Surviving 40 Minutes Without Breathing Gas: A Diver's Unbelievable Journey

🌊Chris Lemon survives without breathing gas due to two competing forces: his umbilical becoming tangled and the ship drifting away.

🔵Saturation divers like Chris, Dave, and Duncan live in a saturation habitat and work at depths of around 265 feet.

⏰The divers use heliox, a gas mixture of helium and oxygen, to prevent nitrogen narcosis and manage their breathing at extreme depths.

💡Chris's umbilical being severed leads to him losing his breathing gas supply and relying on his bailout bottle to survive.

🚢The ship's dynamic positioning system (DPS) failure causes it to drift, endangering the divers and leading to a daring rescue mission.

How did Chris Lemon survive without breathing gas?

—Chris survived by using his bailout bottle, which provided him with a limited amount of breathing gas after his umbilical was severed.

What is a saturation diver?

—Saturation divers live in a saturation habitat and work at great depths for extended periods, using heliox as their breathing gas.

How do saturation divers manage breathing at extreme depths?

—Saturation divers use heliox, a gas mixture of helium and oxygen, to prevent nitrogen narcosis and manage their breathing at extreme depths.

What caused the ship to drift?

—The ship's dynamic positioning system (DPS) failure caused it to drift away from the divers, putting them in a dangerous situation.

How was Chris Lemon rescued?

—Dave Wassa, another diver, successfully connected a gas supply to Chris's helmet and hoisted him up with the help of Duncan Alcock in the dive bell.

00:00Chris Lemon's umbilical is severed while diving at 265 feet in the North Sea.

03:13Chris loses his breathing gas supply and relies on his bailout bottle.

08:56Chris climbs a structure on the sea floor for survival.

10:42Dave Wassa successfully rescues Chris and hoists him up into the dive bell.

12:59The ship's dynamic positioning system (DPS) failure causes it to drift away, endangering the divers.