JustAddWater once bubbled...
I've noticed in a few of the hunting stories that there is little regard to decompression obligations or safety stops
The basic rule is fast in-fast out. If dives are very short outgassing is quick. I'll normally gut the fish on the way up at the first cross member. Call it a 2 minute stop at 30' or less. Avoid doing a stop near structure at much less than 30' if any sea is running. Being anywhere near structure at depths where significant surge is possible is an invitation for a forest of stitches.
JustAddWater once bubbled...
Is this the norm for gulf rig hunters, or hyperbole for the sake of the story?
If anything the examples he gives are toned down a bit. Most diving is not as described in the book, but those who dive out there often will recognise his examples as an "almost bad day."
One or two rig hunters are lost every summer, mostly from getting hung up in a line attached to a big fish and not being able to clear themselves. There are VERY specific safety measures used by the rig hunters that are as specific as those used by cavers. Be aware that the hunter's rules are based on critter interaction and "natural" entanglements line fishing line and shrimp nets, not rocks. This changes the rules a bit.
A few basic items are:
1. NEVER tie anything to you so you can't immediately release it! This includes the gun and shaft line. Anything attached to you, including your SCUBA rig, is to be considered disposable. The faster you can get rid of it when the world turns brown, the better.
2. Assume the world will turn brown on every dive. Plan for the emergency and entanglement. The life you save by doing this WILL be your own!
3. Buoyancy control has to be "running on automatic" with depth movement perception not requiring constant referral to depth gauges. If you are still futzing with your buoyancy while hunting in 800' of water it's easy to get distracted and go WAY to deep!
4. Compasses don't work on a rig (they'll often point to the nearst leg) and currents are fickle direction markers. Currents will often be going different directions at different depths, and may change directions during even a short dive. Orient to the structure and sun, if you can see it.
5. Shoot to kill! Being attached to a merely wounded fish 6' long is dangerous.
6. Remember at all times that shooting at any fish over 30 pounds can kill YOU if you mess up.
7. Keep your will up to date. Bodies (alive or dead) are rarely recovered if they spend a night in the open gulf. There be BIG things out there that hunt fish your size.
FT
