. Chris lost air, warmth and light, leaving him completely helpless on the sea floor — 300ft (91 metres) below the surface.He said: “Everything went dark. Media caption Chris Lemons' story has been made into a documentary film. “I had a strange mix of emotions. “I had a groggy, drunken feeling.”It was a freak accident with a freak outcome of survival, one that became legendary in the industry, and drew the attention of Da Costa and Parkinson. Dave returned to help but was dragged, flailing, back to the bell as he heard Chris’s cord rip.Duncan was trying desperately to drag Chris’s cord back in, but it had tightened so much that it was bending the metal frame out from inside the bell. There was also disbelief that I was going to die in such a strange, alien environment.”His breathing got harder and tighter and he hoped death wouldn’t hurt. This technique enables divers to acclimatise to working under hydrostatic pressure, to reduce the risk of decompression sickness (the bends) when they work at great depths for long periods of timeThey were like an enigma, but one that inspired him to try it.Adjusting to life in a chamber with 12 other people was strange, intimidating and frightening for Chris. Chris said: “As we came to the edge of the structure we looked up expecting to see the diving bell ahead of us but it wasn’t there.But as Chris climbed, his umbilical became snared on the structure.Within seconds the line became tight as the ship above drifted away.“I was being sucked into the structure as the umbilical was tightening. Deep Sea Diver Travels Further Than Any Before Him And Finds . 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. My breathing got a lot harder and I started thinking, this is the end.“After that, nothing. “I remember clinging on for dear life because I couldn’t tell where the edge was and didn’t want to fall off. Seven years ago, Chris Lemons, then 33, was at an exciting time in his life. I felt immensely sad.“I began to realise when the bailout bottle was starting to run out. I knew that I was close to my last breath.“I had already used most of the gas in my tank.

“It was complete and utter darkness, where you can’t see a single thing,” he remembers. To come through it not only alive but with all my ­faculties is .

I was very sad, but mostly disappointed and guilty for the ones I was leaving behind, especially Morag. What started as a normal day for diver Chris Lemons in September 2012 ended in a drama no-one thought he would survive. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

For those on the ship, seeing it through the ROV images was horrendous.It was the film’s directors, Alex Parkinson and Richard da Costa, who made the decision to include the material.“The footage is uncomfortable, it is grim, it runs the risk of being voyeuristic, but at the same time it is an amazing opportunity,” says Richard. I am so sorry.’“There was no sign of anyone to help me or anywhere to go. © 2020 JPIMedia Publications Ltd. Chris Lemons and fellow divers at work in a still from the film. But for the rescuers their training kicked in. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. I knew that I was in serious trouble.“When you are fighting 8,000 ­tonnes of ship there is only going to be one winner and it wouldn’t have been me.”Realising something was dreadfully wrong, Dave went back to try to help but the ship dragged him away.The umbilical stretched, creaked, and in seconds snapped. With the pressure released I fell backwards into complete darkness.“We carry these emergency tanks on our back — bailout bottles — and I instinctively turned them on.“As soon as that is turned on, you are on the clock.


News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services.Diver Chris Lemons still cannot explain how he managed to survive the ordeal completely unscathedDIVER Chris Lemons lay on the bottom of the North Sea with no oxygen for more than 30 minutes­ after a routine job went ­disastrously wrong.His colleagues went to retrieve his body, believing it was to be for his funeral — until, amazingly, he spluttered back to life.All it took was a few short breaths of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for him to return from the dead.Now, six and a half years on, Chris still cannot believe the miracle turnaround that no one can fully explain.He said: “Just surviving is remarkable but surviving with no brain damage and unscathed is incredible.“With nothing to breathe, the brain starts dying quickly.