Coast Files Podcast

In this gripping episode, we dive into one of the most harrowing accidents in commercial diving history — the Byford Dolphin incident. A routine operation turned tragic in 1983 when a catastrophic decompression event aboard the North Sea drilling rig led to the gruesome deaths of four divers and a tender. Join us as we explore the science behind saturation diving, the human cost of deep-sea exploration, and the lessons learned from one of the industry’s deadliest dives.

References:

https://web.archive.org/web/20210124185600/https://zero.sci-hub.se/5268/7dda7cee52d7eb3ec606a82d0f1b9a61/giertsen1988.pdf 

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). File:Unfall Byford Dolphin.svg – Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unfall_Byford_Dolphin.svg

Previously mostly-unseen photogaphs of the Byford Dolphin Incident, Including photographs of the other divers and photographs of the exterior of the chamber.
byu/Oracuda inMorbidReality

File:ByfordDolphinAtInverGordon2008.jpg – Wikimedia Commons. (2008, February 27). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ByfordDolphinAtInvergordon2008.jpg

Wikipedia contributors. (2025b, April 22). Byford Dolphin. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byford_Dolphin

Felton, J. (2025, March 5). Byford Dolphin incident: The worst diving accident in history. IFLScience. https://www.iflscience.com/the-1983-byford-dolphin-decompression-incident-is-the-worst-diving-accident-in-history-76507

Roos, D. (2024, December 14). The Byford Dolphin Accident: How 5 Deep-Sea divers met grisly deaths. HowStuffWorks. https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/byford-dolphin-accident.htm

Dykes, A. (2023, November 6). Byford Dolphin diving incident casts long shadow 40 years on. Energy Voice. https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/norway/540650/byford-dolphin-diving-incident-casts-long-shadow-40-years-on/