Best day underwater in 8 years: found a lost anchor chain worth $3,500

Last Tuesday off Port Fourchon, my crew and I got called to inspect a mooring line on a supply boat. Water was flat calm, viz was 40 feet easy. I dropped down and there it was, a monster anchor chain wrapped around a riser. Turns out it had been lost by a construction barge 6 months ago. Company paid me a bonus on the spot for spotting it. Has anyone else ever stumbled into a bonus like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora1011h agoTop Commenter

That's a hell of a find. 3,500 bucks is a nice little bonus just for keeping your eyes open. Must've felt good knowing you spotted something a whole crew of other divers missed for 6 months. Did you get it all in one check or broken up across pay periods?

coleman.jade3h ago

Holy crap, $3,500 just for seeing something? I'm surprised they didn't try to split it up into 37 tiny payments just to make you fill out extra paperwork, lol. I swear companies act like handing over a bonus is like pulling teeth sometimes. Glad it worked out for you though, that's the kind of luck that makes you wonder why you don't find lost treasure every dive. Probably the universe evening out the score for all the days you found nothing but old fishing line and a busted anchor.

verab283h ago

That company paying out a flat bonus like that is pretty rare, most places would try to call it part of your normal job duties and give you a firm handshake instead. People would be shocked how often divers find expensive lost gear and the boss just takes it as a company asset with no extra reward for the finder. A one-time lump sum is way better than splitting it up, too many horror stories about companies stretching bonuses across months then someone quits and loses the rest. You earned that one fair and square, keeping sharp at the bottom of the ocean is its own kind of work.