Into The Lion's Mouth by Michael Smart, 1st Edition, 2011

Into The Lion's Mouth 1st Edition, 2011 As early as 1856 Robert Stephenson MP, the then President of the Institution of Civil Engineers remarked that ‘Nothing had so much contributed to extend and facilitate marine engineering, as the invention of the diving dress’. Into the Lion’s Mouth is the true story of the most notorious 'lost bell' diving accident in North Sea history. It relates the story of two divers, Richard Walker and Skip Guiel, and their entry into the little-known world of saturation diving, how they came to be trapped on the bottom of the sea, the dramatic rescue bid to save their lives, why it failed, and the nearly decade-long struggle by the relatives to achieve justice for their deaths. Written by former deep-sea diver Michael Smart, this book is the culmination of eight years of research to uncover the truth behind the dual fatality. The uncomfortable conclusion is that the deaths of these two young men were the result of a cascade of failures and criminal negligence which culminated in one of the most dreadful diving scenarios imaginable. "Because this accident was so preventable, it punctuates the importance that this story must be read and passed on to every commercial dive school student, tender and journeyman diver who either wishes to make a career, or continue working in the diving industry." The present world-wide diving industry, including the diving companies operating offshore to recover the oil and gas reserves, owes its existence to the enterprising divers of Whitstable. This book describes how professional diving developed from its original roots in Whitstable, how it spread around Britain and how it developed into a world-wide industry. Tom Belcher, President, Underwater Resources, Inc. 445 pages, with endnotes, bibliography and index. 43 colour photos and 35 halftone photos and line illustrations