The flight over Southern Louisiana couldn’t be more beautiful, more serene. Swampland and wildlands stretch out for miles in every direction with dots of snow-white birds speckling over the intense green of the forrest below. Bayou’s, sloughs and canals intersect the jet off into the jungle. Occasionally we see a shack or two and fishermen stand and cast into the naturally dark green and brown shallow waters. Our crew has loaded onto a Panther Helicopter from Belle Chasse and now headed about 40 miles off the coast to the shelf and Spartan Offshore Rig 303. We cruise across Cajun Country at about one-thousand feet or so, seemingly close enough to reach out and touch it all.

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Getting onto a rig was and is…no easy task. Besides the fact that physically getting to one is challenging, the industry can also be quite skeptical of media coverage. After all, the oil industry seems to feel like it’s gotten a bad wrap and misperception about offshore drilling is rampant in many oil workers minds. We’ve come here to see the security and safety procedures on this rig and at the same time get the latest information as oil companies scramble to help clean up the BP disaster in more than one way. The rig run by Spartan and hired by Marlin Energy was built back in the late 1970’s, but refurbished a few years back.

We lift off just after sun up and after a quick stopover to refuel in an area I know well from Hurricane Rita (among other storms), we reach the rig about two hours later. The rotors on the helo are still spinning as we head already to our first stop onboard, a mandatory safety check meeting. We are shown escape routes and explained what is allowed and not allowed on board. The ground rules make sense and are just the tip of a much larger list of rules for the men who work 303. The 48 working on this day are here for a two-week stint, before returning to the shore for a two-week break…and then repeat.

Our location is on what’s called ‘The Shelf’, basically the shallow part of the Gulf before it slopes down into the deep of the Caribbean Sea. Even though we are quite a ways from land, the water is only about 35 feet deep here and as I peer perilously over the side of the flight deck, I see a few dolphins surface and then return. The brown in the water in this area of the gulf is light and streaks thinly against the massive blanket of blues. This brown here signals shallow and is natural, I am quickly reminded it has zero to do with drilling or spills, but to do with mother nature and the gradual change from swamp to sea.

As we watch the men work, this is clearly a tough, grueling job, but one they seem to honestly enjoy. There is something peaceful out here and the men know this area all too well as they go about their work. I say men, because while women are hired and allowed, this industry lends itself to one gender over another and the guys have a bunk house and satellite TV to keep them company. Slow internet is also available during downtime.

As we tour the ship, shoot our video and stream out live reports from the flight deck, we hear periodic announcements over the loudspeaker. I am told this is the driller, the guy hands-on running the rig, and he is keeping everyone informed as to each step. The communication from the rig is pretty clear about this. Right now this is a prospect well and if it hits, there will be shut down valves on every stairwell that immediately shits down the engines and the ventilation in an even of an emergency. There are also two lifeboat pods that can hold 28 each. Both equipped with food, water and a fire sprinkler system to protect the workers in case they have to evacuate.

Each man seems a tad leery of us at first. Maybe a bit gun shy due to this poor public perception they talk about and heck, we are the media with big cameras and microphones. While hesitant, everyone smiles and welcomes us to their livelihood, one that is a whole lot safer than I realized. I am told in the last five years there have been 4,800 wells dug in shallow waters here in the Gulf without any major accidents…and…the spill rate is considerably less than the natural seepage from mother nature. Each man reminds me that security and safety isn’t just about their lives, which is massively important of course, but about their environment. These men not only work here off the coast of Louisiana, but when they go home…they live here. They fish here, their kids play in these waters and any mistake would ultimately hurt their families far more than losing a job…and they know it.

Before even reaching the rig I have read up on this industry a bit. The perception seems to be one of extreme danger and even a rogue way of exploration. My perceptions quickly change as I get some impressive numbers and explained the intensive and exhaustive process to keep government inspectors happy. Even the most junior man out here seems to know all the details of this business and some express concern that people have forgotten about the 11 men who lost their lives in the BP disaster. It’s clear, while deep water exploration has its challenges, shallow water may be getting unfair scrutiny and rush to judgement.

What are your thoughts about offshore drilling?