Alex Parkinson’s debut film, Last Breath, retells the incredible true story of saturation diver Chris Lemons, who defied all odds by surviving for nearly 40 minutes without oxygen at the bottom of the North Sea. His colleagues and support crew believed he was lost, yet he was miraculously revived. This cinematic portrayal highlights the astonishing resilience of the human body and the dramatic rescue that saved his life.
The Incredible Survival of Chris Lemons A Deep Sea Miracle
Lemons, along with fellow divers Duncan Allcock and Dave Yuasa, was conducting pressure tests for an oil drilling template when disaster struck. Their support vessel, the Bibby Topaz, suffered a failure in its dynamic positioning system, causing it to drift. This led to the stretching of their umbilical cords—vital lifelines supplying oxygen and heat. While Yuasa managed to return to the diving bell, Lemons’ cord snapped, leaving him stranded without air. He was finally retrieved 40 minutes later, but his chances of survival seemed nonexistent.
Last Breath (Photo: Entertainment Film Distributors)Scientifically, the human body can function without oxygen for only four to five minutes before irreparable damage occurs. However, Lemons survived for nearly 40 minutes, with an estimated 29 minutes spent without any oxygen intake. Experts believe that a combination of extreme cold and high water pressure might have slowed his metabolic rate significantly, allowing his body to conserve oxygen in an unprecedented way. His case continues to puzzle scientists and medical professionals.
As the support crew scrambled to regain control of the Bibby Topaz, Yuasa reentered the water to retrieve Lemons. He carried his unconscious colleague back to the diving bell, where Allcock performed CPR. In a miraculous turn of events, Lemons regained consciousness after two resuscitation attempts, gasping for air and suffering no lasting effects from the ordeal. His revival was a moment of pure astonishment for everyone involved.
The Bibby Topaz Disaster: A Tale of Survival and Human Resilience
The Bibby Topaz’s dynamic positioning system, a GPS-based technology designed to keep the vessel in place, inexplicably malfunctioned. Despite having multiple backups, all systems failed simultaneously, causing the boat to drift uncontrollably. This led to Lemons’ near-fatal separation from his lifeline. In the film, the crew’s efforts to manually reset the system add to the dramatic tension, showcasing the desperate struggle to save the divers.
After an unsuccessful attempt to retrieve Lemons using a remotely operated vehicle, Yuasa took it upon himself to bring him back. Battling the immense difficulty of lifting a lifeless body under extreme pressure, he used Lemons’ broken umbilical cord as a rope to pull them both up. Once inside the diving bell, Allcock administered CPR, and after tense moments, Lemons took his first breath in over 25 minutes—completing one of the most incredible survival stories in history.
While Last Breath closely follows real-life events, there are minor differences between the dramatization and reality. In truth, Lemons regained consciousness almost immediately after his first breath and was speaking normally within minutes. He even attempted to remove his diving suit, showing no signs of cognitive impairment. The only lasting impact of the event was that Lemons’ survival became a medical anomaly and an inspiring testament to human resilience. His story remains one of the most remarkable feats of endurance ever recorded.
