Diving w/ Gators

[atedeschi]

I have some dive work to do in the Mississippi River, near New Orleans. We have seen about 6 gators not sure if they are two of the same or different ones. They been on the debris and near shore. We have to inspect the dock facilty which is about 50' from shoreline. We are diving surfaced supplied, and going to try to avoid the debris area and backside of structure. Looking for advice/tips of things to avoid, look for, etc. Thanks Ant.

[gasdiver]

When I was working as a commercial diver, gators were the last thing we worried about when diving in the Mighty M. A submerged tree being carried downstream was the nightmare we worried about the most. If it caught your umbilical, it would scrape you off like pulling a grape off the vine with a fork. We were typically working on pipelines crossing the river and were in mid stream. To avoid this problem, the barge would hang a 36" or larger diameter pipe (from a crane) down to 10' above natural bottom. The diver would go down the tube and then out to the work site. Zero vis of course. The pipe would protect the umbilical and the diver on deco if no chamber was on board the barge. I don't recall depths greater than about 90'.

If you are diving around a pier, the piles would probably protect you from this threat, but I would still work from the downstream side of the pier so your umbilical will billow behind the piles an not into them. Unless you are working in mid-water, wear lots of weight. It will help you with the current.

While I never worked a job under a dock, I heard stories of guys taking a large hook on a 3/8" polypro line and having the surface crew haul up 200+ lb catfish. They were working under a grain dock. Again, I can't verify the truth of this tale, but it sounded plausible.

[JCGoodwin]

I was told by a very wise diver that the gators to worry about will announce themselves with a LOUD grunt!
This was if you were in very close proximity to what they considered their hole!
This was in reference to springs or sloughs and looking for entrance to cave.

I have also heard stories about moving around gators in the much that did not move at all.
If I was concerned contact F&G and ask them to evaluate the dock for gators.
The less than 6' are tasty and easier to clean! Yum!

JCG

[Curt Bowen]

I have been diving in many swamps where we knew there were gators, but never had one become aggressive. But like a pit bull dog, I would never trust one within arms length

[sskasser]

He could do some damage to pretty much anything/anybody he wanted, eh?

[gasdiver]

Just be glad you are not diving in a creek in the Philippines.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09...es/?test=faces

I dove in a lot of swamps in southern Louisiana (the kind Amos Moses lived in) and we never had any issues with the gators. I would guess that when we fired up the compressor, the noise drove them away. We called them "swamp jobs" and the young divers who had just "broken out" got the pleasure of working in 5-15' of black, smelly swamp water. We would drive to a lovely little place like Cocodrie LA, get in a boat and ride for an hour to some hell hole where a piece of submerged equipment was broken and fix it. Yeah, it was a glamorous job, just like the ads in the back of Skin Diver magazine said it would be.

[atedeschi]

Thanks for the info & tips. Ill let you know how it works out.

[billyf]

if your wearing a hat just crack the freeflow valve, it makes enough noise it scares off most critters.

[OFG-1]

I have some dive work to do in the Mississippi River, near New Orleans. We have seen about 6 gators not sure if they are two of the same or different ones. They been on the debris and near shore. We have to inspect the dock facilty which is about 50' from shoreline. We are diving surfaced supplied, and going to try to avoid the debris area and backside of structure. Looking for advice/tips of things to avoid, look for, etc. Thanks Ant.

Greetings. Gasdiver is correct, weigh heavy, approach from downstream, and don't let the noise bother you. You will hear everything from trees to cars rolling along the bottom. I have found desks, welding machines, pumps, a Ford Pinto, trash cans, boots, and the one that scared me the most was a work glove that was full of mud, that looked like a severed hand lying on the bottom. And all of that was at the ferry docks in Harvey.

[Squirrel Girl]

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/04/140175...ing-mans-sport

1 - Don't hesitate
2 - Don't let go
Not A Thinking Man’s Sport