E&T Mag: Dangerous diving in offshore oil and gas

Through the gloom of the North Sea, the image is clear. A pale body looms into sight – it’s a diver lying on top of a metal grille, nearly 100 metres down. As a light shines from the approaching remotely operated vehicle, his limbs twitch and his arms reach out weakly as if grasping for help. His gas has long gone – his pipe snapped more than half an hour earlier and no one was expecting to find him, let alone alive. But the wait is haunting – the only ship that can deliver a diver to rescue him in time is struggling to regain control in stormy seas above. In the meantime, the helpless and horrified crew can only watch.

This was back in 2012 and saturation diver Chris Lemons has no recollection of this encounter, though he’s talked about it many times since. “I think the people who had to witness it suffered more. Some (on the boat) decided never to work with divers again.”

Read the story here: https://eandt.theiet.org/2025/03/07/dangerous-diving-offshore-oil-and-gas-industry