North Sea vs Gulf rig diving... which is actually harder?

Just got back from a 3 week stint on a rig off Aberdeen. Water temp was 6 degrees C. Gotta say, the cold is brutal but the currents there are nothing like what I deal with in the Gulf. Down in Louisiana we got murk and alligators but way warmer. Old timer told me the North Sea will kill you faster with hypothermia but the Gulf will drown you in a tangle of lines. Who here has done both? Which do you think is the tougher work environment?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.blair2d ago

Heard a dive medic say the North Sea cold shock hits way faster than any Gulf hazard.

henryt182d ago

Respectfully @torres.blair, I gotta push back on the "way faster" part. I've worked in both environments and the Gulf heat exhaustion and dehydration can creep up on you just as quick if you're not careful. Cold shock in the North Sea is brutal, no doubt, but it's not like Gulf hazards are slow either. I've seen guys go down from heat stroke in under an hour when the water is bathwater warm and the sun is cooking you alive. Both are dangerous in their own way, just different kinds of danger lol.

stella1211d ago

Guess I'll just stay on land then where my biggest hazard is stubbing my toe.