Huge props to Christopher for being willing to go back into that pipe to save his friends. He's a bloody hero even though he didn't get the chance to be one.
He still is a hero. Without his testimony, this horrifying event would have been covered up and no one would have any knowledge of it. Paria would have claimed the men were all killed instantly and moved on. Chris's testimony and continued efforts at seeking justice make him a true hero.
@@jamallabarge2665LOTS of people, you’d be surprised. I mean, would YOU really go back to an almost certain death to rescue 4 friends that realistically it’s highly highly unlikely you’ll rescue even one of them without dying yourself? Even if you say yes now, you actually have NO IDEA what you’d really do in such a situation.
Sadly, it could very well be a possibility. Until more details emerge, we’re assuming they were all laying horizontally in the pipeline. But that may not be the case.
@@Trewq79 well, they were all alive. The video I guess proves that. But sadly, I bet you some of them wished they were killed instantly. Such a sad story.
This one bugged me because I just kept thinking of all the ways they could have saved these guys, some without ever needing to go in the pipe. Let me be more specific, the problem I have with this is that they didn't try. They could have cut the pipe, forced air into it, lowered down scuba gear, all without entering but they never even tried.
@@akelakela5524 My only thought was to pump the water out. Just not sure if one end of the pipe being in the habitat complicates that method. Scuba gear dropped down would be pointless. From the habitat side the first guy had a scuba tank and couldn’t get out. From the other end how do you get the equipment to them across the horizontal portion of the pipe without someone going in. Cutting the pipe I’m thinking they all drown immediately. Can’t come up with a good solution.
@@jeffleach2668 I don't quite understand the habitat; in the story he says that both ends of the pipe stick out of the water, but the habitat was at a significant pressure, which must mean it's also at a significant depth. The drawing said the pipe was 30" (76cm) in diameter; we've seen Gus and Woody squeeze through smaller openings on this channel. Of course, this pipe is not a short restriction, but I'd think it's also mostly free of snag hazards, so a diver could move forward and backward through it without too much trouble.
I did like woodys idea of trying to pump air in, to maybe buy some time. I just don't know the physics behind that or if it would even work. But I think cutting the pipe would would just drown them, no? But to not even try at all is what irks me the most.
It’s worth mentioning that this didn’t happen in the United States. This was in Trinadad. It’s possible that the equipment needed for some special operation wasn’t available to them
as a commercial diver... this is my number 1 fear, im a bigger guy and small pipes scare me, being sucked in , needing to move inch by inch omg id rather die then face that. but they did i just cant imagine the fear and pain. i wish them well in the next life and the one who got out i hope his mind recovers from survivors guilt
I would want to die to and yes they did,but they did in a cruel tortuous way to be sucked in and being there in pain and can't move for between 36hrs-60+ till you drown or run out of air. It's really not even comprehensible from their point of view
I'm right there with you. That scene at the end of the Shawshank Redemption; NOPE. Not me. I'll stay in my relatively spacious prison cell, thanks. When I was a kid, probably like 10-ish, I was wrestling around with a couple of my older cousins. One of them got the idea to roll me up in the area rug. It was big enough that I was a couple feet from either end. For the first few seconds, I just laughed, but then realize just how completely stuck and helpless I was. I freaked out. Like full on screaming panic attack. Thankfully, they got me out immediately, but ever since then, tight spaces like that are my #1 nightmare.
They need to make a movie about this! I feel so terrible for Christopher. I can’t imagine risking your life for your friends just for no one to even try to help!
I can't believe they couldn't figure out something to at least try and do for them when they had two DAYS. I despise these big corporations so much. These poor men and their families. I can't imagine how much survivor guilt the other is going to have. I can only hope he is able to heal somehow. This story will haunt my nightmares.
It blew my mind that they left them there. They could have rigged up a sump system or even just a few transfer pumps and evacuated the entire 1st half of the tube in hours, even using just 1 pump. From the bulge/air pocket all 5 started at to the entrance was estimated to be 655 feet, including the right angle up and out. 1200 gallons and they'd be able to keep their heads out of the water and send someone down to communicate with them.
If they couldn't figure out a way why didn't they send out a rescue request to other nations. Even if the rescue attempts fail at least they try. To do nothing is disgusting
This is going to live rent free in my nightmares from now on. Absolutely horrifying! It's criminal that they did nothing, even if it killed them, they 100% die if you do nothing. Reminds me of the USS West Virginia story with the guys trapped in the wreck for I think like 2 weeks after Pearl Harbour, slowly dying, banging away on the hull to no avail.
That’s exactly what I kept thinking about too but in the case of Pearl Harbor they at least TRIED to cut through to get the men out but didn’t have the resources to do so.
I did a deep dive into the Pearl Harbor trapped seamen incident. To my understanding, the major problems were a collection of scuba technology being primitive, their being on the bottom level of a big ship, navigating the ship with diving equipment while holding diving equipment for the trapped men being really dangerous, cutting open the hull from the outside being a slow process, and that there was spilled fuel and oil all around the water that could ignite. I think at least what the military should've done in the end was make an explosion against the hull where they were, particularly if it could be determined that such wouldn't set the surface on fire, to at least give them a quick death.
@@PoochieCollins At the end of the day though that would have caused outrage from the American people and caused protests/distress the military wouldn't have been able to handle/want to handle at the time. A lot of people didn't want to go into the war, could you imagine the headline "Military Kills Trapped Seamen"? It would have been a PR nightmare. (Not saying that letting them slowly die was good. More so, killing them would not have even been explored as an option.)
More akin to the Kursk where Russia refused international help because they didn't want to allow them to get to the submarine. Either way a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided if those divers took precautions against the Delta P effect when releasing the plug.
Thank you for your side of this. All of us Trinidadian 🇹🇹 citizens were distressed that paria did nothing and left these men to die in that pipe, but I understand from your perspective that nothing could really have been done. The report on the incident is gonna be available next month and we will all find out who was to blame in this matter.
@Noob Noob I work in oil and gas and unfortunately it more than likely was on the divers not following proper procedures. This plugs have relief valves you are supposed to open to equalize the pressure, prior to removal. Out here there is a lot of stuff that can go wrong if you become complacent
@Will well who's fault is it actually if the workers don't know what they're doing, unsure of protocol or get complacent? MANAGEMENT. That's why we have higher-ups so they're responsible for the workers, their training and safety. Maybe a worker messed up, but it's still the company accountable, and authorities responsible for not doing a damn thing to save 4 people's lives. They have families and friends.. People have to live their lives knowing they left people stranded, desperate and horrified in there. Shame on all of them.
@Krystal that's not how that works, I'm not aware of this company, but US companies go through rigorous training. Seen a worker burn his face smooth off because he didn't hook up his bonding cables. Done it a thousand times, but this time he was in a hurry, didn't hook up his cables and one spark was the difference. As for saving them, there is nothing they could do...imagine trying to save someone stuck in a vertical shaft 172ft with oxygen deprived sections. Now imagine you can't see down the well, it turns a 90deg turn and you're at the bottom of the ocean...how would you have saved them?
The bravery of wanting to go back in to save his fellow divers is astounding. The decision not to allow a rescue effort is absolutely horrible. The pressure was equalized. Someone made it out. There should have been an effort of some kind.
I feel so bad for the families of these four divers. Their kids have no fathers and their partners lost their spouses and the parents lost their kids. I've read one of them was in such bad condition when they pulled the body out...that his father had to identify the bodies by the tattoos. I cannot imagine how hard that must've been. And how absolutely helpless and frustrating it must've been to KNOW that their loved ones are alive there, screaming for help and nothing is being done. It's just...so absolutely heartbreaking. I understand their anger with Paria...I'd be pissed too.
As an engineer I knew exactly what was going to happen as soon as he said they were going to deflate that plug. All the company had to do was put the plug back in place and then pump the water out from the ocean side. The water level in the pipe would have receded air would’ve replaced it and those guys could’ve started wiggling one way or the other. If they were closer to the habitat side they could’ve put a plug in the ocean side of the pipe and then remove the habitat plug to pull those guys back out. Complete negligence and abandonment on the part of this company. And you guys are correct they could’ve forced air pressure in but that would’ve collapsed their breathing air bubble while it tried to push the water out of the ocean side so that could very well have killed them.
The pressure wasnt the same on both ends, opening ocean side would likely move the air pockets. Also they wouldn't be able to rescue via ocean side as the partially deflated plug was on the way
@@randomcommenter2941 In that time a plug could have been placed on either end so they could pump water out. And air pockets don’t move in a situation like that. They are at a high point in the pipe. 2” diameter isn’t large enough to cause the cavitation needed to trap and move air pockets.
@@randomcommenter2941 Once the vacuum event happened and the tunnel became steady state, plugging either end and pumping out the water would not have moved the air pocket if it was located at a high point in the piping. Government inquiries often find on behalf of the cooperation at fault. The physics and fluid dynamics doesn't agree with the commission's findings. But often in politics they rely on the layperson not understanding all aspects of the facts presented.
saw this when it came out on Ballen's channel a few days ago. One of the most horrifying stories of all the ones he has told on his channel and there are many. Being claustrophobic is my biggest fear and I could feel the butterflies as only he can tell the story. It was sort of heartbreaking watching you guys discuss the remaining divers rescue all along knowing all the others died in place. Awful just awful and a credit to the young man that made it out because he had a failure to give up under overwhelming odds.
100% there should have been a plan in place for an incident like this. Although its hard to anticipate ALL accidents, I think this is something that should have had SOMETHING in place for them so they knew what to do. The company should be held accountable for this...I"m not sure if they will, but I certainly hope so. And best wishes to the survivor, I know he's still struggling to handle all this.....poor guy :(
This reminds me of the men who became trapped under water, in a sunken ship the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. I'm pretty sure Mrballen did a story on this incident as well. They were stuck for over a week. They could be heard banging, signaling via Morse Code, etc., and no one was allowed to rescue them. There's NO WAY I could just stand by and do nothing while hearing people banging around, knowing they're alive and in need of help. Once the banging stopped and everything went quiet.. That would just haunt me forever.
@@mary-melissatyree4003 Yea, that one gave me chills. I can't imagine how scared I'd be if I was stuck and nobody came, or how haunted I'd be if I could hear positive signs of life, yet couldn't do anything to help.
Yes, that was such a horrible story! When you factor in the fact that being in total darkness makes you start to hallucinate since your brain is lacking stimulus... their last days must have been truly horrific. At least the hopelessness of that scenario made more sense to me. With the technology at the time, they just had no way to save them. I think their ship was wedged against another ship and it was nearly impossible to determine where the men where exactly so sending in rescue divers would have likely just added to the death toll.
@@franquil85conn The pipeline and the Pearl Harbor incident are two completely different puzzles, so to speak. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about what could've saved anyone in either of these scenarios, but I think she's just saying that technology in 1941, especially related to rescue diving, was inadequate for the rescue of those stuck at Pearl Harbor.
I don't understand why they couldn't have pumped the water out and used a winch system to send someone in to pull them out one hy one. If one of them was able to escape under those conditions, then a rescuer going into the pipe headfirst attached to some winch/pulley system doesn't seem like its even close to an impossible task to me. To just let them die was a disservice.
Yeah but you still gotta get someone who.s qualified to do a rescue to volunteer to go in that pipe. If you saw Woody and Gus's reactions they were like no way is that gonna happen.
@Stephen Whiddett I'm definitely not qualified but with what info the video gave, yes I would of volunteered, especially knowing someone already made it out. I know it's hard to believe but risking your own life to save 3 others is not a hard decision for a lot of people out there. Sadly seems the company or the law stopped any attempt at rescue before it was to late.
@cmdrvarna I think that maybe you could have pumped out the water to buy time and then maybe snake in a radio to communicate. Once confirming that the guys were coherent, maybe you could snake a harness for the guys to try and wriggle into so they could be pulled out. Idk if they were even able since I'm sure they had broken bones and stuff. There is also the question of available resources. It's easy to speculate but harder to execute
Always appreciate your take on things. Woody, putting yourself in the moment and imagining the horror - that goes farther than Mr Ballen relating the story because I could feel your emotions. It’s not just a disaster tale to be told, but a horrible human experience. I like it that you admit to being an armchair quarterback too. It’s very easy to pass judgement while being completely uninformed of the facts. And Gus - I have listened to your take on Yuri and his death by knife - and I agree with you!! Thanks for the video.
Ill say a few things on this one.... Since i already heard they were sucked in, it was clear there was an underpressure in the pipe. When the schematic popped up, i also immediately saw the habitat, is a diving bell. Its under water. By the looks of it some 5 m, which means half a bar +, so 1.5 bar approx. Now im not sure what ''riser' means there. It could be a pipe with an elaborate contruction with seals, that can be extended, ie risen. It doesnt really matter, bc the other side of the pipe is above water. So what happened is this: The sea side of the pipe was capped, probably at atmospheric pressure, or under water. Doesnt matter. bc at that moment, the entire pressure IN the pipe will be atmospheric, as the other end of the pipe is connected to open air. The steel is designed to withstand the pressure everywhere on that depth, so has no influence on the pressure IN the pipe. And then the other side of the pipe is capped, leaving the pipe at atmospheric pressure, which is about 1 bar (1 atmosphere). Now years go by. Someone decides it needs to be operational again. At this time it doesnt matter what happens at the land side of the pipe, bc it is still closed off, ie capped. The sea side of the pipe is under water. For whatever reason. But thats what it is. So they get the opposite of brilliant idea to build this dive bell over it, so the men can work in air. But that air is PRESSURIZED to the depth they are working on, ie 1.5 bar. Which is 0.5 bar over atmosphere. They get ordered to release that cap. BIG mistake. Ill get back on that to who is responsible for this absolute humongous mistake. The moment that seal breaks, you get this, bc the overpressure goes right into the pipe, sucking everything in, bc it is a big pipe (you said a bit over 1m. No, 2.5 feet is about 75 cm, so 3/4 of a meter. Then you get this entire story, with 1 getting out and nobody helping for friggin days, while the men were still alive. You discuss what they should have done at that time. Well thats not so hard. You cant send men in, bc that is way too dangerous and you cant work in there. The pipe is now, after this accident, pressurized to 1.5 bar. The land side is still capped, so does nothing. So the pipe is at the pressure of the inside of the dive bell. If you break the seal on the land side, you get a 2 side open pipe, which means the pressure will at any point be the depth of the water column. A bit of water will move to the land side, but that is minimal and instant. You can then connect a pump to the land side and blow air. It will push the water out, or most of it anyway. And can then save the 4 men. It takes time though to get a pump there thats big enough and connect it. Since the men seemed to survive for days (how exactly? since there was little air in there? I have my doubts on that, but ok) You can also cut the pipe underwater. Take a chance and is better than doing nothing. If you about know where they are, you might be able to save them. However, equipment for doing this underwater is probably far less feasible than getting a pump and force a massive amount of air in there. Every petrochemical factory has stuff for that. So cutting seal on land side, and blow air in is best option. Dont know why they didnt and is imo unforgivable. Yes they might have broken some more bones. But at least they would be able to breath and by direction of flow, would come out at the dive bell. Obviously once you start that, youll need everything in place to start blowing air, before you break the seal. Now about who is responsible. First of all the business itself. I studied and worked proces tech and mostly at petrochem multinational. That was back in the 80ies and there were protocols that 1) There should always be red labels on everything that is not to be operated without prior examination, consent, etc. 2) When such a job had to be done, it had to be examined. This includes that there is no chemical hazard present at or in the device. That device is not pressurized (!!!) Or sealed of from open air. Etc etc. If that was not the case, it would stop right there and it was the job of proces techs to make it according to these standards. No mechanic is even allowed to come near any equipment that is not deemed ready to be worked on. 3) After this examination and prepping, proper documentation has to be signed by proces tech that examined and prepped and by chief of that watch. And only then a job can be started. So the company is responsible for not having these protocols in place, or not adhering to them. Secondly, the engineer that came up with the idea of a diving bell, knowing full well the riscs involved with pressure. Thirdly the chief of watch for the proces tech side, for same reason. Fourth the leader of the dive team, chief, oversight, for also not realising this. And fifth the divers themselves. Every person working on a pipe should also themselves always look if its pressurized and if there is content in there and which content. You pay for such mistakes with your life.
I see that you don't know all the details of this sad incident, but your reasoning is good. And if you want to know how quickly this event occurred and how far the divers were sucked into the pipeline this short animation should allow you to know a little more about this sad incident but also show you that even if a rescue was possible if the salvage team had reacted correctly, it would nevertheless not have been easy to conduct. ruclips.net/video/f-RrRimxAPE/видео.html
That was so unbelievably terrifying. I hope that Mr. Boodram is able to come to a place of peace with what happened. He did nothing wrong. His official testimony is heartbreaking if you haven't seen it. He has such tremendous survivor's guilt. What an awful situation.
Interestingly, when I watched this video and saw that they weren't going to rescue them, my thought was "I wonder what dive talk's opinion of not rescuing is".
One end is submerged, the other end is above water. So, here's my first thought: replug the submerged end (where the accident happened), and from the other end insert two pipes: one to pump in air and the other to pump out the water. The rate of air being pumped in and the water being pumped out could perhaps be calculated so that gradually the water level reduces in the pipe, and it safely fills with breathable air. Once that is done (even DURING that is being done), we are buying time to save them!
Im glad you guys finally covered this as ive been watching the coverage of this story for months. Most people have been so critical of the company for not allowing a rescue but i felt after watching your videos that there was no way to send a diver down that pipe to get them. Now I know you guys had the same reaction.
I think if you cut the pipe it would cause more problems. You would disturb the equilibrium that was established and they would end up was narcosis thingy. Also was safe to cut the pipe in the time needed to save them without risking the safety of the rescue divers and the trapped divers. Lots of what ifs and questions but with no black or white A+B=C
@@omgurheadsgone i think one thing you also got to take into account that this tool place in Trinidad and no the United States. The options that they had may have been hindered by the equipment/ technology available
Reminiscent of the USS Arizona where they heard trapped sailors banging for days but simply didn’t have the capability to save them. That was almost 100 years ago, you’d think we’d have addressed a scenario such as this.
This reminds me of the cave in Thailand where all the children were rescued by an incredible human effort. This was outstanding! - But here? Did they even try to rescue them? Did they ask for international help? I can barely hold back my tears.
@@Malignardpump a air tube in which could easily route air to the survivors and then send in a diver with another air hose or multiple tanks at stops etc and could easy have piped out water also to maintain more air pockets to buy time. They tried legit nothing
It's a result of the law of communicating vessels. I can't believe nobody realised how big of a mistake they were making, if only someone involved did know basic physics, everything could have been prevented... one has to wonder how can they be so negligent of putting workers in such a risk without even consulting an expert beforehand.
20:46 yeah exactly like the habitat, it can't completely empty the water in the pipe cause water is more heavy it will push in but the air will eventually find airpockets or bended pipe section like the air pockets and will be able to supply oxygen for the meantime finding solution.
When I lived in Oklahoma the electric company I worked for debated on sending me to a Comercial diving school in Oklahoma city. They were thinking they could use me to do underwater lighting in Oklahoma and Texas where they operated. They changed their minds after seeing the increased insurance costs for just having me as the only diver in the company and it would get worse with any new divers added. The costs didn't balance out to the amount of expected work. After seeing this I can understand why the insurance was so high. I wish I'd gotten it still though, right now I could make good money doing dock lights and maintenance, boat work and other stuff. Not a lot of divers in this area and even the fire department rescue divers never dive outside rescue/recovery work which is only a couple times a year on a bad year.
@@JP-wx6uh not many divers in oko, then add being electricians. They only thought of it because I was a diver. If it were in Florida with the company I used to work for there I was one of several but when we talked to them about it they said no. As far as safety most of the diving would be barely underwater to maybe ten feet. It's not deep diving kind of work so being alone in the water wouldn't be a big deal and there'd be at least one on the surface.
Stories like these make me so frustrated at how little human life is valued in rescue situations. It's so easy for people to sit and do nothing when they're not the ones in distress. It's absolutely gut-wrenching.
This was a hard one to watch last week when he put it out...For some reason as I get older, claustrophobia has become more & more of an issue with me mentally, which I never had an issue with before. My biggest fear is being trapped somewhere, can't really move my hands, arms, legs etc. & slowly suffocating to death. UGH! This was so hard to listen to, specially the recording at the end. When SEAL Team aired the episode where Sonny was trapped in a torpedo tube during a lock-out exercise, I had to watch it in pieces & out of 1 eye. lolol
Hearing how Christopher desperately tried to go back in to save his friends made me tear up. What an absolute hero. I wish they were able to save the other four...my heart aches for them and their families... and Christopher's survivors guilt? Jeez... what a tragedy....
I saw a recent interview with Chris. He has constant nightmares of the event and can not go anywhere near water. He has mentioned contemplating s-cide due to the guilt of leaving his brothers in the pipe. The man not only has survivor's syndrome, but extreme, crippling PTSD. The horror those men endured for 2-4 days in that pitch black pipe is simply unimaginable. The official that would not allow them to be rescued should be held accountable for voluntary manslaughter at the very least. He claimed that sound of the men beating on the pipe was noise from equipment over a kilometer a way from the site, and that the pipe was full of oil and the men had to be dead. They were writing up death notices only 12 hours into the "rescue operation". There were rescue divers on scene ready and willing to go into the pipe to rescue the other four men. In fact, the man that pulled Chris out had already disregarded orders to not get into the water, and had he not, not even Chris would be alive. Kazim's father had a gun pointed at him by a coast guard official when he attempted to get in the water. I understand the danger and extreme difficulty of rescue, but Paria seemed content almost right away to write the men off as deceased. These men didn't deserve to be abandoned. As far as I know, even to this day neither Chris nor any of the families have received any compensation from Paria.
If you guys are so curious, do an experiment to test the scenario! Take some hose, submerge it, and then simulate the situation with some water in it. Put a cap with a 1-way valve(for outward flow) on one end, and elevate the other. Now try to find a solution that allows you to vacate the water from the hose.
@@d.h.1999 Without moving the air vs. water pockets in the big one? Because if you do you covered the men's faces and they're dead by the time you dry out the pipe.
I watched this vid on Mr. Ballens site and so glad you experts have finally done a video.. It always bothered me that no rescue was attempted but as you guys said, HOW could you even start rescuing them, damn.. What a death... Thank you guys..
I quite literally cannot even fathom the terror those men felt. It makes my heart physically hurt for them. Such a horrific way to die, and I truly hope their families (and the one lone survivor) can heal and find peace ❤
Crazy that they didn't allow rescue for 2 days, but then when the sorry bast**ds figured that the men were all dead, they were right on the task of recovering bodies the next day. I watched Mr. Ballen's video when it 1st came out. I still sat through watched it again with you gentlemen. Thank you. ⚘️🙋♀️
@@BaalsMistress sure you can, if you can hear them you can certainly find some way to communicate that you are about to try to flush them out so they can attempt to hold their breath. You can probably pump air into the pipe since it is equalized, again indicate you are going to do something which will end up moving the water around. Worst case they drown which they were going to drown or suffocate anyway to really it just becomes that stupid thought experiment of "if I do nothing I am not responsible but if I do something and they die that is directly because of my action" which is likely the entire reason they chose to do nothing.
To blow in air, you're just need to plug one end of the pipe and leave the other end open to allow the water to come out, but without pumping the water out, you can't get the water out of the lower section. If instead you lower a pump in one side and start pumping the water out, you may be able to lower the water level in the horizontal section. The total volume of the pipe is only about 170m^3. You can't just lower a hose and pump the water out, at least not without pressurizing the other side, since 18 meters (55 feet) is more than the maximum a pump can suck (10m) under atmospheric conditions. I think the problem is that the horizontal section probably isn't really horizontal; if it has some higher and lower sections, it would be difficult to get all of the water out. However, if you start pumping in air from one end, it will start moving through the pipe, giving them fresh air in the pocket they are in, and removing some of the CO2. However, time is still limited, as their exposure protection is probably compromised, and hypothermia is a serious risk. The pipe was 30" in diameter, which is 76cm. It's probably too tight to turn around in, but not so tight that you'd get completely stuck. 76cm is about the height of a regular desk or table, I'd think that's enough room to get through with back-mounted doubles, if you can get some traction on the sides of the pipe, since it's a bit tight for regular fin kicks. I think the first thing the rescuers should have some, is send a simple drone through the pipe, dragging a rope behind it. Once you have a rope to the stranded divers (or, preferably, all the way through the pipe to the other end), you can pull in hoses for surface-supplied air, small cylinders, etc. If it isn't just one straight pipe, but there are things a drone or cylinder would get stuck in, this may not be feasible. Not attempting anything for days is absolutely unacceptable, and the people responsible should be tried for murder.
You can use a submerged pump to avoid the issue with the 10 meter limit. It`s not true that we cannot pump liquids that are deeper than 10 meters. We do it all the time.
I just heard about this the other day. It's getting out there more and more, so i hope litigation can begin and the families can get some sort of justice. Just horrible.
Jeeeez 😲 what a story!! I'm awake at 3am, can't go back asleep, so decided to watch this... THIS was intense. The details Mr Ballen describes - it's like you're there. Those poor men.. hoping to be saved... Poor Christopher, I wonder how he's doing today. Most definitely has PTSD. I really don't have words.. absolutely shocking incident. R.I.P💐 Thanks for covering this. Best wishes as always... ☘️🙂🇮🇪
Why is THIS video hitting me the hardest of all similar videos that Dive Talk have reacted to? Is it the fluke of it all? Is it the complete powerlessness? Or is it the sneaking suspicion that it will end horribly, but will not have needed to? Ugh...
In the time it took me to watch this video, I came up with 2 concepts of how to rescue them: concept A: step 1: lower a pump into the pipe on the habitat side and pump out water until it reaches the level of the top of the horizontal section. step 2: plug the habitat side with the inflatable thingy step 3: lower a pump into the pipe on the sea side and pump out as much water as possible. Initially the pressurized bit of air between the plug and the horizontal section will sputter through the top of the flooded section, providing air exchange while not risking a repeat of the sucking in water thing. step 4: let them come to the vertical section by themselves once the water is low enough, pull them up from there. concept B: step 1: get a diving drone/robot thing, attach an air hose or a big scuba bottle step 2: let the robot bring the air to the trapped from the habitat side step 3: one trapped person and the robot move back step 4: repeat from step 2 until everybody is out.
Hi , after the reading of your 2 rescue propositions I can tell you that unfortunately the concept B wouldn’t have worked at all. I don’t know if you’re aware of it but during the first evening they have made a trial to inspect the inside of the pipeline with a crawler, but the machine was rapidly blocked by one of the air tanks Chris had used during his return to the habitat (the other bottle was retrieved during the first and sole rescue dive). So it would have been impossible to bring air supply (tanks or umbilical) to the divers (which were at about 220 m from the B6 elbow) by such a way. Your concept A is more realistic, but it has some weak points. Step 1: Ok Step 2: Ok Step 3: If you look at my animation, you will see that the pipeline had a little slope (0,57%) which means than B6 elbow was lower than the B5. This means that the pumping up to the horizontal section from the habitat side would have (nearly) totally empty the pipeline and thus pumping from the sea side wasn’t necessary anymore. Step 4: I remind you that the 4 divers were then still at about 145 m from that the B5 elbow. This means that these (heavily) injured guys would have had to come back feet first by themselves in a VERY greasy dry pipe and finally be pulled out by their feet. Seeing how some of them were wounded I don’t think it would have been possible.
Another heavy one. I was so happy they all miraculously survived being sucked into the pipe. My heart sank when they were left to die. It definitely would have been one hell of a rescue op if they were able to figure something out
I could see how tough this was from the reactions you guys gave. Your insights into what was happening was really good to hear and gave a perspective of what it would have been like.
Let's be real. When it came to saving the rest of them, it wasn't about safety, it was about cost. It would be cheaper to let those men die than it was to pay for all the elements needed for rescue. I hope the families take them to court! 😡
I don't agree that it was just cost. I think that Paria feared having more dead men in the pipe. To me this is pure crap. Small framed men or women, down the pipe, get them out one by one. This could be done.
Of course it’s a banana republic. They still haven’t paid a penny and turned away willing divers. It was about making the “problem” go away. They didn’t plan on the story getting out
I love scary stories, true or fiction. This is legitimately the most terrifying story I've ever heard. I can't imagine the horror. Im sorry for these men and their families
I was literally holding my breath as this story was told! Mr. Ballen is such a great storyteller! Great episode guys! Prayers for the families of the men lost, awful way to lose your life.
They could have pushed an umbilical with regs to help them breath and/or to fill the air pocket while they could have either cut the pipe and rescue them or pull them out with a winch. Divers and company with ZERO preparations. Pipelines once laid are empty and they have to go through a process called "christening" where the pipeline get gradually flooded of which is very dangerous for the divers, not the first time that someone gets sucked in! Commercial diving is safer than recreational diving (consider how much money are spent for the operations...) WHEN done properly and this was not done properly. You guys rocks! Keep doing these, love them, you brought back the diving bug for me, thanks!
As a person that was a confined space rescue squad for 20 years, I can guarantee that people like me were pleading with management to go down and save those guys . Communication with them was said to be possible. An air hose could have been introduced. It was absolutely possible to save (at least some) of those men .
Ive always wanted an input from an experienced recue diver. I have been investigating the case, tell me if you think a rescue would be feasible under the following Conditions: The pipe is 30 inches in diameter and is greased by crusts of oil, the horizontal section is 1200 feet or 4 football fields long. Lets consider they were at the middle around 600 feet. Removing the habitat and installing an extention is not an option as the habitat is pressurized and that could move the air pockets, opening the other end wasnt a possibility either because of the same issue. Pumping the water out would be out of the question too as there is no eletrical line there for a pump and it would at best remove the water until the first air picket(there were several). Not to count Delta P could still exist and the water just sealed it again. Another reason to not remove the habitat is that the man are submited to a pression equivalent to 55 in depth. The max exposure for this depth is 6 hours according to the decompression table. If they stood 6 hours the decompression stop would be 432 minutes and could be made in the habitat. If they removed the habitat then the decompression stop would need to be made by hanging inside the riser. So in these conditions would you attempt a rescue? how would you do it? How would u carry enough oxygen for you and the victim, how would u bring the victim with you considering they had several broken bones and could potentially be fainted. I thought of an umbilical but i dont believe there is one this long.
I've recently started watching your channel, and it definitely sparked an old adventurous spirit and some really new fears tbh .. I grew up in a family of recreational divers (My uncle has 4 stars on CMAS, and my Mother 2) also my father in law was an instructor and president of URS (united divers of serbia). I have great fond memories and the honours of spending my childhood summers at the age of 9 - 13 yrs old, in a diving camp located in a country of Montenegro, on a beach of Zanjice. It was a proper camp, holding i believe up to 30 - 40 ppl, all divers with families. I used to spend there up to 3 months every year. It was awesome! One of my best memories tbh. And now looking back i am also judging my familly a lot :D, because they allowed me, a kid to actually dive with a small tank, not at a very big depths, perhaps up till maybe 10 meters, but still, i today think it was pretty reckless. I also received some training at that time, i believe it was for first star, but i was too young to officially pass the exam. I can say straight away, we never had any incidents in the camp, other than mild narcosis here and there(not me obviously), dives were up to 50 meters, without special mixes. Anyways, there were some diving camps across Montenegro at that time, and i will try to get some stories from my father in law cuz he was a head of one, and if i hear anything interesting ill let you know! Cheers!
The best thing he does is his hand gestures, he doesn’t tell the story any different or better, it’s his hands and facial expressions, I seen him do a commercial dumbest item ever, but I watched the whole thing only because his gestures caught my attention 😂
I was just going to post the same thing. Mr Ballen and his hand gestures add to any story he tells. This story being the most horrific. Those poor souls.
You cap the pipe that's out of the water. Bring scuba tanks down to the sea bed for the trapped divers. Then cut a hole in the bottom (not the top) of a pipe approximately near the trapped divers. The air should not escape and stay stabilized. You bring the escape hole to them.. not them to the escape hole... but then I don't know how long it would take to cut through one of those pipes...
This is super brutal... I really think pumping water out and pushing air in would have helped. Then surely they could have had a small person to wriggle in there (with communications) and bring a line/harness to pull them out one by one. Hard work but doable if you know you have all the surface support you need.
Dude.. this is one of the craziest stories I've ever heard and Mr Allen is the best story teller ever. When he said he reached up and grabbed the tank I was tripping. Thank yall for covering this one it amazing
That happened so fast any breath hold they could do was just how much air was in their lungs at that second, DEFINITELY no time to suck a full lungful in. Freaking terrifying at all kinds of levels.
When I saw this on Mr. Ballens channel, my pulse was ELEVATED.... such an incredible tragedy. That poor valiant man... losing his friends and colleagues so horrifically and feeling so helpless. 😢
They should have tried something! If the guys then perish then it’s unfortunate but they didn’t even want to try. How do you send ppl into these situations and then when they need help you do nothing and just wait for them to die? They went and retrieved their bodies in the end but couldn’t even try one thing to help them. Outrageous.
Although I agree there are things they could have tried, they likely recovered the bodies by flushing the whole pipe out with water, which would 100% drown them if they were alive. Easy to safely recover bodies, but that method can't be used to rescue.
What I love about how you guys collaborate with Mr Ballen is how willing he's been to learn from the experts to perfect his explanations. A really humble guy. Perhaps the two best channels on the site.
This one made me nauseous. It’s absolutely heartbreaking that despite the mind-boggling number of miracles that occurred that led to 1.) their survival of the initial event 2.) the discovery of the two air tanks with actually enough air for the two men to use for several hours’ worth of inching through the flooded sections 3.) the chain dangling down into the vertical section and 4.) Christopher’s successful exit/rescue from the pipe That all of that would just be tossed away and the other men simply abandoned to die in the dark. For what?? I refuse to believe there wasn’t a single thing that could be done or even attempted. Trying SOMETHING is better than trying nothing at all. This utter waste of human life makes me sick. I’m not an expert, but that sounds like murder to me. May that company rot.
Equally heartbreaking is the fact that Christopher volunteered and fought to go back into Tartarus and subject himself to no doubt more trauma, terror, and suffering to rescue his friends, but was physically withheld. I can’t imagine how powerless and guilty he must have felt knowing what his friends didn’t…. He is a hero regardless and I hope he and all their families find justice
No doubt if it was a CEO (or 3) down there, an entire global task force would have been deployed immediately with input from a panel of experts and the world’s finest and most specialized equipment… At this point I’m rambling, but this really has me seething.
I've already seen the video on his channel but I definitely loved y'all's reaction and take on this! It's so sad they never sent help in or anything even though they was banging on the pipes forever 😢
Ugh I hate this story. This is the only dive story that freaks me out. Being stuck in a two and a half foot pipe, oil stinging in your eyes, dying a very slow death where you are completely aware and helpless to get out of it.
Wow this really gave me claustrophobia, I’ve never cared about tight spaces, hell I’m about to start my cave diving training and this made me think it twice😂just kidding, I’m going for it…but WOOOW
the wonderful thing about being a human with this very intelligent brain of ours is that when you gather enough of those brains and have the help/effort, a lot of things are possibly that may otherwise seem impossible. there certainly was a way to save those divers but they just did not put in the effort or collective thought to do so. they decided that those lives were not worth whatever effort and time they would have invested. thats sickening to think that there was an opportunity to coordinate some sort of plan and they didnt even bother. even if it was in a failing effort, you can say you at least tried to act like decent human beings to save those lives.
I listen to MrBallen every time he posts a new video. Its a miracle/ tragedy situation that I will remember for a long time. Poor Christopher who knew first had exactly how the remaining men were feeling. Not even remotely his fault, but the quilt he must feel everyday for leaving his friends/coworkers in that tube. I cant and more importantly don't want to imagine how he feels. I hope he is able to hold it together mentally for the remainder of his life.
ALL that medal around.... I can NOT believe there was not an incredible head injury or an arm ripped off with the amount of forces involved.... Tragic INSANE story. I can see the pain and tears you guys fight back on this story... People with empathy can relate to a lot of situations. Even if you can't 100% relate you can kind of put you and your mind in that state. With this being what you guys LOVE to do (diving) I sure it is even more-so with you guys on this one. "Think about being down there for 2 miserable days already and you stop hearing you friend of 10 years reply...." These are the things nightmares are made of and gave me some of the worst case of chills I have ever had. Same feeling I had when I watched it the first time on Allen's channel. This is a horror story that is unimaginable to think about what these men went through... Thanks for the reaction.
What huts me the most is the horror for the men still trapped. What a horrific way to die - stuck for 2 days in dark water - suoer tight space and dwindling air supply. What a slow and horrifying death for these men - their last moments just... ugh... my thoughts to family and friends.
They flushed the bodies out, which would have killed the men if they were alive. Getting them out alive would have been a lot harder. Not excusing their lack of effort, though.
I was also imagining if you were one of the men towards the center or very back. Meaning everyone or even just one person ahead of you is unable or refusing to move. So even if you had the strength and determination to escape, you were stuck. You wouldn't be able to pass the other panicking or perhaps just too badly injured men. So you just have to sit there and hope the others ahead of you could be extracted and finally give you the chance to get out. But it never happens. Despite having the strength, if Christopher had been just behind Fyzal, who panicked, rather than in front, it's likely not even one of them would have escaped.
I saw this a couple weeks ago and thought "Gus and Woody need to review this!" lol. You are the ones that introduced me to Mr. John B Allen. Great show as always guys.
That would be so scary. And this is why I’m not even going to be commercial diver. I’m thankfully for the people that do it. But I will stick to normal open water dives right now. Hope you guys have a great day. Love you guys. 💗🧡💗🧡
I was just reading about this maybe a few weeks ago again because of the investigation. It's just so sad and apparently 12 hours after the company was prepping death notices.I also know Christopher did testify, but I can't watch that video.
Out of aaall the..probably well over 100 cave diving gone wrong videos I've seen, this is the one that breaks my heart the most. I can't even imagine...
I can’t believe they let them die in there. Absolutely horrible.
As always, thanks Gus & Woody for taking the time to watch/react. 🙏🙏🙏
U da man!!!
And to you as always for the great story!
@@DIVETALK epic!!!
I think it’s time to have Mr. Ballen on the show to talk about his diving experiences.
GOAT
Huge props to Christopher for being willing to go back into that pipe to save his friends. He's a bloody hero even though he didn't get the chance to be one.
He could not leave his friends behind. Who could???
Yea, no doubt. Mad respect for THAT man
they stopped him at gunpoint! he was GOING TO GO otherwise.
He still is a hero. Without his testimony, this horrifying event would have been covered up and no one would have any knowledge of it. Paria would have claimed the men were all killed instantly and moved on. Chris's testimony and continued efforts at seeking justice make him a true hero.
@@jamallabarge2665LOTS of people, you’d be surprised. I mean, would YOU really go back to an almost certain death to rescue 4 friends that realistically it’s highly highly unlikely you’ll rescue even one of them without dying yourself? Even if you say yes now, you actually have NO IDEA what you’d really do in such a situation.
It’s insane that none of them got completely folded in half as they got squeezed through the pipe. Absolutely horrific and terrifying!
That's all I was thinking when he described that!!!
Sadly, it could very well be a possibility. Until more details emerge, we’re assuming they were all laying horizontally in the pipeline. But that may not be the case.
@@Trewq79horizontal, and that they were all actually alive, but that seems almost unbelievable given the forces involved.
@@Trewq79 well, they were all alive. The video I guess proves that. But sadly, I bet you some of them wished they were killed instantly. Such a sad story.
@@someoneelse1904 It's possible some didn't realise right away how badly they were mangled.
When I first heard this story, I was on the edge of my seat. One of the most intense stories I've ever heard. RIP to those brave men who passed.
I kept having to take deep breaths lol
@@concretgod8085 they should have pumped that water out!
i thought they made it?
This one bugged me because I just kept thinking of all the ways they could have saved these guys, some without ever needing to go in the pipe. Let me be more specific, the problem I have with this is that they didn't try. They could have cut the pipe, forced air into it, lowered down scuba gear, all without entering but they never even tried.
Can you kindly explain how they could have gotten them out? I also thought about it and couldn't figure out how
@@akelakela5524 My only thought was to pump the water out. Just not sure if one end of the pipe being in the habitat complicates that method. Scuba gear dropped down would be pointless. From the habitat side the first guy had a scuba tank and couldn’t get out. From the other end how do you get the equipment to them across the horizontal portion of the pipe without someone going in. Cutting the pipe I’m thinking they all drown immediately. Can’t come up with a good solution.
@@jeffleach2668 I don't quite understand the habitat; in the story he says that both ends of the pipe stick out of the water, but the habitat was at a significant pressure, which must mean it's also at a significant depth.
The drawing said the pipe was 30" (76cm) in diameter; we've seen Gus and Woody squeeze through smaller openings on this channel. Of course, this pipe is not a short restriction, but I'd think it's also mostly free of snag hazards, so a diver could move forward and backward through it without too much trouble.
I did like woodys idea of trying to pump air in, to maybe buy some time. I just don't know the physics behind that or if it would even work. But I think cutting the pipe would would just drown them, no? But to not even try at all is what irks me the most.
It’s worth mentioning that this didn’t happen in the United States. This was in Trinadad. It’s possible that the equipment needed for some special operation wasn’t available to them
as a commercial diver... this is my number 1 fear, im a bigger guy and small pipes scare me, being sucked in , needing to move inch by inch omg id rather die then face that. but they did i just cant imagine the fear and pain. i wish them well in the next life and the one who got out i hope his mind recovers from survivors guilt
I would want to die to and yes they did,but they did in a cruel tortuous way to be sucked in and being there in pain and can't move for between 36hrs-60+ till you drown or run out of air. It's really not even comprehensible from their point of view
I'm right there with you. That scene at the end of the Shawshank Redemption; NOPE. Not me. I'll stay in my relatively spacious prison cell, thanks. When I was a kid, probably like 10-ish, I was wrestling around with a couple of my older cousins. One of them got the idea to roll me up in the area rug. It was big enough that I was a couple feet from either end. For the first few seconds, I just laughed, but then realize just how completely stuck and helpless I was. I freaked out. Like full on screaming panic attack. Thankfully, they got me out immediately, but ever since then, tight spaces like that are my #1 nightmare.
The fear would kill me first. At least I'd pass out first.
That footage at the end was intense...one second everything is fine and the next second it's a worst case scenario...so tragic 😓
They need to make a movie about this! I feel so terrible for Christopher. I can’t imagine risking your life for your friends just for no one to even try to help!
There’s no chance they would make a movie on this, because that country would not allow the embarrassment. I agree it should happen, but it won’t.
We like movies with happy endings
@@youtubeconnollyfamilyI live here and can definitely say with certainty that the powers that be would never allow a movie to be made.
Mr. Ballen gets so worked up that u cant help but get drawn into the story with him. Like your there when it happened. What a great storyteller
I can't believe they couldn't figure out something to at least try and do for them when they had two DAYS. I despise these big corporations so much. These poor men and their families. I can't imagine how much survivor guilt the other is going to have. I can only hope he is able to heal somehow. This story will haunt my nightmares.
You think a small corporation would have saved them?
@@2010Failbrids Yes
It blew my mind that they left them there. They could have rigged up a sump system or even just a few transfer pumps and evacuated the entire 1st half of the tube in hours, even using just 1 pump. From the bulge/air pocket all 5 started at to the entrance was estimated to be 655 feet, including the right angle up and out. 1200 gallons and they'd be able to keep their heads out of the water and send someone down to communicate with them.
@@2010Failbrids A corporation held accountable by the government and the public would, yes.
If they couldn't figure out a way why didn't they send out a rescue request to other nations.
Even if the rescue attempts fail at least they try.
To do nothing is disgusting
This is going to live rent free in my nightmares from now on. Absolutely horrifying! It's criminal that they did nothing, even if it killed them, they 100% die if you do nothing. Reminds me of the USS West Virginia story with the guys trapped in the wreck for I think like 2 weeks after Pearl Harbour, slowly dying, banging away on the hull to no avail.
That’s exactly what I kept thinking about too but in the case of Pearl Harbor they at least TRIED to cut through to get the men out but didn’t have the resources to do so.
I did a deep dive into the Pearl Harbor trapped seamen incident. To my understanding, the major problems were a collection of scuba technology being primitive, their being on the bottom level of a big ship, navigating the ship with diving equipment while holding diving equipment for the trapped men being really dangerous, cutting open the hull from the outside being a slow process, and that there was spilled fuel and oil all around the water that could ignite. I think at least what the military should've done in the end was make an explosion against the hull where they were, particularly if it could be determined that such wouldn't set the surface on fire, to at least give them a quick death.
@@PoochieCollins At the end of the day though that would have caused outrage from the American people and caused protests/distress the military wouldn't have been able to handle/want to handle at the time. A lot of people didn't want to go into the war, could you imagine the headline "Military Kills Trapped Seamen"? It would have been a PR nightmare. (Not saying that letting them slowly die was good. More so, killing them would not have even been explored as an option.)
I thought about that too when I heard this story.
More akin to the Kursk where Russia refused international help because they didn't want to allow them to get to the submarine. Either way a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided if those divers took precautions against the Delta P effect when releasing the plug.
Thank you for your side of this. All of us Trinidadian 🇹🇹 citizens were distressed that paria did nothing and left these men to die in that pipe, but I understand from your perspective that nothing could really have been done. The report on the incident is gonna be available next month and we will all find out who was to blame in this matter.
I was going to say the same 🇹🇹
They're gonna blame the divers...that way corporate keeps their money.
@Noob Noob I work in oil and gas and unfortunately it more than likely was on the divers not following proper procedures. This plugs have relief valves you are supposed to open to equalize the pressure, prior to removal. Out here there is a lot of stuff that can go wrong if you become complacent
@Will well who's fault is it actually if the workers don't know what they're doing, unsure of protocol or get complacent? MANAGEMENT. That's why we have higher-ups so they're responsible for the workers, their training and safety.
Maybe a worker messed up, but it's still the company accountable, and authorities responsible for not doing a damn thing to save 4 people's lives. They have families and friends.. People have to live their lives knowing they left people stranded, desperate and horrified in there.
Shame on all of them.
@Krystal that's not how that works, I'm not aware of this company, but US companies go through rigorous training. Seen a worker burn his face smooth off because he didn't hook up his bonding cables. Done it a thousand times, but this time he was in a hurry, didn't hook up his cables and one spark was the difference.
As for saving them, there is nothing they could do...imagine trying to save someone stuck in a vertical shaft 172ft with oxygen deprived sections. Now imagine you can't see down the well, it turns a 90deg turn and you're at the bottom of the ocean...how would you have saved them?
The bravery of wanting to go back in to save his fellow divers is astounding. The decision not to allow a rescue effort is absolutely horrible. The pressure was equalized. Someone made it out. There should have been an effort of some kind.
I feel so bad for the families of these four divers. Their kids have no fathers and their partners lost their spouses and the parents lost their kids. I've read one of them was in such bad condition when they pulled the body out...that his father had to identify the bodies by the tattoos. I cannot imagine how hard that must've been. And how absolutely helpless and frustrating it must've been to KNOW that their loved ones are alive there, screaming for help and nothing is being done. It's just...so absolutely heartbreaking. I understand their anger with Paria...I'd be pissed too.
As an engineer I knew exactly what was going to happen as soon as he said they were going to deflate that plug. All the company had to do was put the plug back in place and then pump the water out from the ocean side. The water level in the pipe would have receded air would’ve replaced it and those guys could’ve started wiggling one way or the other. If they were closer to the habitat side they could’ve put a plug in the ocean side of the pipe and then remove the habitat plug to pull those guys back out. Complete negligence and abandonment on the part of this company. And you guys are correct they could’ve forced air pressure in but that would’ve collapsed their breathing air bubble while it tried to push the water out of the ocean side so that could very well have killed them.
The pressure wasnt the same on both ends, opening ocean side would likely move the air pockets. Also they wouldn't be able to rescue via ocean side as the partially deflated plug was on the way
@@randomcommenter2941 In that time a plug could have been placed on either end so they could pump water out. And air pockets don’t move in a situation like that. They are at a high point in the pipe. 2” diameter isn’t large enough to cause the cavitation needed to trap and move air pockets.
@@randomcommenter2941 Once the vacuum event happened and the tunnel became steady state, plugging either end and pumping out the water would not have moved the air pocket if it was located at a high point in the piping. Government inquiries often find on behalf of the cooperation at fault. The physics and fluid dynamics doesn't agree with the commission's findings. But often in politics they rely on the layperson not understanding all aspects of the facts presented.
saw this when it came out on Ballen's channel a few days ago. One of the most horrifying stories of all the ones he has told on his channel and there are many. Being claustrophobic is my biggest fear and I could feel the butterflies as only he can tell the story. It was sort of heartbreaking watching you guys discuss the remaining divers rescue all along knowing all the others died in place. Awful just awful and a credit to the young man that made it out because he had a failure to give up under overwhelming odds.
100% there should have been a plan in place for an incident like this. Although its hard to anticipate ALL accidents, I think this is something that should have had SOMETHING in place for them so they knew what to do.
The company should be held accountable for this...I"m not sure if they will, but I certainly hope so.
And best wishes to the survivor, I know he's still struggling to handle all this.....poor guy :(
lop ,
This reminds me of the men who became trapped under water, in a sunken ship the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. I'm pretty sure Mrballen did a story on this incident as well. They were stuck for over a week. They could be heard banging, signaling via Morse Code, etc., and no one was allowed to rescue them. There's NO WAY I could just stand by and do nothing while hearing people banging around, knowing they're alive and in need of help. Once the banging stopped and everything went quiet.. That would just haunt me forever.
I remember that story.
@@mary-melissatyree4003 Yea, that one gave me chills. I can't imagine how scared I'd be if I was stuck and nobody came, or how haunted I'd be if I could hear positive signs of life, yet couldn't do anything to help.
Yes, that was such a horrible story! When you factor in the fact that being in total darkness makes you start to hallucinate since your brain is lacking stimulus... their last days must have been truly horrific. At least the hopelessness of that scenario made more sense to me. With the technology at the time, they just had no way to save them. I think their ship was wedged against another ship and it was nearly impossible to determine where the men where exactly so sending in rescue divers would have likely just added to the death toll.
@Rachel Torres what technology would have saved these men in the pipeline?
@@franquil85conn The pipeline and the Pearl Harbor incident are two completely different puzzles, so to speak. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about what could've saved anyone in either of these scenarios, but I think she's just saying that technology in 1941, especially related to rescue diving, was inadequate for the rescue of those stuck at Pearl Harbor.
I don't understand why they couldn't have pumped the water out and used a winch system to send someone in to pull them out one hy one. If one of them was able to escape under those conditions, then a rescuer going into the pipe headfirst attached to some winch/pulley system doesn't seem like its even close to an impossible task to me. To just let them die was a disservice.
Yeah but you still gotta get someone who.s qualified to do a rescue to volunteer to go in that pipe. If you saw Woody and Gus's reactions they were like no way is that gonna happen.
One question, are you going in that pipe to rescue someone?
@@stephenwhiddett I doubt hes a cave rescue diver bud lmfao
@Stephen Whiddett I'm definitely not qualified but with what info the video gave, yes I would of volunteered, especially knowing someone already made it out. I know it's hard to believe but risking your own life to save 3 others is not a hard decision for a lot of people out there. Sadly seems the company or the law stopped any attempt at rescue before it was to late.
@cmdrvarna I think that maybe you could have pumped out the water to buy time and then maybe snake in a radio to communicate. Once confirming that the guys were coherent, maybe you could snake a harness for the guys to try and wriggle into so they could be pulled out. Idk if they were even able since I'm sure they had broken bones and stuff. There is also the question of available resources. It's easy to speculate but harder to execute
Love your ending analysis. That was the same conclusion I reached; how? “Send divers!” “How? It’s 2.5 ft wide.”
I saw this video of MrBallen a few weeks ago. The first thing I thought was when will this video be in Dive Talk. Well done!
Always appreciate your take on things. Woody, putting yourself in the moment and imagining the horror - that goes farther than Mr Ballen relating the story because I could feel your emotions. It’s not just a disaster tale to be told, but a horrible human experience. I like it that you admit to being an armchair quarterback too. It’s very easy to pass judgement while being completely uninformed of the facts. And Gus - I have listened to your take on Yuri and his death by knife - and I agree with you!! Thanks for the video.
I read somewhere they thought it could have been murder😮
Ill say a few things on this one....
Since i already heard they were sucked in, it was clear there was an underpressure in the pipe. When the schematic popped up, i also immediately saw the habitat, is a diving bell. Its under water. By the looks of it some 5 m, which means half a bar +, so 1.5 bar approx.
Now im not sure what ''riser' means there. It could be a pipe with an elaborate contruction with seals, that can be extended, ie risen. It doesnt really matter, bc the other side of the pipe is above water.
So what happened is this:
The sea side of the pipe was capped, probably at atmospheric pressure, or under water. Doesnt matter. bc at that moment, the entire pressure IN the pipe will be atmospheric, as the other end of the pipe is connected to open air. The steel is designed to withstand the pressure everywhere on that depth, so has no influence on the pressure IN the pipe.
And then the other side of the pipe is capped, leaving the pipe at atmospheric pressure, which is about 1 bar (1 atmosphere).
Now years go by.
Someone decides it needs to be operational again. At this time it doesnt matter what happens at the land side of the pipe, bc it is still closed off, ie capped.
The sea side of the pipe is under water. For whatever reason. But thats what it is. So they get the opposite of brilliant idea to build this dive bell over it, so the men can work in air. But that air is PRESSURIZED to the depth they are working on, ie 1.5 bar. Which is 0.5 bar over atmosphere.
They get ordered to release that cap. BIG mistake. Ill get back on that to who is responsible for this absolute humongous mistake.
The moment that seal breaks, you get this, bc the overpressure goes right into the pipe, sucking everything in, bc it is a big pipe (you said a bit over 1m. No, 2.5 feet is about 75 cm, so 3/4 of a meter.
Then you get this entire story, with 1 getting out and nobody helping for friggin days, while the men were still alive.
You discuss what they should have done at that time. Well thats not so hard. You cant send men in, bc that is way too dangerous and you cant work in there.
The pipe is now, after this accident, pressurized to 1.5 bar. The land side is still capped, so does nothing. So the pipe is at the pressure of the inside of the dive bell.
If you break the seal on the land side, you get a 2 side open pipe, which means the pressure will at any point be the depth of the water column. A bit of water will move to the land side, but that is minimal and instant. You can then connect a pump to the land side and blow air. It will push the water out, or most of it anyway. And can then save the 4 men.
It takes time though to get a pump there thats big enough and connect it. Since the men seemed to survive for days (how exactly? since there was little air in there? I have my doubts on that, but ok)
You can also cut the pipe underwater. Take a chance and is better than doing nothing. If you about know where they are, you might be able to save them. However, equipment for doing this underwater is probably far less feasible than getting a pump and force a massive amount of air in there. Every petrochemical factory has stuff for that.
So cutting seal on land side, and blow air in is best option. Dont know why they didnt and is imo unforgivable. Yes they might have broken some more bones. But at least they would be able to breath and by direction of flow, would come out at the dive bell. Obviously once you start that, youll need everything in place to start blowing air, before you break the seal.
Now about who is responsible. First of all the business itself. I studied and worked proces tech and mostly at petrochem multinational. That was back in the 80ies and there were protocols that
1) There should always be red labels on everything that is not to be operated without prior examination, consent, etc.
2) When such a job had to be done, it had to be examined. This includes that there is no chemical hazard present at or in the device. That device is not pressurized (!!!) Or sealed of from open air. Etc etc. If that was not the case, it would stop right there and it was the job of proces techs to make it according to these standards. No mechanic is even allowed to come near any equipment that is not deemed ready to be worked on.
3) After this examination and prepping, proper documentation has to be signed by proces tech that examined and prepped and by chief of that watch. And only then a job can be started.
So the company is responsible for not having these protocols in place, or not adhering to them.
Secondly, the engineer that came up with the idea of a diving bell, knowing full well the riscs involved with pressure.
Thirdly the chief of watch for the proces tech side, for same reason.
Fourth the leader of the dive team, chief, oversight, for also not realising this.
And fifth the divers themselves. Every person working on a pipe should also themselves always look if its pressurized and if there is content in there and which content. You pay for such mistakes with your life.
I see that you don't know all the details of this sad incident, but your reasoning is good.
And if you want to know how quickly this event occurred and how far the divers were sucked into the pipeline this short animation should allow you to know a little more about this sad incident but also show you that even if a rescue was possible if the salvage team had reacted correctly, it would nevertheless not have been easy to conduct.
ruclips.net/video/f-RrRimxAPE/видео.html
That was so unbelievably terrifying. I hope that Mr. Boodram is able to come to a place of peace with what happened. He did nothing wrong. His official testimony is heartbreaking if you haven't seen it. He has such tremendous survivor's guilt. What an awful situation.
Interestingly, when I watched this video and saw that they weren't going to rescue them, my thought was "I wonder what dive talk's opinion of not rescuing is".
This one was tough to watch. I know the desperation the survivor felt, it’s a very lonely and unwelcome thing.
One end is submerged, the other end is above water. So, here's my first thought: replug the submerged end (where the accident happened), and from the other end insert two pipes: one to pump in air and the other to pump out the water. The rate of air being pumped in and the water being pumped out could perhaps be calculated so that gradually the water level reduces in the pipe, and it safely fills with breathable air. Once that is done (even DURING that is being done), we are buying time to save them!
impossible to do this without upsetting their air pockets
Im glad you guys finally covered this as ive been watching the coverage of this story for months. Most people have been so critical of the company for not allowing a rescue but i felt after watching your videos that there was no way to send a diver down that pipe to get them. Now I know you guys had the same reaction.
Was there a way to guide them out maybe? Light, sound or drone? Even if it was in vain. Most people wish they would have at least attempted something.
I think if you cut the pipe it would cause more problems. You would disturb the equilibrium that was established and they would end up was narcosis thingy. Also was safe to cut the pipe in the time needed to save them without risking the safety of the rescue divers and the trapped divers. Lots of what ifs and questions but with no black or white A+B=C
@@omgurheadsgone i think one thing you also got to take into account that this tool place in Trinidad and no the United States. The options that they had may have been hindered by the equipment/ technology available
@@cuteyhoney30 I dont think this was deep enough for narcosis..?
@@omgurheadsgone Very true!
Reminiscent of the USS Arizona where they heard trapped sailors banging for days but simply didn’t have the capability to save them. That was almost 100 years ago, you’d think we’d have addressed a scenario such as this.
That was absolutely awful. RIP for those sailors ❤.
That's the USS West Virginia, which sank next to the Arizona. May their sailors RIP.
This reminds me of the cave in Thailand where all the children were rescued by an incredible human effort. This was outstanding! - But here? Did they even try to rescue them? Did they ask for international help? I can barely hold back my tears.
The Thai kids were rescued after almost 3 weeks. These poor guys passed away after 2 days. I can't believe the company didn't try anything tho.
@@Malignardpump a air tube in which could easily route air to the survivors and then send in a diver with another air hose or multiple tanks at stops etc and could easy have piped out water also to maintain more air pockets to buy time. They tried legit nothing
@@Malignard several companies and organizations asked to rescue them and were denied. This situation was dire but it was savable.
@@eugenehatin.420 exactly, I’m thinking these guys are Paria PR or having dissonance. It would be a straight forward rescue
Two hoses pumping air and a surfactant into the middle of the pipe. One hose pumping the water/oil out from the elbow. Easy
It's a result of the law of communicating vessels. I can't believe nobody realised how big of a mistake they were making, if only someone involved did know basic physics, everything could have been prevented... one has to wonder how can they be so negligent of putting workers in such a risk without even consulting an expert beforehand.
20:46 yeah exactly like the habitat, it can't completely empty the water in the pipe cause water is more heavy it will push in but the air will eventually find airpockets or bended pipe section like the air pockets and will be able to supply oxygen for the meantime finding solution.
When I lived in Oklahoma the electric company I worked for debated on sending me to a Comercial diving school in Oklahoma city. They were thinking they could use me to do underwater lighting in Oklahoma and Texas where they operated. They changed their minds after seeing the increased insurance costs for just having me as the only diver in the company and it would get worse with any new divers added. The costs didn't balance out to the amount of expected work. After seeing this I can understand why the insurance was so high. I wish I'd gotten it still though, right now I could make good money doing dock lights and maintenance, boat work and other stuff. Not a lot of divers in this area and even the fire department rescue divers never dive outside rescue/recovery work which is only a couple times a year on a bad year.
Being the only diver doesn't seem like a good sign. It means the company doesn't know enough about the safety needed.
@@JP-wx6uh not many divers in oko, then add being electricians. They only thought of it because I was a diver. If it were in Florida with the company I used to work for there I was one of several but when we talked to them about it they said no.
As far as safety most of the diving would be barely underwater to maybe ten feet. It's not deep diving kind of work so being alone in the water wouldn't be a big deal and there'd be at least one on the surface.
Stories like these make me so frustrated at how little human life is valued in rescue situations. It's so easy for people to sit and do nothing when they're not the ones in distress. It's absolutely gut-wrenching.
This was a hard one to watch last week when he put it out...For some reason as I get older, claustrophobia has become more & more of an issue with me mentally, which I never had an issue with before. My biggest fear is being trapped somewhere, can't really move my hands, arms, legs etc. & slowly suffocating to death. UGH! This was so hard to listen to, specially the recording at the end. When SEAL Team aired the episode where Sonny was trapped in a torpedo tube during a lock-out exercise, I had to watch it in pieces & out of 1 eye. lolol
Hearing how Christopher desperately tried to go back in to save his friends made me tear up. What an absolute hero. I wish they were able to save the other four...my heart aches for them and their families... and Christopher's survivors guilt? Jeez... what a tragedy....
you guys reacting to mrballen are some of my favorite videos of yours! keep up the good work and stay safe out there!
I have seen the go pro footage they held there breath for 90 seconds and actually stayed very calm for the situation and assessed everyone’s injuries
I saw a recent interview with Chris. He has constant nightmares of the event and can not go anywhere near water. He has mentioned contemplating s-cide due to the guilt of leaving his brothers in the pipe. The man not only has survivor's syndrome, but extreme, crippling PTSD. The horror those men endured for 2-4 days in that pitch black pipe is simply unimaginable.
The official that would not allow them to be rescued should be held accountable for voluntary manslaughter at the very least. He claimed that sound of the men beating on the pipe was noise from equipment over a kilometer a way from the site, and that the pipe was full of oil and the men had to be dead. They were writing up death notices only 12 hours into the "rescue operation". There were rescue divers on scene ready and willing to go into the pipe to rescue the other four men. In fact, the man that pulled Chris out had already disregarded orders to not get into the water, and had he not, not even Chris would be alive. Kazim's father had a gun pointed at him by a coast guard official when he attempted to get in the water. I understand the danger and extreme difficulty of rescue, but Paria seemed content almost right away to write the men off as deceased. These men didn't deserve to be abandoned.
As far as I know, even to this day neither Chris nor any of the families have received any compensation from Paria.
Chris should receive millions in compensation.
If you guys are so curious, do an experiment to test the scenario! Take some hose, submerge it, and then simulate the situation with some water in it. Put a cap with a 1-way valve(for outward flow) on one end, and elevate the other. Now try to find a solution that allows you to vacate the water from the hose.
Simple. Take a smaller hose and suck the water out of the bigger one.
@@d.h.1999 Without moving the air vs. water pockets in the big one? Because if you do you covered the men's faces and they're dead by the time you dry out the pipe.
Or simply get a scuba diver in with two professional tanks and bring each man at a time simple
@@gamers-xh3uc Edd could do it, easy.
i live in trinidad. we're all still pissed
I watched this vid on Mr. Ballens site and so glad you experts have finally done a video.. It always bothered me that no rescue was attempted but as you guys said, HOW could you even start rescuing them, damn.. What a death... Thank you guys..
watched this last week and it was told so well, but now it just got even more interesting, thanks boys
Sooo glad u went over his video, I even tried emailing after I had seen it, great video
I quite literally cannot even fathom the terror those men felt. It makes my heart physically hurt for them. Such a horrific way to die, and I truly hope their families (and the one lone survivor) can heal and find peace ❤
Crazy that they didn't allow rescue for 2 days, but then when the sorry bast**ds figured that the men were all dead, they were right on the task of recovering bodies the next day. I watched Mr. Ballen's video when it 1st came out. I still sat through watched it again with you gentlemen. Thank you. ⚘️🙋♀️
You can recover the bodies by pumping water through the pipe to flush them out.
You can't perform a rescue that way.
@@BaalsMistress Thanks. That makes sense. 👌
@@BaalsMistress sure you can, if you can hear them you can certainly find some way to communicate that you are about to try to flush them out so they can attempt to hold their breath. You can probably pump air into the pipe since it is equalized, again indicate you are going to do something which will end up moving the water around. Worst case they drown which they were going to drown or suffocate anyway to really it just becomes that stupid thought experiment of "if I do nothing I am not responsible but if I do something and they die that is directly because of my action" which is likely the entire reason they chose to do nothing.
@@joyburton3967 they waited till t hey died to make it easy. They denied a couple teams who said they would attempt rescue sadly.
@@BaalsMistressdude you can see the recovery video a scuba diver went into the pipe
I'm so glad I found your guys channel, I have been binge watching you guys like crazy. Awesome Content!!!
Such a horrific story, how did they not even try! And that guy who survived, trying to go back down! Just horrific!! . nice job guys ❤
hey gus hey woody been going thru a divorce and yalls videos help take my mind off it keep up the good work you guys are such a underrated channel
To blow in air, you're just need to plug one end of the pipe and leave the other end open to allow the water to come out, but without pumping the water out, you can't get the water out of the lower section. If instead you lower a pump in one side and start pumping the water out, you may be able to lower the water level in the horizontal section. The total volume of the pipe is only about 170m^3. You can't just lower a hose and pump the water out, at least not without pressurizing the other side, since 18 meters (55 feet) is more than the maximum a pump can suck (10m) under atmospheric conditions.
I think the problem is that the horizontal section probably isn't really horizontal; if it has some higher and lower sections, it would be difficult to get all of the water out. However, if you start pumping in air from one end, it will start moving through the pipe, giving them fresh air in the pocket they are in, and removing some of the CO2. However, time is still limited, as their exposure protection is probably compromised, and hypothermia is a serious risk.
The pipe was 30" in diameter, which is 76cm. It's probably too tight to turn around in, but not so tight that you'd get completely stuck. 76cm is about the height of a regular desk or table, I'd think that's enough room to get through with back-mounted doubles, if you can get some traction on the sides of the pipe, since it's a bit tight for regular fin kicks.
I think the first thing the rescuers should have some, is send a simple drone through the pipe, dragging a rope behind it. Once you have a rope to the stranded divers (or, preferably, all the way through the pipe to the other end), you can pull in hoses for surface-supplied air, small cylinders, etc. If it isn't just one straight pipe, but there are things a drone or cylinder would get stuck in, this may not be feasible.
Not attempting anything for days is absolutely unacceptable, and the people responsible should be tried for murder.
The fact that the men were alive for days is the craziest part. They had time to try *something*
I was thinking some sort of drone as well. Get them a scuba tank and a rope then drag them out.
You can use a submerged pump to avoid the issue with the 10 meter limit.
It`s not true that we cannot pump liquids that are deeper than 10 meters. We do it all the time.
@@d.h.1999 that's why I said you lower the whole (submersible) pump instead
You're the man
I just heard about this the other day. It's getting out there more and more, so i hope litigation can begin and the families can get some sort of justice. Just horrible.
Just an all around horrific and sad story.😢 Love the morning shows thanks Gus and Woody ❤
Jeeeez 😲 what a story!! I'm awake at 3am, can't go back asleep, so decided to watch this... THIS was intense. The details Mr Ballen describes - it's like you're there. Those poor men.. hoping to be saved... Poor Christopher, I wonder how he's doing today. Most definitely has PTSD. I really don't have words.. absolutely shocking incident. R.I.P💐 Thanks for covering this. Best wishes as always... ☘️🙂🇮🇪
Why is THIS video hitting me the hardest of all similar videos that Dive Talk have reacted to?
Is it the fluke of it all?
Is it the complete powerlessness?
Or is it the sneaking suspicion that it will end horribly, but will not have needed to?
Ugh...
In the time it took me to watch this video, I came up with 2 concepts of how to rescue them:
concept A:
step 1: lower a pump into the pipe on the habitat side and pump out water until it reaches the level of the top of the horizontal section.
step 2: plug the habitat side with the inflatable thingy
step 3: lower a pump into the pipe on the sea side and pump out as much water as possible. Initially the pressurized bit of air between the plug and the horizontal section will sputter through the top of the flooded section, providing air exchange while not risking a repeat of the sucking in water thing.
step 4: let them come to the vertical section by themselves once the water is low enough, pull them up from there.
concept B:
step 1: get a diving drone/robot thing, attach an air hose or a big scuba bottle
step 2: let the robot bring the air to the trapped from the habitat side
step 3: one trapped person and the robot move back
step 4: repeat from step 2 until everybody is out.
Hi , after the reading of your 2 rescue propositions I can tell you that unfortunately the concept B wouldn’t have worked at all. I don’t know if you’re aware of it but during the first evening they have made a trial to inspect the inside of the pipeline with a crawler, but the machine was rapidly blocked by one of the air tanks Chris had used during his return to the habitat (the other bottle was retrieved during the first and sole rescue dive). So it would have been impossible to bring air supply (tanks or umbilical) to the divers (which were at about 220 m from the B6 elbow) by such a way.
Your concept A is more realistic, but it has some weak points.
Step 1: Ok
Step 2: Ok
Step 3: If you look at my animation, you will see that the pipeline had a little slope (0,57%) which means than B6 elbow was lower than the B5. This means that the pumping up to the horizontal section from the habitat side would have (nearly) totally empty the pipeline and thus pumping from the sea side wasn’t necessary anymore.
Step 4: I remind you that the 4 divers were then still at about 145 m from that the B5 elbow. This means that these (heavily) injured guys would have had to come back feet first by themselves in a VERY greasy dry pipe and finally be pulled out by their feet. Seeing how some of them were wounded I don’t think it would have been possible.
Another heavy one. I was so happy they all miraculously survived being sucked into the pipe. My heart sank when they were left to die. It definitely would have been one hell of a rescue op if they were able to figure something out
I could see how tough this was from the reactions you guys gave. Your insights into what was happening was really good to hear and gave a perspective of what it would have been like.
Let's be real. When it came to saving the rest of them, it wasn't about safety, it was about cost. It would be cheaper to let those men die than it was to pay for all the elements needed for rescue.
I hope the families take them to court! 😡
That's not how it works unfortunately. It's a physics and chemistry game at that point and the numbers didn't work out. Sad but true.
I don't agree that it was just cost. I think that Paria feared having more dead men in the pipe.
To me this is pure crap. Small framed men or women, down the pipe, get them out one by one. This could be done.
@@jamallabarge2665 agreed
Of course it’s a banana republic. They still haven’t paid a penny and turned away willing divers. It was about making the “problem” go away. They didn’t plan on the story getting out
They still haven’t paid a penny
I love scary stories, true or fiction. This is legitimately the most terrifying story I've ever heard. I can't imagine the horror. Im sorry for these men and their families
An incredible story for one survivor but others dying in slow, agonizing death had to suck immensely.
I was literally holding my breath as this story was told! Mr. Ballen is such a great storyteller! Great episode guys! Prayers for the families of the men lost, awful way to lose your life.
love you both!!! woody is goofy and sweet, gus ur hilarious and just downright adorable !
They could have pushed an umbilical with regs to help them breath and/or to fill the air pocket while they could have either cut the pipe and rescue them or pull them out with a winch. Divers and company with ZERO preparations. Pipelines once laid are empty and they have to go through a process called "christening" where the pipeline get gradually flooded of which is very dangerous for the divers, not the first time that someone gets sucked in! Commercial diving is safer than recreational diving (consider how much money are spent for the operations...) WHEN done properly and this was not done properly. You guys rocks! Keep doing these, love them, you brought back the diving bug for me, thanks!
As a person that was a confined space rescue squad for 20 years, I can guarantee that people like me were pleading with management to go down and save those guys . Communication with them was said to be possible. An air hose could have been introduced. It was absolutely possible to save (at least some) of those men .
Ive always wanted an input from an experienced recue diver. I have been investigating the case, tell me if you think a rescue would be feasible under the following Conditions: The pipe is 30 inches in diameter and is greased by crusts of oil, the horizontal section is 1200 feet or 4 football fields long. Lets consider they were at the middle around 600 feet. Removing the habitat and installing an extention is not an option as the habitat is pressurized and that could move the air pockets, opening the other end wasnt a possibility either because of the same issue. Pumping the water out would be out of the question too as there is no eletrical line there for a pump and it would at best remove the water until the first air picket(there were several). Not to count Delta P could still exist and the water just sealed it again. Another reason to not remove the habitat is that the man are submited to a pression equivalent to 55 in depth. The max exposure for this depth is 6 hours according to the decompression table. If they stood 6 hours the decompression stop would be 432 minutes and could be made in the habitat. If they removed the habitat then the decompression stop would need to be made by hanging inside the riser. So in these conditions would you attempt a rescue? how would you do it? How would u carry enough oxygen for you and the victim, how would u bring the victim with you considering they had several broken bones and could potentially be fainted. I thought of an umbilical but i dont believe there is one this long.
I've recently started watching your channel, and it definitely sparked an old
adventurous spirit and some really new fears tbh .. I grew up in a family of recreational divers (My uncle has 4 stars on CMAS, and my Mother 2) also my father in law was an instructor and president of URS (united divers of serbia). I have great fond memories and the honours of spending my childhood summers at the age of 9 - 13 yrs old, in a diving camp located in a country of Montenegro, on a beach of Zanjice. It was a proper camp, holding i believe up to 30 - 40 ppl, all divers with families. I used to spend there up to 3 months every year. It was awesome! One of my best memories tbh. And now looking back i am also judging my familly a lot :D, because they allowed me, a kid to actually dive with a small tank, not at a very big depths, perhaps up till maybe 10 meters, but still, i today think it was pretty reckless. I also received some training at that time, i believe it was for first star, but i was too young to officially pass the exam. I can say straight away, we never had any incidents in the camp, other than mild narcosis here and there(not me obviously), dives were up to 50 meters, without special mixes. Anyways, there were some diving camps across Montenegro at that time, and i will try to get some stories from my father in law cuz he was a head of one, and if i hear anything interesting ill let you know! Cheers!
The best thing he does is his hand gestures, he doesn’t tell the story any different or better, it’s his hands and facial expressions, I seen him do a commercial dumbest item ever, but I watched the whole thing only because his gestures caught my attention 😂
I was just going to post the same thing. Mr Ballen and his hand gestures add to any story he tells. This story being the most horrific. Those poor souls.
You cap the pipe that's out of the water. Bring scuba tanks down to the sea bed for the trapped divers. Then cut a hole in the bottom (not the top) of a pipe approximately near the trapped divers. The air should not escape and stay stabilized. You bring the escape hole to them.. not them to the escape hole... but then I don't know how long it would take to cut through one of those pipes...
This is super brutal... I really think pumping water out and pushing air in would have helped. Then surely they could have had a small person to wriggle in there (with communications) and bring a line/harness to pull them out one by one. Hard work but doable if you know you have all the surface support you need.
Dude.. this is one of the craziest stories I've ever heard and Mr Allen is the best story teller ever. When he said he reached up and grabbed the tank I was tripping. Thank yall for covering this one it amazing
That happened so fast any breath hold they could do was just how much air was in their lungs at that second, DEFINITELY no time to suck a full lungful in. Freaking terrifying at all kinds of levels.
They're yelling like 10 seconds after it happens, I don't know where the host got "minutes" from
When I saw this on Mr. Ballens channel, my pulse was ELEVATED.... such an incredible tragedy. That poor valiant man... losing his friends and colleagues so horrifically and feeling so helpless. 😢
They should have tried something! If the guys then perish then it’s unfortunate but they didn’t even want to try. How do you send ppl into these situations and then when they need help you do nothing and just wait for them to die? They went and retrieved their bodies in the end but couldn’t even try one thing to help them. Outrageous.
Although I agree there are things they could have tried, they likely recovered the bodies by flushing the whole pipe out with water, which would 100% drown them if they were alive. Easy to safely recover bodies, but that method can't be used to rescue.
I've listen to mr b Allen for years now and I've hear this story at least twice. But your reactions make it new again
What I love about how you guys collaborate with Mr Ballen is how willing he's been to learn from the experts to perfect his explanations. A really humble guy. Perhaps the two best channels on the site.
This one made me nauseous. It’s absolutely heartbreaking that despite the mind-boggling number of miracles that occurred that led to 1.) their survival of the initial event 2.) the discovery of the two air tanks with actually enough air for the two men to use for several hours’ worth of inching through the flooded sections 3.) the chain dangling down into the vertical section and 4.) Christopher’s successful exit/rescue from the pipe
That all of that would just be tossed away and the other men simply abandoned to die in the dark. For what?? I refuse to believe there wasn’t a single thing that could be done or even attempted. Trying SOMETHING is better than trying nothing at all. This utter waste of human life makes me sick. I’m not an expert, but that sounds like murder to me. May that company rot.
Equally heartbreaking is the fact that Christopher volunteered and fought to go back into Tartarus and subject himself to no doubt more trauma, terror, and suffering to rescue his friends, but was physically withheld. I can’t imagine how powerless and guilty he must have felt knowing what his friends didn’t….
He is a hero regardless and I hope he and all their families find justice
No doubt if it was a CEO (or 3) down there, an entire global task force would have been deployed immediately with input from a panel of experts and the world’s finest and most specialized equipment…
At this point I’m rambling, but this really has me seething.
That's disgusting. I can't imagine knowing they are down there alive and just letting them die.
I've already seen the video on his channel but I definitely loved y'all's reaction and take on this! It's so sad they never sent help in or anything even though they was banging on the pipes forever 😢
The fact that Christopher escaped is literal proof that there was a way. To prevent ANY possible way from saving them is mind-boggling.
Ugh I hate this story. This is the only dive story that freaks me out. Being stuck in a two and a half foot pipe, oil stinging in your eyes, dying a very slow death where you are completely aware and helpless to get out of it.
🙏 to Christopher and all the other divers and their families. Nothing but disgust for the company and authorities for this.
Thank you for sharing these men's story, and for supporting MrB, two of my favorites working together!!
Again can't believe that, utterly horrific rest in peace men love and best wishes to you and your family's.michael Edinburgh 🏴
Love Edinburgh
@@DIVETALK thank you to you both, love and best wishes to you and your family's you've just made my day .❤️👍🙏
Been waiting for you guys to cover this! 😘
Wow this really gave me claustrophobia, I’ve never cared about tight spaces, hell I’m about to start my cave diving training and this made me think it twice😂just kidding, I’m going for it…but WOOOW
the wonderful thing about being a human with this very intelligent brain of ours is that when you gather enough of those brains and have the help/effort, a lot of things are possibly that may otherwise seem impossible. there certainly was a way to save those divers but they just did not put in the effort or collective thought to do so. they decided that those lives were not worth whatever effort and time they would have invested. thats sickening to think that there was an opportunity to coordinate some sort of plan and they didnt even bother. even if it was in a failing effort, you can say you at least tried to act like decent human beings to save those lives.
What better way to end the week than woody and gus reacting to a mr. Ballen vid!?! 🎉
I listen to MrBallen every time he posts a new video. Its a miracle/ tragedy situation that I will remember for a long time. Poor Christopher who knew first had exactly how the remaining men were feeling. Not even remotely his fault, but the quilt he must feel everyday for leaving his friends/coworkers in that tube. I cant and more importantly don't want to imagine how he feels. I hope he is able to hold it together mentally for the remainder of his life.
I watched Mr Bs original video and out of all of his other vids this one gave me the most anxiety.
ALL that medal around.... I can NOT believe there was not an incredible head injury or an arm ripped off with the amount of forces involved.... Tragic INSANE story. I can see the pain and tears you guys fight back on this story... People with empathy can relate to a lot of situations. Even if you can't 100% relate you can kind of put you and your mind in that state. With this being what you guys LOVE to do (diving) I sure it is even more-so with you guys on this one. "Think about being down there for 2 miserable days already and you stop hearing you friend of 10 years reply...." These are the things nightmares are made of and gave me some of the worst case of chills I have ever had. Same feeling I had when I watched it the first time on Allen's channel.
This is a horror story that is unimaginable to think about what these men went through...
Thanks for the reaction.
WoW, i cannot believe they did NOTHING and just left those men there to die without trying anything to help them, that's horrible.
Omg my heart is racing! What an absolute nightmare!
What huts me the most is the horror for the men still trapped. What a horrific way to die - stuck for 2 days in dark water - suoer tight space and dwindling air supply. What a slow and horrifying death for these men - their last moments just... ugh... my thoughts to family and friends.
They got the bodies out after they die, so why not while alive!! I just don’t get it!!
They flushed the bodies out, which would have killed the men if they were alive. Getting them out alive would have been a lot harder. Not excusing their lack of effort, though.
I was also imagining if you were one of the men towards the center or very back. Meaning everyone or even just one person ahead of you is unable or refusing to move. So even if you had the strength and determination to escape, you were stuck. You wouldn't be able to pass the other panicking or perhaps just too badly injured men. So you just have to sit there and hope the others ahead of you could be extracted and finally give you the chance to get out. But it never happens. Despite having the strength, if Christopher had been just behind Fyzal, who panicked, rather than in front, it's likely not even one of them would have escaped.
Wow this is sad i cant catch my breath just thinking about this horrific accident
I saw this a couple weeks ago and thought "Gus and Woody need to review this!" lol. You are the ones that introduced me to Mr. John B Allen. Great show as always guys.
That would be so scary. And this is why I’m not even going to be commercial diver. I’m thankfully for the people that do it. But I will stick to normal open water dives right now. Hope you guys have a great day. Love you guys. 💗🧡💗🧡
I was just reading about this maybe a few weeks ago again because of the investigation. It's just so sad and apparently 12 hours after the company was prepping death notices.I also know Christopher did testify, but I can't watch that video.
Why Didn't They Pump Pipe full of Air??....Horrific
Out of aaall the..probably well over 100 cave diving gone wrong videos I've seen, this is the one that breaks my heart the most. I can't even imagine...