# Oh #[email protected]! Moments Offshore



## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Anybody have a good story from offshore, where it all boiled down to an Oh Shiite! moment? I've got a few myself, like when a kingfish jumped and hit me in the back of the neck...Anybody?


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## callsignsleepy (Apr 3, 2007)

Went out of galveston for an afternoon trip. On the way back the gps went outand it was already dark and almost total cloud coverage. So we just started on a 300 heading. Never saw any ships or buoys but did see some jetties. So we stayed on the inside of them...then we thought we saw what looked like spray from a wave breaking...we stopped and it sounded like the surf...oh ****...we were not on the inside of the north jetty, we were on the southside of the south jetty. That could have sucked...lol

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk


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## Kenner21 (Aug 25, 2005)

I bet Stay Bent has a pretty good story


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## SailFishCostaRica (Jan 7, 2010)

I was out in the bayous in Lousiana once and I accidentally passed the canal where the ramp was at, then ran out of gas. It got dark and we spent all night using skis to keep the boat out of the trees which overhang the bank (think snakes and big spiders). Not to mention how nice the mosquitos are out in the marsh at night. Got rescued the next morning by a nice fisherman and we were very far from the dock. The worst part, I didn't even have my drivers license yet and I had snuk the boat out, as well as the truck. Needless to say, i got caught....that was the Oh %$!& moment


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## TXCityDeer5layer (Aug 11, 2011)

15-20' seas off the coast of san francisco! in a 165 ft boat though


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## Archer (Jul 10, 2006)

I had to accompany some military equipment on a big RoRo out of Ft Lewis to Korea. Cpt. went south of the normal shipping lanes to avoid a huge Typhoon between us and Japan and we had another typhoon develop right on top of us. Let me tell you 50 foot seas will make any boat feel real small real fast. As we were below decks checking the equipment the first mate thought it was cool to hang off the ladder in the main hold and watch the 70ton+ tanks dance as the hull plates flexed. As I hung on to the ladder for dear life 20' above the deck while we pitched and rolled 20 degrees at a time I failed to find the beauty in said dance but he was above me when he called back "look behind us ain't that cool?!" 

While we were below my fellow soldiers were on the Bridge, normally about 100' above the water line, taking video of the waves coming over the bow and breaking on the ships crane. Absolutely destroyed the operators compartment which was also 80-100' above the water line.


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## freespool (Oct 1, 2005)

Yelling from the engine room. Slow down give me another fire extinguisher!

Asking the Coast Guard on vhf to call the shipyard and tell them to have the slings in the water when we get there so we don't sink.

Flying from one end of an engine room to the other when skipper puts a 65 footer in 2' of water at 31 knots. Gets quiet reel quick when 3600 horsepower stops that fast.


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## SailFishCostaRica (Jan 7, 2010)

freespool said:


> Flying from one end of an engine room to the other when skipper puts a 65 footer in 2' of water at 31 knots. Gets quiet reel quick when 3600 horsepower stops that fast.


That would really hack me off if that was my boat:headknock


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## Crossroads (May 21, 2004)

24 foot boat with twin 150 engines. Pulling up to rigs I had a habit of putting one engine in neutral and easing up to the rig with one motor. So as normal I'm pulling up a rig out of Port Oconnor and begin slowly easing up to rig. The seas are 3 feet and a little choppy anyway so when I realize I'm getting too close to rig, I pull the engine in reverse and add a bunch of power. Little did I know that somewhere on the way out the shift linkage had broken and the engine was stuck in forward. As a result, the boat lunged into the center of a 4 column rig and was banging every column in the there. I was trying to back out go forward or do anything to get out from under the rig which was severely pounding gelcoat off on all sides. Finally figured out one engine was stuck in forward and managed to get the boat out. A few dents in the engine cowlings, both sides of the boat skinned, and one of the guys in the boat had been on the bow to tie up and somehow lost his shoes. Yes it was that frantic.


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## kevindog312 (Aug 26, 2008)

Wondering why the bilge pump has been coming on and off for the last 30 minutes while fishing in perfectly calm water, then remembering you don't remember putting the plug back in from the last time you drained the boat. Got a little wet but fortunately carried a spare plug on the boat.


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## Omanj (May 21, 2004)

We were going out of San Luis Pass in a 22' cuddy cabin with me on the bow. We hit a rogue wave and when we were coming down the back of the wave, I was in mid-air! Luckily I did not go overboard or break anything when I landed and I quickly reteated to the stern.


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

Running back into Virginia Beach on the outside of the Bay bridge tunnel. Spot a tug heading in and aim to pass off it's stern....and then realizing that the black shape behind it is an unlighted barge under tow!!!


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## crazytripp (Aug 14, 2011)

*taking on water*

Went out of POC Friday, @ 45 miles started taking on water and bilge pump wouldn't respond!!! Had to disconnect live well intake, and use it to pump the water in the hull into the livewell and let the well drain. Got pretty crazy for a while.


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## southtexasreds (Jun 8, 2009)

Standing on the gunwale of a cabo taking pic of a wired, green striped marlin. Boat rocked down, marlin came up, his bill entered my leg next to my right shin, bounced off the bone and out with a chunk of muscle. Mexican charter boats don't have the best first aid kits. Paper towels and duct tape.

Caught 4 more tho.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

I think getting caught offshore in a big ole storm is the worst. If you haven't done that rodeo event you have a real treat coming! Usually happens when the Weather Service says it will be nice all day.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Storms take a while to move in, I was wondering about a specific alarming moment. Like my buddy in Port Arthur who had a rough trip out to the rigs, 20-foot boat flying in the air...when they arrived at the platform, they noticed the stern battery and box were both missing, with red and black cables trailing in the water...Now *that's* an offshore moment.


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## Dixiedream (Jan 21, 2010)

Out of Port 
Isabel when I was about thirteen with my dad and brother two people that don't check the weather and got caught in a tropical depression, and to make things worse hearing the oil alarm go off and realize the 6 jugs are still on the dock. One motor for 60 miles praying to make it in sucks.


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## chingy (Jan 14, 2008)

use to go shrimping with my dad during the summer in my younger days. we was trawling in the gulf off galveston at night. and my dad fell asleep and all of a sudden boom!!!! woke up and just looked up and there was a oil tanker right next to us lucky they was anchored. messed up the boat but didnt even scratch the tanker. i guess they didnt feel it so we took off and our net got stuck on there anchor. after 30 mon of trying to get it out and thinking about cutting our line it just popped out. god and my uncle and 3 cousins that died that year out there was looking down on us


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## justhookit (Sep 29, 2005)

Trouthappy said:


> Storms take a while to move in, I was wondering about a specific alarming moment. Like my buddy in Port Arthur who had a rough trip out to the rigs, 20-foot boat flying in the air...when they arrived at the platform, they noticed the stern battery and box were both missing, with red and black cables trailing in the water...Now *that's* an offshore moment.


Swells has a good point. And some storms don't take long at all to move in and will definitely cause an "alarming moment" when they hit and you realize that it's a bad squall with seas going from 2 to 10's in minutes.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Well we did have a massive waterspout hit a tanker right in front of us, while we were still inside the jetties. It seemed to turn the ship about 10 degrees to port, or else they were changing course slightly.


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## gray gost (Jul 8, 2010)

coming back in from chandeler in storm wrapped crab trap in propeller . had to get in water to cut it out. finished trip by driving between 2 waterspouts about 100 yards apart.


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## spotsndots (May 20, 2005)

I think it was the 20th anniversary of the Poco and back then it was a 4 am departure from the big jetties. Obviously there was a ton of boats stacked up like Nascar waiting for the shotgun start. I was sitting in the fighting chair just amazed at the sights. Once the signal was given the lead boats took off and everyone else did so as well in a somewhat controlled fashion...once the boat in front of you was up on plane the next would take off. Some quicker than others.

Well, we were about mid pack back and throttled down and the boat started to go. A 50ft. plus hatteras was directly behind us. He took off as we did. The only problem is that one of our engine's transmissions didn't lock in so we didn't have the normal acceleration. That Hatteras had a bow pulpit on it and I can still recall thinking that thing was fixing to be in our cockpit. There captain realized at the last minute that something was wrong with our boat and a good size roller coming in the POC jetties helped when the captain turned to the starboard to avoid a collision the wave helped push it that direction.

Talk about feeling helpless but I still have that vision in my head every time I am at the POC jetties.


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## C. Moore (Nov 15, 2004)

I was running a 110' Gulf Craft Crew Boat, quad detroit 1271's. Way out in the Gulf. Just putting around a rig in and out of gear unloading supplies. I noticed the steering was acting weird. Kinda like something was keeping it from moving freely. No big deal I thought, until the engine room bilge alarm started screaming. Ran down to the engine room to knee deep water. Water was rushing in like a big fire hose. Y'all can probably figure out what happened. 

The coupling that holds the shaft, cracked. The shaft and prop slid back and jammed up in the rudder, allowing water to rush in the new hole in the boat. I told the deck hand to go to the galley and get me a can of soup. We wrapped a rag around the can and hammered it in the hole. Pumped it out and still had no steering. We got to thinking and then backed down with the 3 other engines pretty hard and what do you know? Here comes our shaft back in. We secured it with some pipe wrenches and had a 
Slow long ride back in.


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## yakster (Sep 14, 2009)

This one just happened to me this last sat. So we came in from a good day on the water and decided to try and pick up a shark at the cut in sargent. Then we hear a distress call from another vessel and said they were app. 8 miles from the cut and broke an engine belt. So im looking at my fuel gauge and it shows 1/4 tank left. Made it to the vessel and tied him on. After the third time of the rope breaking and only 1.3miles covered it was time to stop messing around. We tied on a new rope and took off again. As we are entering mitchels cut my fuel lite starts flashing. We all made it back safe and sound.


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## Mr. Tuffy (May 5, 2005)

*kinda creepy*

About 6 or 7 years ago, we came up on this boat not very far offshore, maybe 25 miles or so. Can't really remember much about it, but it looked as if it had been out there for quite some time. No floating debris around it. Very eerie feeling seeing a capsized boat out there with noting on or around it.


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## oceanhokie (Dec 9, 2010)

Gassed up for an offshore trip and start heading out. after about 30 mins the smell of gas fumes becomes pretty strong. So we slow down and open the bilge to find out that the fuel hose had come disconnected with the tank and we had ~20-40 gallons of pure gasoline sloshing around in the bilge almost all the way up to the battery terminals. not sure how we didnt explode...


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## jdipper1 (Jul 18, 2007)

25 miles from Freeport and the fog rolls in about 10 in the morning. 22' boat so no radar. Can only see about 30' past the bow. Heading back in about 10 knots when out of the fog is a ship dead ahed. Looked like a giant wall, all we could see was a giant wall. Managed to back down hard and just touched the ship with the bow. 
Matey, bring me my brown pants.


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## Tombo (Mar 15, 2005)

Fishing in my pops 23' cuddy cabin I/O in one of the channels of the Chesapeake Bay bridge when we saw a larger ship approaching. No big deal as we are on the other side of the channel buoy. 
Well, this ship for some reasons enters the channel on the wrong side of the buoy and is heading straight for us. First time I have seen Pop use fulll throttle on anything. Size matters.


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## samj (Apr 12, 2006)

I must have been 10-12 years old at the time (30) years ago. My dad, my brother (jjjansk), and my uncle were in the ditch down Freeport, 16 ft. Del Magic, 1:00am headed in from gigging flounder in the Brazos. We were blinded by the flood light cast down upon us from the approaching tug in front of us. When he finally extinguished his light, we all experienced our own, "Oh-Chitt" moment. The line of barges he was pushing were right in front of us. My dad quickly turned starboard barely missing the approaching barge. That moment however, was forever embedded into our memories. And is always a great conversation piece! Sam J. The Tripple J.


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## rick Vallone (Mar 24, 2005)

*oh chit*

August 2, 2009 . My 65th trip on a fully rebuilt 2320 Robalo. Me and three other friends rolled out of eagle point Marina at about 2 am. No moon nor no radar yet on boat. Everything was going smooth. Heading to Tequila. We make the turn to head out the jetties and everything seems to be going good. Well it gets a little rough so I start heading southwest a little. I'm running 18 knots. Knowing I had cleared the south jetties or at least I thought I did. My best friend say what is THAT! !! I said I don't know but we r going to hit it. We did hit it and it was the last rock on the south jetty. He went out of the boat and broke his arm and had rock Burns from head to toe. I broke my i arm as well and was knocked out by the t-top. My other friend was sleeping on bean bags he went flying into the leaning post. He broke his arm andand insides screwed up from the steering whell hit his face on the leaning post loosing 8 teeth. My third friend went flying out of the boat with zereo problems. The boat had a hole in it up front the size of a f-250 Hood. And the console was broke leaning forward. The waves were so bad they were throwing us all around. With three people with three broken arms and my spleen and insides screwed up we were all helpless. My friend that had zereo problems found his back pack floating with his cell phone and called 911. We were then rescued by wave runners. I learned a bunch since then. That's for sure.


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## rick Vallone (Mar 24, 2005)

*sorry*

5th trip on that boat. Smart phone is a pain lol


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

I wonder how many boats have been wrecked, trying to leave the Galveston jetties in darnkess...they used to start the Galveston tourneys at 4 a.m. I know of a 31-Bertram that crashed straight into the rocks, the captain thought it was a line of styrofoam chunks floating up ahead. When it doubt, stop the boat.


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## PhilD (Aug 12, 2009)

Trouthappy said:


> I know of a 31-Bertram that crashed straight into the rocks,


Ouch!!!

Twenty something years ago a friend and myself were on jet skis in the Solent, coming back from the Isle of Wight. Out of nowhere this horrendously loud fog horn sounded and within minutes a large rolling bank of fog reduced visibility to a few feet.

With no GPS, no compass, and less than a couple of hours from sunset, we had no choice but to continue on. Coming up on the side of tankers was bad enough, coming up to the churning water at the stern of a super tanker was a little more than interesting!


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## jgale (Mar 4, 2011)

Summer of 09' had to call the coasties to pick up a guy that was having an adverse reaction to dramamine.They dropped the basket and picked him up and flew him back to Corpus. He stopped breathing a couple of times, but all ended up just fine.

They were filming an offshore show and he couldn't talk, but his wife asked if he wanted the rescue filmed, and he nodded yes, so we got most of it on film.


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## Go Man Go (Feb 10, 2005)

First one in the water at the Flower Gardens at night.. That is an Oh ^%^%$$ moment.


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## great white fisherman (Jun 24, 2008)

*Things that made me say sheet????*

1. Two ships collide in the MIssissippi River, one boat upside down and sunk. Fog so bad could not see past end of my boat. Thank God for radar and sonar. Spent four hours starting at5;30am trying to help coast guard. Helocoptor could not get below the fog and we where the only boat there. Never even got a letter of thanks from them, How sad,now I know why people do not like to help.

2. Bay boat with six people 17 miles offshore broken down and I am running from a huge storm coming. Guy did not want to use my anchor and leave the boat. Insurance did not allow for tow. No way coast guard can get there before storm. Coast guard talks to the guy and records that he will cover any damage if I tow. All get on board and I barely make it to a rig when all hell breaks loose from this storm, high winds, heavy heavy rain and lots of lightning. I took on a lot of water that we even had to bail from my center console with two bilges goiing. We where way over loaded and on top of that had a dam boat tied up to the back of my boat. Finally storm passes and coast guard comes and gets them. Again no thanks from cg.

3. Worst o-sheet I ever had. Got to the mid night lump some 16 miles out at first day light. Not another boat in site. ( thats a sign) Watching the radar and could see green so storm does not look that bad. Well the rain was not heavy but the winds were 59mph. 10ft seas in a matter of minutes. I mean real honest 10fters, with white crest breaking sharp. I called the pilot house at the mouth of the river on radio and they told me to get the hell out of there( no kidding) they said winds where 59mph at there station. It took us two hours and 30 minutes to go the 16 miles. Wave after wave over the front of the boat and crashing into the center console wind shield. Everyone had to turn backwards in order to breath we where taking so much water. Pilot house plotted our course, watched us on rader when we where on top of waves and called is every 15 minutes. It was the sheet trip of my life time.

4. Did I tell you about the captian passing out and falling from a tuna tower into the water and people on board had no clue how to drive or do anythiung except scream on the radio. I was anchored on the midnight lump ad boat was near by. I cut my rope, did not have time to get it up. Rushed over, pulled the still unconceaus guy from the water. ran over to there boat, put my son on board to drive. Cordinate with the Coast Guard and helocopter comes and picks him up from my boat. I pumped a lot of water from him, gave him CPR, got a pulse, but never knew if he lived or not. Again no thanks from the Coast Guard.

5. A 13 year old boy and 14 year old girl fall off the front of a pontoon boat when the gate flys open. Grandpaw and grandmaw out enjoying the day with there grandkids when they spear a wave and the kids fall out the front and under the boat. Motor chops them up and they sink. I was on Richland Chambers lake. I was first to arrive and find screaming grandmother and grandpaw passed out in the floor. Marked the spot, took grand parents to the bank there house was right there on the point, that sucked. Got the coast guard to answer all the way from Boumont. Went looking for the kids. All the sudden the 287 bridge in loaded with highway patrol. game wardens, Corsicanna search team and a helicoptor. I went to the bridge and told them it looks like a recovery. Spent hours dragging for the kids helping out. They were not found for several days. Again no thanks from the coast guard.

6. Fishing Port Mansfield see a lot of smoke. I mean a lot of smoke. rush over and find shrimp boat on fire big time. Five men in the water. Pick them all up. Call the coast guard and take the guys to Port Mansfield. They told me to go back to the boat and get all the shrimp I wanted if any of it was any good. Next day boat still smoldering, we did not board it was not worth it. Again no thanks from the coast guard.

7. Batteries both died on me offshore, not a big deal. Another boat came along and jumped me off. Fished all day leaving the motors running, got new batteries late that night. Coast Guard never answered my call. I guess my batteries were to low, I do not know. Light was on my radio and I did talk to a rig.

8. Biggest ole sheet of my life was Katrana destroying my boat and then me finding out my wife had not paid the insurance and I lost a 26ft whaler and tons of electronics, fishing gear and all my great sponsors. That was some sheet, but we are still married just probably never going to have another offshore boat again. Man that is some sheet.


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

Man it seems you live your life to get thanks from the Coast Guard.....


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## TexasBlood (Jun 13, 2010)

I was a deckhand out of Seward, Alaska this past summer and we were running out to Montague Island (60nm east of Seward) and there was another boat about 100 yards off our starboard side that was a famous guide for having notoriously bad luck. Anyway there was a 5 or 6 humpback whales in front off us so us and the other boat stopped so the clients could get pics, we took pics and watched the other boat put the hammer down and 10 seconds later his 34' catamaran **** near shoots straight into the air (the way the boat rides its hard to see directly in front of the Cat)....he nailed a whale! Luckily the whale seemed as ok as you can be from getting whacked by the hull of a boat, the boat now thats another story, a wrecked starboard Cummins and a 5 hour slow steam back to port and they were ok! Bad luck indeed


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