Suruthi

I firmly fall into the latter category.

And despite my horror, or I guess because of it, I watch every single documentary, YouTube video and news report about all the things that can go wrong deep down under the sea.

Usually, the people getting themselves into all sorts of trouble down there are recreational divers.

People who have pushed themselves too far or made some sort of terrible calculation while trying to dive in some godforsaken underwater cave.

Things don't go wrong as often when it comes to commercial diving.

But when things do go awry in that particular arena, the results are usually catastrophic.

And the story we have for you today, the 1973 Byford Dolphin incident, is widely regarded as one of the most horrific ocean deaths ever.

But how did it happen, and why?

What exactly led to two men being crushed, three men boiling to death, and one man being liquefied and shot out of a five-inch hole?

Well, prepare yourselves.

This is The Shorthand, and it's definitely a no-eating episode.

And that's because saturation divers go to the most extreme depths.

And this, of course, poses lots of issues.

Not only does the pressure exerted by the weight of all that water above you put a huge strain on your body, it also causes a buildup of gases inside your body.

And the deeper you go, the more gas that builds up.

Basically, at the surface, where we experience one atmosphere of pressure.

We breathe in air, we breathe it out, no problem.

Well, unless you're having a panic attack or something.

Unless that's happening, generally speaking.

Yeah, when everything's going okay.