06/02/2026
On November 5, 1983, a catastrophic explosive decompression occurred aboard the Byford Dolphin drilling rig in the North Sea. Four divers, Edwin Coward, Roy Lucas, Bjørn Bergersen, and Truls Hellevik were resting in a decompression chamber at a simulated depth of 300 feet when a dive tender accidentally released the clamp on the diving bell before the door was sealed. The resulting pressure drop was so violent that the nitrogen in their blood erupted into gas, causing their internal tissues to effectively shatter from within.