future reference.
DAY OF THE DIVE - ACTUAL DIVING
1. Boat operator shall contact Platform Elly-Ellen Control on channel 16 when boat is 15-20 minutes away from rigs and coordinate with control operator where diving shall take place.
2. Control operator shall inform boat operator of any known or planned supply boat operations or crane movements.
3. On all rigs, all divers shall enter and exit the water on the West side of the rigs, at the side/corner opposite and furthest away from the large supply boat moorings.
4. Divers shall be dropped as close as possible to the rigs, and instructed not to submerge until they can visually see the legs of the platform underwater.
5. Divers shall also be instructed that if they lose visual contact with the rig, they are to immediately abort the dive and make a safe direct ascent to the surface. Once on the surface they should either signal for boat pickup.
6. Divers should dive with a buddy. If during the course of the dive, the buddies become separated, when returning to the boat, divers must inform the divemaster of that situation.
7. No game of any sort - including all fish, invertebrates, scallops, and mussels - may be taken.
8. Divers shall be instructed to do their ascent and safety stop along the legs of the rig. They should surface no further than 30' from the legs of the platform. Once on the surface, they should then kick away from the platform to be picked up. Do not kick back to the boat underwater.
9. At no time shall any divers be picked up on the East side of the rigs. Divers inadvertently surfacing on that side must swim, on the surface or underwater, to the West side for pickup. If that is impossible (due to current or other reasons), divers must remain on the surface, signal the boat, drift free (downcurrent) of the rigs, and may be picked up once they are 100 yards away from the rig and clear of crane and workboat operations.
10. When starting a dive, boat operator shall contact Platform Elly-Ellen Control and inform that divers are in the water and under the rig (specify rig name).
11. Immediately after the last diver has been picked up on a given dive, the boat operator or divemaster shall confirm by visual roll call (each diver must be physically seen) that all divers are present and accounted for.
12. In addition, as a back-up, a tank count shall also be conducted to further confirm all divers are present and accounted for.
13. In the event that any diver is discovered to be unaccounted for or missing, the boat operator shall immediately contact the Coast Guard and provide all known and pertinent information.
14. Once all divers are present & accounted for, boat operator shall again contact Platform Control and inform that all divers are back on board, and give an estimated time and rig for starting the next dive.
15. Procedure in #3 through #14 shall be repeated for each rig dive made during the day.
DAY OF DIVE - END OF DAY
1. Prior to departing rigs, boat operator or charter shall confirm by visual roll call and tank count that all divers are present and accounted for.
2. Boat operator shall notify Platform Control that divers are accounted for, diving operations are over, and that the boat is leaving the site.
