Scuba Diving in the Gulf Oil Spill

Associated Press reporter Rich Matthews got an exclusive look at the spill by joining a dive team who explored how the oil is impacting the Gulf of Mexico.

Some 40 miles (65 miles) out into the Gulf Of Mexico, I jump off the boat into the thickest patch of red oil I’ve ever seen. I open my eyes and realize my mask is already smeared. I can’t see anything and we’re just five seconds into the dive.Dropping beneath the surface the only thing I see is oil. To the left, right, up and down — it sits on top of the water in giant pools, and hangs suspended 15 feet (12 metres) beneath the surface in grapefruit-sized blobs. There is nothing alive under the slick, although I see a dead jellyfish and handful of small bait fish.

I’m alone because the other divers with me wouldn’t get in the water without Hazmat suits on, and with my mask oiled over and the water already dark, I don’t dive deep.

www.thestar.com...
Video here:
www.thestar.com...

This is horrible. We really have no idea the impact of this massive spill.This guy is an expert that used to advocate for the oil rigs as artificial reefs...now, a change of heart.

reply to post by AccessDenied


Please folks ... don't do this at home.

Scuba diving in crude oil is just plain stupid. Divers need haz-mat dry suits and positive pressure helmet to safely go there. I saw a video in another thread with Cousteau and someone else diving under the spill. They were using SL-17 helmet and in my humble opinion (commercial diver since 1999), those are not even safe to dive in contaminated waters.

Crude oil is very nasty stuff.

Don't dive in curde oil. (I can't believe I have to say that)

LOL Don't do this at home. lol

I hope they weren't surprised by the results.

What a shame. This whole mess/event will be unfolding for years to come I am afraid.

S&F

Originally posted by grandnic
reply to post by AccessDenied

 

Please folks ... don't do this at home.

Scuba diving in crude oil is just plain stupid. Divers need haz-mat dry suits and positive pressure helmet to safely go there. I saw a video in another thread with Cousteau and someone else diving under the spill. They were using SL-17 helmet and in my humble opinion (commercial diver since 1999), those are not even safe to dive in contaminated waters.

Crude oil is very nasty stuff.

Don't dive in curde oil. (I can't believe I have to say that)

I agree.
Seeing him in that goop, especially with nothing covering his head, all I could wonder was how sick he was after the fact.
But, just like in any extreme video we see..somebody has to take the chance to show us what we would not see otherwise.

Originally posted by grandnic
reply to post by AccessDenied

 

Please folks ... don't do this at home.

Scuba diving in crude oil is just plain stupid. Divers need haz-mat dry suits and positive pressure helmet to safely go there. I saw a video in another thread with Cousteau and someone else diving under the spill. They were using SL-17 helmet and in my humble opinion (commercial diver since 1999), those are not even safe to dive in contaminated waters.

Crude oil is very nasty stuff.

Don't dive in curde oil. (I can't believe I have to say that)

I have to agree with this comment (even though it is coming from an inland diver and not a real offshore diver )

Why didn't he jump in in clear water and then swim out under the oil to check it out.
Just plain dumb.

Dumb ..yes..BUT
He took the plunge to show us what we cannot see.
All we see is sludge floating on the surface, and sea birds covered in it.
We can't see what goes on below.
I thought oil would always float because oil and water do not mix..yet they are finding it 12-20 meters deep.

well you certainly can't dive in a wetsuit, or even a regular drysuit since the oil would destroy the suit after every dive, but hey have you seen the idiots swimming in the beaches in Alabama right next to the clean-up workers? I must be honest stupid people such as this need to die so we can clean-up the gene pool. *Note* not the children OK because it's parent responsibility to warn against swimming in oil.

All beaches should be closed

Originally posted by grandnic
reply to post by AccessDenied

 

Please folks ... don't do this at home.

Starred. I have been diving for about 12 years and there is no way that you would get me down in that crude with my gear. This has to be the stupidest thing I've heard in a while.

Edit to say:

OP, that wasn't a dig at your thread, just my common sense tells me this was not smart.

[edit on 9-6-2010 by broahes]

Originally posted by AccessDenied
Dumb ..yes..BUT
He took the plunge to show us what we cannot see.
All we see is sludge floating on the surface, and sea birds covered in it.
We can't see what goes on below.
I thought oil would always float because oil and water do not mix..yet they are finding it 12-20 meters deep.

It has to do with the density of the oil and also the dispersant have something to do with it also.

Originally posted by AccessDenied
I thought oil would always float because oil and water do not mix..yet they are finding it 12-20 meters deep.

I thought oil would always float too.

As for mixing with water, normally, it doesn't, but I think that's the job of the dispersant? maybe like Dawn dishwashing liquid allows oil and water to mix? But it should still be less dense and float to the top, shouldn't it? I'm pretty sure it should, unless there's a powerful vortex or something sucking it down.

Originally posted by Just Wondering

I have to agree with this comment (even though it is coming from an inland diver and not a real offshore diver

)

Offshore diving is way overated and overpaid ...

Inland diving is a much more dangerous situation ... no visibility, debris, cold water, differential pressure ... but we work for public utilities not the petroleum industry so we get less pay ... that should be a conspiration in itself.