The oil spill

Yeah, I could not believe when I saw that 3 month projection on dealing with this. 

http://www.youtube.com/v/g6MOzmiY9iQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1

This one's for you Sarah.  Mooch, be sure to give her a hug if you ever meet her up there.

HB

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36897088/ns/us_news-environment/

Here's something I just saw.  A plan to cap the leaks with domes within 8-10 days.  We'll see.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36897088/ns/us_news-environment/

Here's something I just saw.  A plan to cap the leaks with domes within 8-10 days.  We'll see.

I hope it works but at this rate, in 8-10 days this thing is gonna fill the entire Gulf. Truly a disaster.

Domes have not been built yet, 1 month or so, possibility of it working in 5000' probably not, per these are used for shallow water....

Been watching a Bayou Kayakfishing website....

Heartbreaking......  

 http://www.bckfc.org/showthread.php?476-Oil-Spill

I have been really watching this tragedy closely being I supposed to be there in a few weeks and there may be some hope...

I have been following a Kayakfishing site in LA and a Member called Hobie1Kenobe is actually on the team trying to shut this thing down....

Hobie1Kenobe is offline
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    Mar 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Speckled_Tiger View Post
    Hobie1 may be able to correct me, but word around my office is that many of the failsafe options had not been attempted at those depths before and what worked in lab/theories is not proving true in real life. Can anyone confirm this?


    True but have not been "tested" before real world. The primary shut in works off of a pressure differential system that should trigger and slam shut. After looking at this thing for a week we don't have a clue as to why it didn't work but that has not been our number one objective so far either.

    We are having success by the way. I am getting her shut down. I have visual confirmation that the flow is decreasing (approximately 50% at the worst spot).
    Very tired.

Pretty Kool that one of our Own is on the front line making a difference.....  

That entry was dated 4/29 and he has been out of contact since then....

If they can get these HUGE valves shut... Fingers crossed....

 Many more resources from all over are enroute and Military are now involved as well as the idea of affixing a " Box " over the top of this leak and pumping to tankers...

Just got this e-mail today from a KayakFishing Guide in Grand Isle....

 

No oil has been encountered west of the Mississippi river outlets. Grand Isle is fine. I will update you as things develop. The best information( maps) are at the NOAA maps located www.deepwaterhorizonresponce.com. Thanks. Danny

Here is a Amazing account of some guys who were out fishing that night by the oil rig when it exploded...  Also gives a good idea of what kind of Fishery were losing right now....

 http://www.mudinmyblood.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6104

 

Man,

This is messed up....

This is a post by a Guy who I think is a Oil Rig Worker and definitely a KayakFisherman..


 

Lots of mixed things foing on. Some places tell you to come down and bp will pay you well for using your boat. Venice was paying 300.00 a day but no fuel and you had to sign a waiver that you can not sue bp for anything including any class action suits. The booming going on today in hopedale/shellbeach pays well. They pay you 200.00 for attending the class. They pay you 425-450.00 for running your boat, 49.00 an hr for capt and 33.00 an hr deckhand. But you also have to sign a waiver that anything happens to you you can not sue bp and you are also out of any class action suits. They cover fuel and maintenance as well. Many people said to hell with it once they said they could not sue and they were being told mixed things. Its gonna be a big mess with all the things told to people at different locations. Alot of these people do not realize what this oil will do to your motor as well. Outboards cannot handle the oil. Water pump impellers break down to petroleum products. It also clogs the heads and you cannot cool the engine. Like I said gonna be a big mess.

They are still unclear where the heavy stuff will end up. The reason why the big swing now with booming in Shellbeach area is the government has no idea what is what down there. Ct Williams from Bigfish took a boat ride Friday from Breton Sound Marina all the way to Redfish Bay (approx 20 miles) and never found a boom. It put him in an up roar. They finally found booms and they were in an area that would do no help to anything as the oil would work around with the wind and be on both sides of it anyway. Thats why all the shrimpers and charter guides want to do the booming as they know the waters better than anyone. They know what marsh areas and cuts can be blocked and shut down an entire area. Gov is pretty much in the dark just laying booms whereever and most of them are ripped up or washed up on shore already.

The thing that scares me is if this thing keeps pumping for 90 days or more. The entire Gulf Coast will have this problem.Everyone should be praying that this thing should be getting capped soon or something. Many good peoples lives were just put on hold when the fisheries were shut down. I heard so many sad stories from fisherman and oysterman down there its ashame. They are instantly out of work.

Very sad...

This is an email I got from my buddy who is a charter captain down there...gotta respect his optimism....he has a family to feed and is going to do whatever he can to keep in business...

Shore Thing Fishing Charter’s Initial Oil Spill Response

May 1, 2010

We write to you today to inform you of our initial response and plans to continue fishing despite the BP oil spill and resulting waterway closures. Our thoughts and prayers are with the friend and families of those whose lives were lost in the Transocean Deepwater Horizon explosion and sinking. As the oil spill clean-up and containment efforts continue, it is possible that our plans must change to adapt to this dynamic situation. We will advise of those changes as they are necessitated. We are committed to continuing to provide the best light tackle saltwater fishing experience on the Mississippi Coast.

On Friday April 30, 2010 at 6:00 p.m., the State of Louisiana closed the Biloxi Marsh to all commercial and recreational fishing activity. This was a precautionary measure as the oil had not yet arrived in the marsh. Until the full extent of the impact of the oil is known, it is unclear when the marsh may be reopened, even if in a limited capacity. The current NOAA oil trajectory forecast keeps the oil just south of the Biloxi Marsh. This would be the best case scenario for us because it would be possible to reopen the northern and western side of the marsh sooner rather than later. Additional information and maps regarding the size and trajectory of the spill is available at http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/.

As many of you know, the Biloxi Marsh is our primary fishing area. However, our immediate access to other quality fishing grounds is just one of the advantages to our location. While the Biloxi Marsh is closed, we will fish further to the west in Lake Borgne, Lake Catherine, the Rigolets, and Lake Pontchartrain. This is a quality fishery that is similar to the Biloxi Marsh in that it offers speckled trout, redfish, and flounder. However, the style of fishing is a little different. Most of our fishing in the Biloxi Marsh is over shallow grass beds and oyster reefs. While there are some grass beds and oyster reefs in this western area, much of the fishing will be around structure. The gas wells, train trestles, and car bridges in and these areas hold good numbers of quality fish. Articles illustrating the quality fishing available in this area are available at http://www.marshandbayou.com/articles.php.

In the upcoming week Captains Sonny, Matt, and Kyle will be working with guides and local anglers who fish these waters more often than they do to better learn these areas. Daily fishing reports will be posted at www.ms.rodngun.com and on www.shorethingcharters.com.

Access to this western estuary will require an additional 20 minutes in the trucks in the morning. However, once the boats are in the water, the fishing is extremely close to the boat ramp. Furthermore, NO open water crossing is required to gain access to the fishing in these areas! We will post a map of this area on our website later this week.

We are aware that some fishing lodges have opted to provide accommodations for oil spill clean-up crews indefinitely. The Shore Side Fishing Lodge will remain available to our fishing guests so long as there is fishing to be done. For additional information regarding the lodge, please visit our website at http://www.shorethingcharters.com/lodging.htm.

The fisheries along the Gulf Coast have faced adversity in the past. Beginning with the damage to the Chandeleur Islands by Hurricane George in 1997, the widespread destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the flooding and wind damage of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2007, to the most recent spillway opening in 2009, some have asserted that our fishery was done – that it would not recover. Each time, the marshes, lakes, oyster beds, and bayous recovered to provide outstanding fishing. As many of you may remember, the fishing was incredible following Hurricane Katrina. We are committed to bouncing back from this most recent disaster, and look forward to sharing the bounty of our beautiful Coast with you.

We will send additional updates as the oil containment and clean-up process continues. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply with “remove” in the subject line. As always, we appreciate your business and continued support.

Sincerely,

Capt. Mike Thompson;
Capt. Sonny Schindler;
Capt. Matt Tusa;
Capt. Kyle Jarreau; and,
Mrs. Lindsay Thompson

Shore Thing Fishing Charters, LLC
228-342-2206
www.shorethingcharters.com

Thanks Jim,

That's a lot of info....

There are reasons to be optimistic, it's also impossible to really know what is going on...

Picked up this quote from another kayakfisherman today, who I believe works on the Rigs,,,

 

So after tracking this thing since day 1 I am begining to believe the leaks were contained sometime late Thursday or early Friday as our fellow kayaker was reporting....I'm just using judgement and a few things I've heard, but it also looks as if the slick has not been growing like it was over the first few days. The NOAA predictions have been revised drasticly over the past 3-4 days and their has been minimum land impact during a time where containing the spill was almost impossible due to weather. Am I the only one noticing this? Every new prediction that comes out looks better and better and it appears the slick has not grown much if any.

I hope this is the case, but at any time this thing could come back to life with the amount of pressure being put on it. I also think this is why BP made the statement yesterday about shutting off 75% of the flow, but then retracted the statement hours later. They were wrong about the initial flow and the media drilled them for it. They are trying to avoid that again in the event that the pipe does erode or the anulars don't hold the flow for a new well to be drilled.

Just a thought....

A video by some local (kick-ass) musicians about the loss of the wetlands that has been going on in this area even before this latest tragedy...



This region is so special and in such trouble...truly saddening!!

"We lose a football field of wetlands every 45 minutes" WTF!!!!!!!!


I don't think the solution is quite as simple as they make it sound in the clip, but it is a problem that can not afford to be ignored forever...not only for the safety of NOLA and the other coastal communities, but also because these wetlands serve as the breeding grounds and hatcheries for countless species of fish, crustaceans etc...


On a side note...I am going to see Anders and Stanton Moore (both in this clip, and the song in the background is off Anders' latest album with Anders singing and playing guitar and Stanton on drums) play Sunday at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz...gonna be FIRE!!!!!

http://www.moesalley.com/artist.php?id=803&artist=The_Stanton_Moore_Trio_Featuring_Anders_Osborne

Sincerely,

Jim

That is a real travesty.  I had the good fortune of diving the rigs a couple years ago with a friend who has a boat at the Venice marina.  It was one of the most awesome dive experiences of my life.  What was amazing was we were there during a tropical depression.  Rain pelted us sideways and when you factor in the speed of the boat, whatever rain that hit me while we were running felt like being hit by marble sized gravel.  Running out of the mouth of the river, the 26' powercat would catch air.  Each morning we went out I would tell my host that he need not feel obligated to take us.  I would understand if he decided to stay at the camp.  We charged it and dove everyday we were there.  





Going out the water would be the color of cafe au lait.  This is not an exaggeration.  The water was a creamy brown.  We would run at least 25 miles to an oil rig and two guys would perform the choreographed rodeo that is to tie the boat off on one of the many pipes/arms/legs of the rig.  The water would still be light brown, but now it's more of a thinned out chocolate milk.  As we're looking at the rig and the water around it we are treated to a sign of the life we would see (or maybe not due to the seemingly poor vis).  Schools of tightly packed mullet are on the surface gulping and mouthing like cookie cutter carp in the back of coves in our lakes.  Clumps of water hyacinth would float by giving us a sense of the current.  Blue crabs that have been flushed out of the river are desperately swimming to catch up to the water plants.  




My friend and I were distracted by the mullet and the crabs.  I think neither one of us really believed we would be diving in this water.  As one of our hosts suits up and gets in the water, then comes back and says "there are some mangroves here" meaning mangrove snappers.  I was thinking "how the f*&K would he see them?"  I forget if either one of us California boys (as they call us) got in the water at that first spot.  


We untie the anchor and run further out to another rig.  Finally we all suit up and go in the brown water with 2-3' vis.  I am not so sure this trip was such a wise decision.  The current is raging so much so that I have to hold onto a part of the rig as I breathe up so as not to be blown away into open water.  Looking down and only seeing the first 2 feet of the rusted and barnacle covered rig leg, I'm not relaxing as quickly as I usually do.  What the hell, I remember thinking, I'm here so I might as well see what this is all about.  

Once I punch through the first 6-8 feet and it's as if I've fallen into another watery world.  Gone is the milky brown water that tasted almost like fresh water.  Gone also is the current that would have taken me away from the rig.  I've now entered into an almost crystal clear saline environment with dozens of species of schooling fish milling about.  Some are swimming to investigate me while others are suddenly more on guard and swimming at a wary distance.  I figure those must be the fish to shoot.  Just about this time I realized I'm moving pretty frigging fast sideways and about to crash into a horizontal leg.  I realized that not only is the salinity, clarity, and life different from the first 6-8' of water, the direction of the current is exactly 180 degrees different.  Instead of being blown off the rig, now I'm being pushed through it and all it's barnacle covered rusty legs and arms.  Being just slightly uncomfortable (OK I was scared as hell) with my new found situation, I start to kick up.  Here's a short video of one of the closer rigs.  The vis improved deeper but it was still dirty compared to the ones further out. 



I was told on the boat to always look up because you would get into the brown water and there could be a nice sharp cross arm waiting for the top of your head.  It's a very real danger as there have been guys that have knocked themselves out and drowned.  Too bad I only remembered those words as my head crashed into a beam.  FUUUUU@K.  I was certain I'd cut open my scalp as I was only wearing a 1mm suit.  I get back to the boat and check.  No blood, but still throbbing pretty good.  

Meanwhile guys are coming back with some snapper.  The three days we dove it was pretty much the same.  The further out we went, the cleaner the water was overall.  The fish were much bigger.  My buddy shot a couple nice king mackerel on a reel which impressed me because their flesh was so soft.  Everyday we would come back with a few hundred pounds of fish.  Everytime I bring up the memory of the colors of the red snapper I'm amazed that a fish can have such a shade of pink.  There was so much life that I'm pretty sure we could have pulled the trigger on a desirable fish with each drop.  




Through out this amazing experience, our hosts kept almost apologizing about the poor conditions and lack of fish.  Promising us that next time we go back, they'd take us out to bluewater and get the tuna and wahoo.  My buddy and I openly wondered what a good day was like in those waters when we thought the fish and diving was pretty spectacular in the middle of a tropical depression that almost turned into a tropical storm.  




I had tickets to go back in the next few months too.  Called my buddy there and he says he will most likely sell his boat as he doesn't believe he'd be going out in the near future (years).  

An incredible loss.  

SpinalTap, great description of the river water and the fish-life around those rig legs...

I remember how cool it was (and how proud I was) when my Dad said I was big enough to stand on the bow of the boat and man the rig-hook, and then push us off while he threw the boat into reverse at the last second!!

Some of my best memories of fishing and time with my father were out around those rigs...bottom fishing for those beautiful Red Snapper and AmberJacks, drift lines out back for King Mackerel, casting up next to and in between the rig legs for Mangroves, Triple-Tail, Cobia/LemonFish, and the myriad "trash-fish" that school around the legs like jacks/hard-tails, trigger fish, and spade fish.

When you find the line where the river water meets the blue water it forms a rip/trash/sargasso weed line and you often find big schools of dorado/dolphin, tuna and wahoo under the floating structure...

Really depressing to think all that may be gone and may not be back for many years to come....
 

Sincerely,

Jim

Thanks for that Story Spinal Tap....

 As far as I know, were still on Tap to Hit Grand Ilse Middle of this Month,

But looking at the latest predictions of this slick... it's not looking good...

There was hope, and still is, that this won't affect West of the Mississippi... But winds are changing to a SE with current changes, Might just slam and coat Most of Louisiana and other Gulf States...

Really Pulling for Everyone down there, Been talking to alot of them...  It's very difficult to wrap my head around what they are going thru...

Imagine all your fishing spots gone or impacted...  

There is still hope that weather may change and the Huge amount of resources they have there make a difference...

Will know soon....

Chance this " Box " there trying right now to stop the Gusher, might make things worse....  

http://media.al.com/live/other/latestspillmap.pdf

SpinalTap,

Just saw the pictures of your trip down there!! Those are some BEAUTIFUL LemonFish!!!

Love those things!! 

Thanks again for sharing... 

Trying to focus on the good memories I have of times down there instead of thinking about how bad the future is most likely going to be.. 

Here are some pics from one of our last trips offshore there back in 2006...launched out of Venice and had a blast with my Dad, Brother and one of our family friends...flew back to California with an ice-chest full of vacuum-sealed YellowFin Tuna, Red Snapper and AmberJack.

Don, got my fingers and toes crossed that "box" works and doesn't screw things up even more!!!!!!!

I got mixed feelings about the oil industry and off-shore drilling...my Dad worked as a Petroleum Geologist for Occidental Petroleum for 30+ years, and most of my uncles and cousins work for various oil companies and still spend time offshore...on the other hand when shit like this happens....

amazing!!

is that the rig that blew up?