
                                                                  EXHIBIT 23.1
                              ACCOUNTANTS' CONSENT

The Board of Directors and
  Stockholders of Tidewater Inc.:

     We consent to the use of our report  dated May 1, 1995 on the  consolidated
financial statements of Tidewater Inc. and subsidiaries as of March 31, 1995 and
1994, and for each of the years in the three-year period then ended included and
incorporated herein  by  reference  and to the  references  to our firm  under
the  headings "Selected Financial Data" and "Experts" in the prospectus.  Our
report refers to a change in the method of  accounting  for  postretirement
benefits  other than pensions in fiscal 1993.

/s/ KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP
    KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

New Orleans, Louisiana
January 12, 1996


