I know everyone hates the Gulf in August, but my best week ever was in Biloxi last summer.

We had a 5-day job inspecting a sunken barge in 90 feet of water, and the viz was maybe 3 inches with zero current the whole time. I actually got super efficient with the touch-and-feel method, finishing my sections way faster than the guys waiting for a clear day. Does anyone else find that sometimes the worst conditions force you to work smarter?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant.susan2mo ago

Honestly, that mental map thing goes way deeper than just work, doesn't it? It's like your brain starts using a whole different set of wires when the normal ones get cut off. I read about blind chess players who can play entire games in their head just from hearing the moves. Their brains build the board from touch and sound, same as you feeling that barge. Makes you wonder what else we could do if we just lost the crutch of our eyes for a bit.

murphy.abby2mo ago

Totally get what you mean about bad conditions making you better. Read an article once about deep sea welders who said the same thing, that zero viz dives forced them to build a mental map of everything they touched. Sounds like you basically did the same thing, just feeling your way through it. Pretty cool how that works out sometimes, getting faster when everything seems stacked against you.

tylerj222mo ago

Yeah that "mental map" thing is so true. Reminds me of when my car's dashboard lights died on a road trip at night. Had to drive for hours just by the feel of the road and the sound of the engine, guessing my speed. By the end I was weirdly good at telling 65 from 70 mph without looking. Funny how your brain just figures it out when it has to.