Last Breath is a documentary film by Richard da Costa and Alex Parkinson, debuting in 2019. The story is about a major saturation diving accident in 2012, when diver Chris Lemons had his umbilical cord severed and was trapped about 100 metres (324 feet) below the sea without heat or light, and his backup tank contained a limited amount of breathing gas.
Together with his colleagues, Duncan Allcock and David Yuasa, Chris Lemons were carrying out repairs 100 metres (324 feet) below the surface of the North Sea, assisted by the Bibby Topaz support vessel. The dynamic positioning system of the vessel failed, causing it to drift in rough seas, pulling the divers away from the region they were working, and finally snapping the umbilical tether that gave Lemons heliox to breathe, as well as hot water to heat his suit, power for his lamp, and a surface radio link. He had just a few minutes of breathable gas left in the cylinders he was carrying.
Lemons lasted underwater for about 30 minutes until he was found by a remote underwater vehicle and then by Yuasa, his working buddy who was able to bring him back on board the diving bell. For reasons that are unknown to Lemons and his colleagues, but attributed in part to cold water and having breathed air with a high partial oxygen pressure, Lemons survived.
Reviews of Last Breath have been mixed, but for divers is worth a watch!
