Movies

Unbelievable True Story Behind the Deep-Sea Diving Thriller ‘Last Breath’ Revealed!

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If you’re a fan of gripping stories about overcoming incredible challenges, then the movie “Last Breath,” currently playing in cinemas, should definitely appeal to you.

Under the direction and co-writing of Alex Parkinson, the film Last Breath narrates a real-life incident of a saturation-diving accident that occurred off the Scottish coast in 2012. This story was previously documented by Parkinson and Richard da Costa in their 2019 documentary titled the same. The gripping tale unfolds as a rescue thriller, focusing on the harrowing ordeal of Chris Lemons (portrayed by Finn Cole), a young commercial diver who found himself trapped at the bottom of the North Sea for close to 40 minutes with only slightly more than five minutes worth of breathable gas in his emergency tank and no means of shielding himself from the frigid underwater temperatures.

Parkinson shares with TIME, “I’m captivated by tales where reality outdoes imagination, as they offer fascinating glimpses into the human mind.” He adds, “Against all odds, Chris should not have survived that night. Yet his story powerfully demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit.

The movie opens by depicting an exhilarating near-death experience, introducing us to the perilous and solitary field of saturation diving, one of the world’s riskiest occupations. We encounter Chris, who bids farewell to his fiancee Morag (Bobby Rainsbury) before embarking on his duty aboard a support ship. This vessel will carry him, along with his fellow divers – notably Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson), a seasoned veteran, and Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu), a no-nonsense heavyweight – to the North Sea location where they’ll be undertaking repairs on a gas manifold situated 300 feet below the water’s surface.

Similar to a movie scenario, this actual occupation requires spending prolonged periods on a ship inside a compact, can-shaped compartment that simulates the harsh conditions for deep-sea repairs of oil rigs and gas pipelines at ocean bottoms. A rotating team of three divers embarks on their shift by descending into the water in a bell connected to the support vessel. Two divers then descend to the seabed while the third stays inside the bell to monitor safety. Underwater, the divers are linked to the bell via flexible cables that supply crucial life support systems such as breathing gas, communication, power, and warm water to allow them to work for extended periods at depths.

Parkinson was amazed when he first learned about saturation diving, a method where people live in small capsules at the ocean floor for extended periods. He found it astounding. Later, he discovered more about the accident and the remarkable tale of courage associated with it.

On the fateful day of the accident involving Lemons, my colleague Yuasa and I were immersed in our work on the manifold, ably aided by Allcock from above at the bell. However, fate had other plans for us when our support vessel was struck by an unexpected failure in its dynamic positioning system. This malfunction occurred during a raging storm on the surface, sending the ship careening wildly amidst the swells and dragging the bell along with it. In a desperate attempt to return to safety, Yuasa and I moved swiftly, but alas, Lemons’ umbilical cord snagged on the manifold and eventually snapped, leaving him stranded in the frigid depths of the ocean, shrouded in darkness and battling against minimal oxygen.

According to Parkinson, it was the unlikely scenario of Lemons’ survival and the intense aspect of deep-sea diving that initially fascinated him about the story. However, it was the ability to empathize with the whirlwind of emotions Lemons felt in the moments before losing consciousness that Parkinson believed gave genuine emotion to the tale. As he puts it, “I’ll never be 300 feet underwater myself,” but when Chris found himself in that pitch-black environment with his lifeline broken and his air rapidly depleting, I could instantly relate to his situation and understand his feelings.

In an astonishing turn of events, Lemons somehow navigated his way back to the complex structure, climbed up, and fastened himself to it. However, once his emergency oxygen supply depleted, he passed out. The crew on the support ship then skillfully maneuvered the vessel into position, enabling Yuasa to descend and save Lemons. Though they anticipated recovering a deceased individual at this stage, Lemons regained consciousness in the diving bell following a few breaths provided by Allcock. Remarkably, he was back on duty only three weeks later, completing the task he had started.

Remarkable outcomes often stem from persistence,” Parkinson notes. “In the face of a massive storm, they could have chosen to abandon their efforts due to danger and lack of control, opting instead to wait or recover bodies later. However, their determination to keep going is truly inspiring.

To this day, we still don’t have a definite answer as to how Lemons managed to endure for such an extended period without oxygen, and without any long-term physical or cognitive repercussions. However, the most widely accepted theory attributes it to a peculiar mix of depth and temperature, which supposedly shaped an environment that enabled Lemons’ body (which was rich in oxygen from the special gas the divers use) to continue functioning.

Parkinson points out that while it may seem Chris was extremely unlucky for the accident to occur initially, it’s equally true that he was incredibly lucky. The fact that all the necessary people were in the right place at the right time, performing the right actions in the correct sequence, is nothing short of miraculous. If even one of those elements had been different, Chris might not have survived. This fact leaves Parkinson amazed.

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2025-03-01 06:06

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