
                                                                  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
February 6, 1996

