A question that has been asked many times before Jetranger. "Offshore' is not simply flying over water.
The term is used by operators and refers specifically to time spent flying to offshore oil and gas platforms and ships. If you say that you have 'offshore' time this is what they will expect you to have.
Although the flying can get mind-numbingly boring it is a specialised type of flying and normally involves IFR procedures and approaches both onshore and offshore, is a two-crew operation, day and night in large or medium sized helicopters.
Flying a Radar Approach to a platform at night 100nm offshore in rough conditions with a low cloud base and poor vis, landing on a small deck surrounded by cranes, shuttling between platforms at 300 feet then returning to shore trying to avoid icing conditions and fly an ILS to minimums is not for the faint hearted.
All pilots new to offshore (at least in N. Europe) must fly a winter of North Sea ops before becoming eligible for Command. They are not usually expected to have any offshore time and will get plenty flying as co-pilot in their first few years (maybe 800 hours per year on busy contracts).
The reason that offshore time is required for co-pilots in the above ad for Bristow International is that most of their contracts are exploration and involve very little flying which, combined with the 4 and 4 roster (i.e. 6 months of the year off), means that you would be lucky to get 150 hours per year. As you will probably need 500 hours offshore for Command you will spend years in the LHS. Added to this is the fact that there is very little IFR or night flying on International operations as many remote areas have no approved navaids, approaches or diversions so it is not really a place for co-pilots to get experience.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by Epiphany; 25th Nov 2011 at 16:30.