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                                                                Exhibit 23.1


            CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration
Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated December 12, 2006 relating to the
consolidated financial statements, management's assessment of the effectiveness
of internal control over financial reporting and the effectiveness of internal
control over financial reporting, which appears in the 2006 Annual Report to
Shareholders, which is incorporated by reference in Atwood Oceanics, Inc.'s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2006.


/S/ PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Houston, Texas
February 19, 2007