Last Breath – Reasoning with Life and Death at the Bottom of the North Sea
An Evening With Chris Lemons, Saturation Diver, Boskalis Offshore Energy
Presented By SPE Aberdeen Young Professionals
Sponsored by Marex – Specialists in managing risk in the global energy and marine sectors
Chris has been a commercial diver for over 17 years, and currently specialises in deep sea saturation diving, operating almost exclusively in the oil and gas Industry.
In September of 2012, a freak failure of the dynamic positioning system of the vessel he was working under, resulted in the umbilical which provides him with breathing gas, light and heat being severed completely. He was left on the sea-bed, in complete darkness 300 feet below the surface, with only the 5 minutes of breathing gas he carried in the emergency tanks on his back, and no way to protect himself from the freezing temperatures.
It took his heroic rescuers over 40 minutes to come back and fetch him, and his miraculous survival story has baffled experts ever since.
His extraordinary story was subsequently immortalised in the hit Netflix/BBC documentary ‘Last Breath,’ whilst Chris continues to work in the diving industry to this day.
Chris will offer an insight into the relatively unknown world of Saturation Diving, where those involved spend weeks on end confined to a compression chamber, whilst being lowered each day in a diving bell to the murky depths of the ocean floor to do their work.
He will also talk through the lead up to that fateful day in 2012 and give you a very personal account of his thoughts and actions when he was left stranded 300 feet down in the icy darkness with no heat, no light and only 5 minutes of gas left to breathe.
He will then move beyond the miracle and communicate how teamwork, preparation, training, procedures, drills and practice played a huge role in his recovery and survival.
He will also discuss the lessons that he and his colleagues learnt from that night, and the manner in which they have used them to move forward and improve both the technical and human elements to the safety culture they work under.
Finally, Chris will attempt to illustrate how all of the practical, procedural and cultural processes that contributed to his survival, were ultimately in place to ensure that he was safely returned home to those that love him.
Ticket price includes a two-course dinner served after the presentation.
17.30 – Arrival
18.00 – Presentation by Chris Lemons
19.20 – 19.45 – Q&A
19.45 – 21.00 – Dinner & Networking
Refreshments also available, kindly sponsored by Greco Developments Ltd
Booking Information:
Sold out! In case of any cancellations contact Diane Wood aberdeen.manager@spe-uk.org to go on waiting list
Member rates apply to members of: SPE, PESGB, AFES, EI, AXIS, IMechE, ICoTA, IMC, OEUK
Student rate applies to full time students only
All prices are inclusive of VAT