 It's time to admit to something I've never put out there: I'm not keen on the ocean. It's not fear, per se. After all, I've been out snorkelling in Hawaii. But the dark and mysterious parts of the ocean make me uneasy. The idea of being in someone like James Cameron's shoes, putting myself into a tiny pod, and just free-falling to depths where pressure can smash you to a pulp is off-putting enough, but some of the lifeforms that may lurk down there are also the things of nightmares. Forget sharks, man. Giant squids are real now!
This film documents a situation deep down (100 metres or 330 feet) in the North Sea. It doesn't involve any of the aforementioned nightmare fishes or anything like that, but it does involve one hell of a nightmare situation for those involved. This harrowing event took place in 2012 and involves (mainly) saturation divers Duncan Allcock, David Yuasa, and Chris Lemons as they take on Mother Nature and her unforgiving violence while on what should be a fairly routine repair mission. As far as what exactly saturation diving is, it's a method of being able to dive to significant depths that this Wiki article could explain far better than I ever could. But it does involve helium and funny, squeaky voices as part of the routine, which adds a lighthearted vibe to the whole, significantly dangerous operation. It's one of those jobs that pays incredibly well because every time you do it, you're taking your life into your own hands, as this documentary illustrates. The incident the documentary describes involves the three aforementioned divers and a repair job to an oil rig. While David and Chris are suited up and out doing the repairs, Duncan is on standby to bring them back into the diving bell when the time comes. The whole operation is disrupted by rough sea weather and the loss of the Bibby Topaz's (their support ship) navigation system, which causes the boat to drift, dragging the three divers. While Duncan is relatively safe within the diving bell, David rides on it, barely making it, but Chris' umbilical snaps, leaving him alone in the inky blackness of the North Sea. What makes this hit home is the genuine footage from the incident that was used. While it's interspersed with some reconstructed footage and a shade of dramatization, the genuine footage stands out, and as the viewer, you get a bit more sucked into the drama that took place. Much of the footage shows what they have to deal with underwater at that depth, which is quite literally a lot of nothing. Sounds boring, I know, but consider that from the divers' perspective. They can't see much of anything and must be directed to their jobs. I recommend watching this documentary before checking out the film of the same name based on it. If nothing else, it will give a better, less "Hollywood" idea of how crazy saturation diving can get, as long as you can overlook a lot of techie terminology that comes with the job. But there's also something in the way the documentary unfolds that I credit it for, especially while not knowing anything about it. It does an excellent job with its true storytelling and doesn't hesitate to pull on the viewers' heartstrings with some interviews. If one looks up the documentary, it's fairly easy to find online, but you may just have to pay a small fee to rent it (about $5). I would say it's worth it to get a feel for what happened before checking out the Hollywood film, which Alex Parkinson directed; one of this film's writers. It's a fascinating, if terrifying, true story, and it does feel like a bit of an action thriller as the events unfold. This is one documentary that will leave you feeling several emotions once you're done watching it. 4/5
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