That one job in Port Fourchon that nearly broke me

Three days of 30 foot vis dropping to zero after a storm rolled in. Got tangled in a abandoned fishing net at 90 feet, took me 45 minutes to cut free. Buddy line snapped and I surface drifted half a mile from the boat. Worst part was the $400 check bounced after all that. Any of you ever deal with a contractor skipping out on payment?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthewgonzalez1mo ago

and that's the part nobody really talks about, how these offshore contractors will screw you over and then just disappear like the fog. i had a buddy who did a deepwater salvage job in the gulf, same thing happened to him. the guy who hired him was using a fake LLC and a burner phone, and after the job was done he ghosted. no address, no paper trail, just a bounced check and a lost weekend. you gotta start asking for a deposit up front, like half the pay at least, or get a cashier's check before you even get in the water. some of these operations are just scams running out of a strip mall in Houma.

palmer.jana1mo ago

Wait, you really think asking for half up front is enough to stop these guys from screwing you over? I used to think the same thing honestly, that a deposit would protect you from the ghosting and the bounced checks. But after hearing stories like your buddy's (and a few I've stumbled on in diving forums), I've got to admit I was totally wrong about how simple the fix is. These scammers are pros at disappearing, and even a cashier's check can get canceled or flagged if they're clever enough with their fake LLC. It's not just about getting paid upfront, it's about verifying who you're dealing with before you even take the job. You'd have to run the company name through the Secretary of State's website, check for any lawsuits or complaints, and maybe even ask for a boat number or a physical address that matches their registration. It's a pain, but I guess that's what it takes to not end up like your friend.