the crash
One of the jobs we had to do in the diving business was regrettably not a very easy task, we were often called upon to look for bodies in plane and helicopter crashes at sea. I remember one such job I was assigned to when I was 18 yrs old was to help a crew search for a downed helicopter. It had clipped it’s tail rotor on the edge of the landing pad where it was taking off from an offshore platform and crashed into the sea. It was in an area just south of the Mississippi river where the underwater current moved swiftly and the water was very muddy making it very difficult for the divers to do their job. Here is a picture of a platform, notice the helicopter deck at the very top edge.
The pilot and front seat passenger were able to get out and swim to safety when it hit the water but the two men in back went to the bottom apparently unable to get free of their seatbelts as we were soon to find out. We spent almost a week on the site sending divers down around the clock doing search patterns in a circle surrounding the platform in fairly deep water until we located the wreckage. It had been rolled along the sea floor by the strong underwater currents and was almost 400 ft away from where it had crashed. When you can’t see your hand in front of your face because the water is so muddy that is a long ways off. We were on board a 200 ft long ocean-going work boat tied along side the platform where we had all of our diving equipment on board, here is a picture showing just the front half of a similar vessel.
Thankfully the weather was decent at the time and it was nice to be on deck with the sun shining and the seas calm, perfect for shorts and sneakers. One very odd thing was the sighting of a waterspout, a tornado at sea not more than a mile away from us. Really strange and I understand fairly rare occurence. It was quite beautiful actually with the sky so clear and only a dark patch of clouds over the spout itself. We watched it churning up the sea throwing huge quantities of water into the air as it moved off away from us. Simply amazing. A remarkable thing about offshore is if there is a strong breeze blowing it will blow very steady and not gusty at all. You can actually lean your weight into a strong breeze and depend on it to hold you up.
After nearly a week of around the clock diving, we finally located the chopper upside down on the bottom. We were sent to recover both the the chopper and the bodies, but they decided to bring only the bodies on board and set a buoy on a cable to the chopper for later pickup with another vessel. I was unfortunate enough to be on duty when the first body was hauled in and I had to help pull him over the rail and get him on deck. I really don’t want to describe how the man looked after small fish had been eating on him for the past 4 or 5 days, lets just say it was quite horrible. We then tried to put him in a body bag but that was not easy as rigormortis had set in and the man was in a seated position with his knees up, like he was still strapped in to the chopper seat. That was one of the most life changing experiences I have ever had, and I would learn that working offshore could be quite deadly in the years ahead of me. Including several close friends being killed on the job, but, I will tell you about those later.
So for now, keep tha faith people and tell me how lousy you guys are doing on your New Year resolutions!
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Geez, that’s terrible. If I wasn’t already afraid of flying to begin with, this confirmed it for me.
Ditto what Gooch said. Not too bad but it’s still early.
Ew! So how DID you get the body in the bag? (but maybe better not to answer near any mealtimes!)
Wow, Seven that sounds like an incredible experience. How did you get into that line of work?
Damn stupid firefox keeps forgetting my info, I’ve been leaving anonymous comments all over blogtown. Sorry!
Gooch= ya i know what you mean but i love to fly, i have really had a great time riding in small planes and helcopters and even a sail plane a couple times. Not to mention the many times a flew to europe.
Kristin= hi hi, well keep working on em and you are bound to break a few more
Crazygirl= i wanted to say hi at your blog but the link is broken =( but thanks and well we just sorta forced him tp uhhmm straighten out, hehe what can i say?
April=heya girl! i like firefox too but that’s one big annoyance with me, it won’t remember a dam thing and then it won’t run mediaplayer and other plugins right in the browser even tho they are fully installed so i gave it up hehe and i don’t like what it does to the appearance of a lot of websites, sooo
anyway i got involved with the work when i was 17 and went offshore, one of my friends dad was a diver and he got me interested, i had to lie about my age to work hehehe
one
wonky
Damn, that must’ve sucked. Oh, and I linked to you over the weekend.. hope ya don’t mind…..
angel= nope i don’t mind one bit, thanks!
The beauty of not making NY resolutions.. you don’t have to keep track of ‘em! LOL. Failed to mention, nice pix…. and, of course, you’re welcome!
Oops, looks like one of my fingers was dumber than the other nine. I left off the ‘y’ in ‘loony,’ thus giving a bogus address. Hopyfully this try will turn out a bit better.
Hey Seven!
My first time! Wow, did not know you were in that area and that business. I have a good friend Steve D. that lives in Lafayette that’s a diver…know him by any chance?
Anyway. Interesting stuff! I’m bookmarking you (in the next week or so).
I’m a little freaked out by the fish eating the guy btw. Quite a visual.
Crazygirl= hehe i managed to track ya down by reading comments at Jack’s!
Varla= Hi Hi! welcome and no i don’t that name right off tha bat, but i been away from that business over 10 yrs now….
Hey pretty cool work, my grandad was a diver too in Iceland, once when he took me to the airport to we had to wait there due to heavy snowing, and my dear grandpa started telling me about how he had been diving for dead bodies after a airplane crash, I was not excactly thankful, as I hate flying, and the snowstorm was quite thick, anywho I survived. I also remeber he brought the divesuit to our house, we tried to play with it, but is was just to darn heavy, you know the old style.
Anyways, cool blog you have, I will be sure to visit again.
OK, this was pretty gross. BUT I find your tales of working off shore pretty fascinating. I am a nut about the sea and everything about it.
And resolutions? I don’t need no stinking resolutions!
Wow. Kinda gross… but wow. You must have balls of steel to do stuff like that.
I’m with Catt on the resolutions. Who needs em.
Wow! Interesting story, I could never do that 1) because it would give me nightmares and 2) cause i’m a big baby when it comes to the sea.
Youv’e got an interesting blog. will read again.
I think I would have thrown up if I had to pull bodies out of a helicoptor after 5 days in the muddy ocean.
And I’m glad you got out of the field before you found blogging. Now we can be more comfortable knowing your safety is a little more sure.
Virgin= ya those old style suits with the huge bronxe and copper helmets are pretty cool and are still used in many countries around the world. Just like the ones in the old John Wayne movies lol. now they freedive with a light weight helmet(now called a hat)and just a wetsuit. much more comfortable and easier to manuever in. Thanks for the compliments!
Catt= hi hi and lol on the resolutions!
Defiant= hey man and ditto!
Suzanne= hi and welcome! and thank you!
Je t’aimee= hi hon! and thanks for your sweet concern about my wellbeing
Seven:
You have interesting stories, man. Way cool.
Hi back, Hon! You’re very welcome.
**Smooch**
Je t’
I have heard the bodies smell extremely bad at that point as well. I couldnt’ do it.
ugh. That’s horrible what happened to those two guys, and it’s horrible that you had to go through all of that. You’re a much stronger person than I am.
eeek! dead fish-eaten bodies. tell me more. (shut up, morbid side! *whack*)
Icky. I saw a floater on the river bank once. Not a pretty sight.
I would love to see a water spout, though…I am completely enthralled by tornados.
Helicopters scare the shit out of me.
I’ve been good girl about my resolutions so far.
*grosses bisoux*
Mary= hi!
Aimee=
Angi= actually there was no smell really because they had been underwater and i guess the flesh decays differently? dunno…
Regan= it wasn’t really that bad for me and it wasn’t the only body search i have been on, not to mention the times i witnessed people being killed… it is gut wrenching but i survived!
Okay, I’m not sure why I haven’t read your blog before. It’s been on Chloe’s blog list for a while, and you’ve even commented on a few posts in my blog. Sorry to never return the favor!!
I lived in LA for a bit. Shreveport, but it’s still LA.
My NY Resolutions are going… well, fine I guess. How are yours goinng?
ps- Is it okay to say that you’re gorgeous?!
That reminds me a lot of the book Far North, to put it short the pilot is underwater for a few months before the main character sees him..
But seeing as you are real and he is fake, I’m sure it was much more horrible for you. Especially to be only 18. I can’t imagine having to see something like that. Didn’t it make anybody sick?
Oh, and about those resolutions… you sure do break them fast when you have none at all. =Þ
Celti= hi! and good on the resolutions! =)
Reama= welcome to tha hideout and wow thankee for the compliment and since i am totally unattached now and there is no one looking over my shoulder you can say whatever you damn well please!!
Lauren= don’t recall anyone getting sick, hmm nope…
Well in that case… prrawr.. *wink, wink*
In reference to Inky’s blog about age difference, I’m sure you’re out of my league anyhow.
Reama
Reama= so uhmm what ya tryin to tell me, you are too young or too old? hehe
you
know
I’m 19 1/2 and 42 days.
Too young. -big sigh- though nearly every guy I’ve ever dated has been at least 6-7 years older than me. The biggest difference has been 9 years, but that was before I was even out of high school. I’m older and wiser now. Don’t let the number fool you. I’m an adult and am kicking the world’s ass one idiot at the time. Haha
Reama= lol good for you! and ya you are toooo young for me, why you are still in diapers to me!! hehe j/k
thanks for coming by and please comment me more! as April would say hehe =)
Yes, yes. That’s what people say when I tell them how old I am.
Take into consideration most people think I’m 22 until I tell them otherwise. I’ve graduated from college in August of ‘04. I’ve lived on my own since 2 months after I turned 18. I moved here to Utah, 1800 miles away from EVERYONE I’ve ever known. An adventure! I’m always game for those! I have only asked for 20 dollars from my Grandma the whole time I’ve been here. I’m an adult and wise beyond my years… haha that’s what old folks that know me say, anyway. Don’t judge by the number, Seven… You might miss out on a fun ride if you do.
-Reama
Hey Seven
Shocking story. I was supposed to be in an S76 a couple of years back. I was demobed for an extra 2 weeks do didn’t make it to the heliport. all 10 lives were lost in the North Sea that day. Makes you respect what time you have. Sounds like an interesting job. I’ll book mark you if you don’t mind :^)
Stever= hey dude, wow lucky for you, and i worked in the north sea a couple years off the coasts of scotland, england, norway and the netherlands and belgium. i had a great time when we weren’t killin divers. i think 14 divers lost their lives there the last year i was there! and i got plenty of stories like this one too!
and thanks!
Fascinating read Seven!! Loved your Shorty Long story too.. I think I commented on it… I forgot… and I’m sticking to my one resolution!! Which is to not make any resolutions… oh, wait..
Too
Tired
Really interesting story. Sad for the people involved, but I was raised by a copper and a nurse, so I think I was born with a morbid sense of curiousity.
Will be back.
Too
Much
You know, what does it say about me that I am completely enamoured by tornadoes (natural disaster) but helicopters (man made and controlled) scare the shit out of me? Hmmmmm…
shorty long would be an AWESOME porn star name. perhaps male stripper?
hmmm…
and i dont even want to think about what fish can do to a dead body. last march, my friend fell off a bridge and died and they found him a month later. i cant even imagine.
Inanna= hi and thankee so much! uhmm and ya that is an odd resolution….
Hooch= hiya and welcome to tha doghouse! thanks!
Celti= hehe you are just plain weird girl, like me!
Christel= hehe good one! sooo made any good coffee lately? hehe
yep. i make good coffee all day long.
want some?
Wow, Seven, that was amazing. Tell us more stories. Possibly with less rigor mortis in them, tho…