Had a close call with a silt out in a Florida canal last week

We were doing a simple inspection on a canal gate near Miami, maybe 30 feet down. The bottom was just soft mud and the viz was okay, maybe 10 feet. I turned to check a weld and my fin must have hit the bottom just right, because the whole world went dark brown in about two seconds. Couldn't see my hand in front of my face. My umbilical line got tangled on some old rebar I hadn't seen. I froze for a second, which is the worst thing you can do. I just focused on my breathing, felt my way down the umbilical to the snag, and got it free. Told topside I was coming up on the line and did a slow, controlled ascent. It felt like forever but was probably only a minute. Anyone else have a simple job go sideways that fast from a silt cloud?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake_dixon13d ago

You said you froze for a second. What was the first thing you did to get your head back in the game?

christopher_ross12d ago

Yeah, that "froze for a second" thing is so real. My buddy had a similar thing happen in a murky lake, silted out and got his hose caught on a sunken log. He said the only thing that got him moving was just grabbing the hose itself and following it hand over hand.

blair63012d ago

That "froze for a second" feeling is the worst. I had a silt out in a quarry once and my brain just locked up. What got me going was just saying the steps out loud in my head, like "find the line, follow the line." It made the next move feel simple.