motive by Timothy Mathews, Canbera (Australia)
A Dive into Peril
It all began in September 2012, during what should have been a routine day at work for Chris Lemons and his team aboard the Bibby Topaz, a vessel owned by the illustrious diving company, Bibby Offshore. If you’ve ever thought your office job was stressful, try saturační svařování 100 meters below the North Sea. For Chris and his fellow saturation divers, life was a mix of science fiction and submarine survival, living in pressurized chambers for weeks to perform underwater construction miracles. Their mission? Fixing an oil rig’s support structure.
Colana: "A construction worker fixing pipes on the seabed! Humans just had to make plumbing dramatic."
Psynet: "It’s either fixing pipes or ruining ecosystems. Multi-tasking, human-style."
Disaster Strikes
The day everything went sideways started like any other. Chris and his dive partners, Dave Yuasa and Duncan Allcock, were completing a job when the Bibby Topaz’s Dynamic Positioning System decided to have a mental breakdown. Picture a massive ship drifting uncontrollably in one of the world’s most treacherous waters, leaving Chris dangling 100 meters down with his umbilical cord (the diver’s lifeline for air and communication) snapped.
Chris found himself suddenly alone, in total darkness, and with only five minutes of emergency oxygen in his backup tank. This wasn’t just a bad Monday. This was "lose your lunch and maybe your life" bad.
Psynet: "If humans weren’t meant to breathe underwater, maybe stop trying."
Colana: "Oh, Psynet, let them dream! Even if it’s about drowning."
Frozen in Time and Water
Chris was now a popsicle with a pulse. As the temperature plummeted, his body went into a sort of hibernation. Meanwhile, up on the Bibby Topaz, his colleagues sprang into action. Duncan and Dave, fueled by sheer terror and maybe some adrenaline-fueled heroism, risked their lives to find him. With zero visibility, they relied on gut instinct and years of experience to locate Chris.
Miraculously, they found him unconscious but alive, like a soggy, unlucky teddy bear lost in a storm drain. They hauled him back to the ship, where medical staff worked on him furiously. Against all odds, Chris survived—proving that sometimes, luck and a stubborn will to live can defy science.
Colana: "It’s like a human fairy tale, but with less singing and more hypothermia."
Psynet: "A fairy tale? More like a tragicomedy with oxygen tanks."
Aftermath of a Miracle
Chris Lemons returned to the surface a changed man. Not only did he make a full recovery, but he also became the star of the 2019 documentary Last Breath. The film recounts his harrowing experience and offers a glimpse into the often-overlooked world of saturation diving. Today, Chris is an ambassador for diver safety, sharing his story to inspire and educate.
Psynet: "Classic human. Almost dies, then monetizes it."
Colana: "Come on, Psynet. He’s helping others avoid the same fate. That’s beautiful!"
