There are a wide variety of offshore rigs, and getting to one can be an adventure within itself!
Barge rigs are found in 25 ft. or less or water, normally in marshes, shallow in-land bays and swamp areas. These are typically the rigs with the worst accommodations -- they are very cramped and usually fairly old. Many times they will have 6-12 man rooms (sometimes with four-man tall bunks) and all share one bathroom.
Jack-ups are found on the shelf in the Gulf, depths of about 200 ft. or less. These are mobile platforms that are able to stand still on the sea floor, resting on a number of supporting legs. Jack-up accommodations all vary, but are still fairly small. The jack-up I was on had 4-man rooms, and the "entertainment room" dubbed as multiple service parties offices, the meeting room, safety quarters, etc.
Semi-submersible rigs are floating vessels that have pontoons and columns that when flooded cause the unit to submerge in the water to a predetermined depth. The rig I'm currently on rotation on (the Ensco 8500) is a semi-sub. This particular rig is self-propelled; it has it's own bridge and captain and is able to navigate itself from one site to another out here. It can also be towed to a particular site, especially when hurricanes are on the horizon. Semi-subs are generally capable of drilling in approximately 8,000 ft. of water. I'll get more into the accommodations on these vessels later.
Lastly, there are drillships; maritime vessels modified to include a drilling rig. They are also capable of operating in deep water. The ship must stay relatively stationary on location in the water for extended periods of time; positioning may be accomplished with multiple anchors, dynamic propulsion, or a combination of these. From what I've heard, drillships are generally the best accommodations you can find out in the GOM -- single or double man rooms with their own bathrooms, full gyms/saunas, entertainment rooms with a wide selection of movies, game systems, etc.
Two ways of getting to the rigs are by air or by sea. Generally rigs on the shelf and inland are reached by boat, whereas deepwater rigs, by helicopter. The time it takes to reach a rig depends on it's location, where you leave from and the weather. Last summer, while working on a jack-up, I took a two hour boat ride out then had to take a personnel basket from the boat deck to rig floor. A personnel basket is pretty much just as it sounds, you toss your offshore bag in the middle of what looks like an inverted ice cream cone made of rope, you step onto the buoy on the bottom, and the crane operator lifts you up onto the rig. To get a better idea you can check out this video.
Alternatively you take a chopper. This is the case for the deepwater rigs since boats can take 12+ hours to reach the rig (in good weather). You generally show up at the helipad before dawn and are scheduled on a flight out at some point throughout the morning. When you leave, all depends on the number of people going to that rig, weather conditions, etc. On my way out for this hitch I sat in the heliport for over three hours before we finally took off. The flight to this particular location is just under two hours (flight times vary, but this is one of the longer ones). Being this far out, most times choppers have to stop off at production platforms along the way to refuel. In all honestly, I would prefer to take a boat out where you are able to get up and walk around, or take over a bench and nap. The helicopters get very cold, you are usually pretty crammed in, the seats are uncomfortable, and on top of it you are wearing a life jacket, full harness seat belt and monstrous earphones for the noise. However, they do give you a spectacular view of the ocean and platforms along the way! My last chopper was a bit smaller than this one:
Most of the boats and helicopters leave from ports and helipads in either Port Fourchon (about 3 hours from Lafayette) or Venice (about 4 hours away). You generally have to leave in the wee hours of the morning, meaning we have to get picked up Lafayette the evening before, then are lucky enough to stay in the creme de le creme of oilfield motels (let's just say that my last motel was equipped with its own fish cleaning station). Port Fourchon is an interesting place, I think it consists of more water than physical land. It is set in the southern depths of Louisiana (a.k.a. swamp territory). Here is a picture for you to get the basic idea:
On that note, I'm off to my luxurious bunk -- the seas are really rocking and rolling tonight, so hopefully I don't get blown off deck before I make it inside!
