Sucked Through a Tiny Hole - Byford Dolphin Incident

On November 5, 1983, the Byford Dolphin incident shocked the offshore drilling industry. Five men tragically lost their lives when a sudden pressure shift from 9 atmospheres to 1 atmosphere occurred in the pressurized chambers on the rig's surface. This catastrophic decompression accident highlighted critical safety shortcomings and stimulated advancements in diving protocols and technology.

#disaster #documentary #diving

CREDITS:

Check out Atomic Marvel for cool animations!

Thanks @Antarath, for allowing me to use your images!

[Storified]

Thank you all for the kind words! I truly appreciate each and every one of you for being here!

However, as some of you have already mentioned in the comments, I want to address some points that have been brought up regarding certain incorrect facts mentioned in this video.
Upon further review, I've realized that there were inaccuracies in certain segments, and I want to sincerely apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

In particular:

- At 2:39 the measurement systems got mixed up during production. "14.6 LBS force per square METER" is mentioned which should have been "per square INCH"

- The only body that was left unrecognizable was of Truls Hellevik, because he was the only one that was sucked through the small crescent shaped opening.
the bodies of the other divers were mostly intact externally since most of the damage was done internally.

It is very important to me that all content on this channel is thoroughly researched and fact-checked, and I'm committed to ensuring the highest level of accuracy.

[crunchyapples]

Lessons from Youtube:
1. Never go diving.
2. Never go caving.

[R_Karri]

18 hours of work and 3 hours sleep? That sounds like the plot of a horror movie.

[roycalyptus]

Working for 12 or 18 hours straight is like the ideal environment for mistakes like this to happen

[GeneHaas]

Making between $360k and $540k a year in 1983 is crazy.

[drews]

The fact that both doors could be opened simultaneously - and that the only "safety mechanism" was communication between two guys opening the doors - blows my mind.

[tasha]

Having your workers work up to 18 hrs a day with only 3 hours of a sleep isolated for 28 days straight is a recipe for disaster in itself…

[Majorx]

I have quit my job working in oil and gas technician, for reasons like this. From my experience, the management will always push us to do shortcuts and unsafe acts for KPI and to save money, and if an accident like this happens, they will %100 blame it on us for being unsafe🤷🏻‍♂️

[CuteLalafell]

Man, why do I watch these? I always feel horrible afterwards

[ianbattles]

Being blinked out of existence in a nanosecond sounds like a pretty decent way to go, actually. No pain, no fear...you probably don't even realize that it happened.

[tunod-]

''Have repeatedly performed the process and knew it by heart'' that's some words you dont wanna hear when doing crucial stuff like this. Being so good at something you dont even think about it no more is a recipe for disaster

[Jamesssssssssssssss]

No matter how much you pay someone, you cant expect them yo function without atleast 6 hours of sleep minium

[jazzisips]

The autopsy reports and images don't show diver 1-3's bodies exploding or splattered. Outwardly they were mostly intact. The overall aftermath is TERRIBLE but a lot of channels ramp up the shock factor. Divers 1-3 didnt instantly turn to particles. Only diver 4 was torn apart and strewn all over. Rest in peace to all who passed, they did not deserve that

[krist]

"You go from biology to physics instantly" - Scott Manly.

[Mr.Crowley]

It took the gov 26 years — 26 years — to compensate these families. How appalling.

[dirkdiggler]

Working for Super long hours for days will make you hear and see things. I wouldn't be surprised if the one that opened the chamber heard a voice telling him it was safe to open it, thinking it was one of his crew members.

[williamjhunter]

I met one of these workers in the 1990s and he was around 32 and a multi millionare with lots of nice things. I asked him what he did and he told me, but he was forced into early retirement with his body ruined and had to wear diapers the rest of his life. That job is super high risk.

[srJaime]

Oil rig workers: you only have to work 5 months! They pay really good
Also them: passes away before spending their hard earned money

[mikehenry]

Man, they have safety locks on simple pressure cookers that won't let you open the lid until pressure is reduced. Why wasn't there some kind of similar safety on a high tech system like this.

[HolldollMcG]

My father works with OSHA as an environmental engineer. Oart of his job is to investigate accidents in order to implement better training/protocols. Once he had to investigate the death of a man who was sucked into an industrial fan and vapourised. There was nothing left but a red mist.