BigJim's Louisiana Oil Rig Adventure

Spent all of last week back home in New Orleans so my daughter Jayme could celebrate her 7th birthday with her grandparents.

Took one day to go out to the rigs with some buddies and my Dad.

Water was rough, and viz was BAD for the first 30 feet...then it opened up but was still dark...

Didn't see any cobia, missed my one shot at a fat red snapper down at ~50 feet, took one little Mangrove Snapper, one NICE Mangrove, and two fat Sheephead.

The big mangrove I shot wrapped itself up around a rig leg and pipe down around 35 feet, but the guy I was diving with helped me free it. 

Saw some big jack crevalle, and a ton of other fishies.

Guy I was diving with blasted two BIG Red Snapper and some fat Mangroves.

After third rig I was overheating in just my 7mm wetsuit top so stripped down to just long sleeve shirt and lightweight pants.

On way in we stopped at the marsh and let my Dad catch some nice eating size red fish.

We went home with a full cooler, and had tons of family and friends over for snapper collars and bellies, red snapper head, snapper/sheephead tacos, snapper sushi, snapper ceviche, fried snapper roe and red fish on the half shell...and my parents froze a bunch as well for them to eat once we were gone.

 

Challenging diving for me with a lot of new and unfamiliar hazards, but I learned a LOT and had a ton of fun and already looking forward to the next time!

Here's a little mini vid showing the murk, me missing the red snapper, shooting a small mangrove, and the jack crevalles and ton of sheephead and other fish.

https://instagram.com/p/BldOyl6lVPQ/

And a few pics of some of the fish and fun with our family and friends.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

More...

 

nice dude!
dig the cooler pic, it looks like a painting! I also like the grilled collar pic with the spears in the background.

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us Jim.

Frickin' rad !

Frickin' rad !

This! 

You eat and drink well where ever you are.  Thanks for sharing. 

Great family time bro!

Yes, some great family shots indeed. Thanks for the adventure::::

Family, friends and fish...  Sounds like a great trip Jim.
Very cool to see some of those goofy looking fish.  It's a nice change from all the chrome and cod pics.

Stuart

I see why fishing near those structures is so good. You're really living young man!

i guess i gotta log in here to see the real stuff...excellent...killin it on all coasts now..prized fish..10/10

Thanks guys!

Really was a great day and awesome experience, made even better cuz my Dad was out there with me.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Thanks for sharing the Family, Fun, Fish and Adventure.  I always wondered what it looked like underneath an offshore rig. Time to start diving again.