Abstract
Offshore aquaculture structures such as kelp farm are exposed to environmental loads including winds, waves and currents. A proper design of main components and mooring system, making the structure have sufficient strength capacity withstand the ultimate, accidental and fatigue loads. Additionally, structural integrity is also important to avoid damage and economic loss. To investigate the dynamic response of a horizontal kelp farm in waves and current, experiments have been performed on a submodel of kelp farm. A horizontal textile sheet with simplified mooring was tested in a towing tank with various environmental conditions. The tests showed that the textile experience a parachute effect if the current or current and waves are above a critical sea state. This results can be used as input to the design of mooring system of kelp farm.