| Description | Tape 1 Side A: GEORGES ANDRE MICHEL ARNOUX born 24 January 1943 Lyon France. Has lived in Scotland thirty years. Planning to retire to France. Describes current position, Group Diving Manager, Stolt Offshore. Has older brother. Paternal family: father a gendarme. Details. Home was apartment in Gendarmerie quarter in Lyon, then in surrounding villages. Describes Gendarmerie home. School was nearby. Father's names, background, family. Grandfather a peasant, disciplinarian, ex prisoner of war. Maternal family Conil: details re mother. Details re father's duties as gendarme. Describes him, his relationship with mother. Recalls holidays, travel by train, bicycle. Describes mother. Her health poor after own birth. Details re her deteriorating condition later in life. Recalls childhood. Father anti-Communist. His brothers were Communist. Mentions local newspaper read by father. Evolution of own political attitude. Explains early dislike of de Gaulle. Recalls arguments with father. Views now about de Gaulle, his unifying impact. Recalls de Gaulle's change of position on Algeria. Feelings re this policy then, now. Mentions OAS (Organisation de l'Armee Secrète). Recalls influential teachers at school. Went to technical college to learn electricity but kicked out. Explains. Went to L'Ecole des Metiers des Industries Metalurgiques de Lyon. Details re courses. Was technically oriented. Attitude of family to education, 'real jobs'. No pressure from parents re career direction. Chose goldsmithing option, never touched gold afterwards. Explains. Details re goldsmith work. Recalls sport including wrestling.
Tape 1 Side B: Recalls wrestling when at school. Changed to caving/speleology. Member of Les Eclaireurs (scouts). Mentions parents' Protestantism, own first communion at 14. Recalls regular expeditions with Eclaireurs including caving. Explains attraction of wrestling. Was good at it. Details re skill. Explains attraction of speleology, its distance from public eye, being part of 'secret' group, reliance on friends, discoveries underground. Mentions link to diving. Explains frustration at water in caves, first thoughts of scuba diving training with group. Details re diving equipment. Recalls being offered diving work. Mentions publication of caving discoveries. Describes dangers of diving, development of safety-line procedure. Further details re diving, caves, air pockets. Recalls near-miss situations in caves. Describes elation of discovering new caves, techniques of movement in caves, methods of lighting. Explains documentation of caves. Background to taking first job as Air Diver with Bonnevalle Underwater Contractors 1962. Details re company, work done. Most diving in zero visibility. Details. Work included searches for corpses. Details. Story of one search, reaction of family, discovery of wrong body. Details re other work in wells. Explains dangers with darkness, equipment etc. Not well paid because of profusion of young people prepared to do it. Details re earnings. No safety regulations. Recalls spirit of adventure, showmanship. Mentions party trick with champagne bottle. Details re accommodation arrangements when doing diving work, reason for leaving home, moving into small digs. Mentions social life. Not politically active, anti-de Gaulle. Stopped diving work for National Service.
Tape 2 Side A: Explains own 60th birthday held as wake. Started National Service in French Army 1963. Details re initiation stage, decision re which area most appropriate. Explains possibilities of work as diver, posting with 3rd Regiment Engineering Corps. Explains time seconded by army to work on scientific expeditions for CNRS (Centre Nationale des Recherches Scientifiques) 1964. Returned to army, then left for good, rejoined CNRS. Explains negative feelings about time in army, discipline there. Father's attitude to army. Details re CNRS multi-disciplinary expedition to Spitzberg, research in ice coring, granulometry, biological sampling, radioactivity testing after Russian nuclear tests etc. Own part in expedition as jack-of-all-trades, driving, building, working on glacier markers etc. Did diving work for flora and fauna. Returned to Bonnevalle 1965, carried on with diving work. First work in North Sea was recovering jack-up Neptune 1 riser 1966. Details. Recalls divers living on rig, being carried in diving cage. Divers were from Comex. Not aware then of safety regulations. Mentions possibility of oil in Aquitaine, Bordeaux area. Moved to Sobigel as Air Diver 1967, surveying, mapping, exploiting underwater fields of valuable algae. Details re end-product jelly for use in pharmaceutical, food, armament industries. Describes unsuitable equipment used. Recalls social life at time near Spanish border. Recalls venture gathering urchins, unsuccessful sale to fish merchant. Explains fishing restrictions on divers, details re planned procedure, potential market. Background to joining Comex as diver 1968. Reference to Henri Delauze, founder of Comex. First job diving under Seine in Paris, building tunnel for Metro.
Tape 2 Side B: Divers were a fraternity, like cavers. Describes their characteristics, showmanship. Details re Seine tunnel built for Paris RER railway, divers' work on foundations connecting sections of tunnel. Recalls futile trip to Teheran. Got job as Mixed Gas Diver on drilling vessel Wodeco III off Dubai, in clear water, good conditions. Details re job, e.g. repairing BOP (blow-out preventer). Attitude of others to divers. Describes in detail work using diving bell, supply of air. Compares early, modern diving bells. Details re pressures, saturation procedures. In Persian Gulf did bounce dives. Explains. Boring when not working - had to do other maintenance jobs. Details re pay. First subsea job. Started scuba diving for fun down to 80 metres. Effect of depth on divers. Recalls getting fish for cook. Happy time. Explains mixed-gas diving, hazards involved, dangers of narcotic mixes, advantages of helium etc. Details re nitrogen, heliox etc. Effect of 1968 Paris riots e.g. lack of mail. Recalls distorted reports of events from Americans, French. Father got ill, died. Details. Recalls Gaulle's mysterious disappearance to Germany, his idea of what France should be. Comments on force de frappe. Recalls visit to father's grave - feelings. Worked in West Africa as Mixed Gas Diver 1969. Fewer controls, no standards there. Kept there for seven months, no breaks. Details re accident during installation of jacket, being trapped between swinging jacket and platform. Saved by scuba cylinders. Explains installation process, divers' role, communication procedures under water. Returned to France.
Tape 3 Side A: Accident (cont'd). Recalls sensation at extreme moment when nearly crushed; life memory. Recalls cave crisis, having sense of options out of situation. Compares with crushing accident. Recalls sadness, curiosity, not fear when there seemed no escape. Describes damage done to cylinders which saved life. Details re Henri Delauze, founder of Comex, his background, work in Cuba. Reference to French company ETPM. He started diving company in France, developed deep-diving systems. He got contracts in North Sea. Details. He was a pioneer in diving work. Describes him. He organised deep-diving experiments. He made typical French mistake of appointing engineers as managers. Explains. Delauze had a vision, was good leader, not good manager. Recalls his spirit of adventure, enjoyment of work. Recalls doing mixed gas diving for Phillips on Ocean Viking in Norwegian sector, restoring equipment knocked down by storm. Details of work which had to be done by bell. Explains cold hazard. Details re procedures followed using bell; details re pressures. Mentions call, 'door open, diver out'. Further details re pressures, role of bellman while diver out working. Explains difficulties communicating because of noise from bubbles etc. Details re return to surface, bell pressures holding door shut etc. Transfer to decompression chamber. Dimensions, descriptions of different bells, decompression chamber, toilet etc facilities, procedure when in bell. Recalls doing bounce diving without heating during time of Ekofisk, measures taken using heliox etc to extend bottom-time. Compares with time possible on bottom nowadays. Bell not a comfortable environment. Describes. Explains requirements re food, taking break when on bottom.
Tape 3 Side B: Comments on Phillips. Details re long periods decompressing during bounce diving - effect of this on efficiency. Compares with saturation working, with divers resting during job in compression. Recalls offer of saturation concept to Phillips, their refusal. Mentions negative publicity in connection with accidents. Recalls pressure to hasten work. Lost two divers in Ekofisk. Mentions near miss. Details re new constant-volume suit, other clothes used to keep warm, difficulties, loss of diver through lack of familiarity with the equipment. Details re second fatality through misjudgement of problem of cold. Mentions use of heliox. Impact of fatalities on other divers. All were ex-patriots living in Norway. Details. No legislation covering diving. Explains nature of government enquiries. Near misses not mentioned. Fatalities brought about improvements to industry. Explains. End of PPLI (plonger profond leger international - deep light mixed-gas scuba dive) which was used in Gulf where water warmer. Attitude of divers to possibility of accident. Lot of gallows humour in diving. Gives example of joke. Recalls attitudes to company. Company and divers guilty of ignorance because North Sea activity was new. Mentions different types of diving, new techniques. The few trained people had been trained by navy. Details. Lack of training of many divers. Returned to Gulf 1970 with DSC Ajax Construction as Air Diving Supervisor, worked on construction of production pipe network. Details of job on pipes, installation of underwater separator. Mentions marriage, wife, her attitude to diving. In early days did not focus on dangers of job. Divers liked to work in teams; attitude of management. Recalls a team that gelled well but for one member.
Tape 4 Side A: Recalls a diver who didn't fit into team, mistakes made by him, his attitude. Details re diving procedures, use of valves, buoyancy issues, currents etc. Diver was an outsider to the team. Details. Explains use of such people. Recalls first qualified woman diver in offshore North Sea around 1984 who married a Piper Alpha survivor. Details re his survival, his book about Piper. He is now in Australia. Returned to North Sea, Sea Quest, as Mixed Gas Diving Supervisor. Work involved deeper diving. Had accident, damage to middle ear. Details re dive in bell, sequence of events, spinning sensation, violent vertigo. Had to have time ashore to recover. Details re fluids in ear, effects of condition. Mentions death of diver in similar circumstances. Dangers of being sick, drowning. Returned to Ekofisk 1970. Compares work in British, Norwegian sectors. Describes divers' regular salmon poaching near Stavanger in early hours of morning, ways of attracting, catching fish, hazards involved. Mentions fishing license costs. Reason for living in Norway then. Situation today. Sent to Arabian Gulf Construction Barge as Air Diving Superintendent 1973. Attitude of Comex to titles, higher wages. Mentions being kicked out of a job because of inadequate English. Details re study of English, after that never looked back. Did saturation diving course in Marseille 1972. Became employee of Comex Diving UK, Aberdeen as Mixed Gas Diving Superintendent 1973. Explains move. Was needed to teach Brits about French equipment, procedures, labelling etc. Recalls chaotic situation with mixes of teams, experience, competence, motivations. Recalls clash of cultures.
Tape 4 Side B: Recalls culture clash between Italians, Brits, Americans. Comments on Americans' abilities. Learned things re diving from them. Details. No diving union until 1980s. Belonged to French union. Explains view of unions, motivations for belonging. UK nationalistic, tried to keep non-Brits out of work. Around 40% joined union. Safety went out of window in 1973 when high recruitment of non-trained people, non-standardised equipment, unwritten procedures, no legislative control. Anybody who could swim could become a diver. Gives example. Rate of accidents climbed. Divers attracted media attention and from legislators etc. Department of Energy produced diving legislation. Up to fifty other organisations became involved with diving. Details. Need for diving to become organised as industry. Formation of AODC (Association of Offshore Diving Contractors). Various committees formed - safety, training, technical, dimac (Diving, Medical Advisory Committee). Details. Chairman Safety Committee for 16 years. Explains own role in Comex - more as supervisor, problem shooter, dealing with new equipment. jobs, customers etc. Casualty rate - ten fatalities a year for a period. Background to appointment as Safety Officer 1974. Explains family situation. Recalls ignorance at first re safety issues but awareness of frustrations offshore. Explains enjoyment of life offshore. Recalls entertainment, work routine, time off which was a holiday. Saw plenty of daughter. Saw less of family when working onshore. Had two daughters. Details re prediction of sex of child. Had to go offshore day after birth of second daughter because of fatal diving accident. Details re faulty mask, gas supply. Mentions instinctive panic action of removing helmet underwater. Impact of oil industry work patterns, demands on own and other relationships.
Tape 5 Side A: Costs of stoppage in production for repairs etc, pressures of job. Compares early days with now. Costs of boat hire, crew etc. Family had to come second to work. Recalls situation with wife. Explains continuing enthusiasm for industry, motivations. Details re fatalities when divers sent wrong gas, publication of safety notices etc. Details re gas mix of oxygen etc. Established company safety policy 1975. Explains. Details re younger people taking more risks, their mortality. Recalls own risk-taking and different attitude now. Current diving fatality rate. Mentions relationship between diving and oil companies. Fierce competition between diving companies. Details. No impact on safety standards. Explains. Information shared between companies. Compares with Gulf of Mexico situation where numbers of accidents buried. Mentions near-misses in Gulf, difficulty getting information, forthcoming diving operations seminar, intention to discuss issue with Americans. Recalls difference in working styles of companies, nationalities, attitudes to spending money. Huge emphasis on safety in UK to point where it can become counter-productive. Explains. Details re changes to categories of accidents. Attitude of French, British to each others' styles. Recalls pre-1988 reputation of Occidental. Comments on Piper Alpha disaster, controversy over immediate cause, Permit to Work system. Disaster could have happened to other companies. Recalls first hearing news of Piper, wrong information re disaster being on drilling rig Ocean Nomad, likely cause of confusion. Went to Occidental office to check on situation.
Tape 5 Side B: Piper Alpha disaster (cont'd). Recalls, in Occidental office, trying to contact vessels to assist. Details re Eddie Punchard, diver, who jumped into water. Mentions communications wiped out by first explosion, Claymore riser flowing into Piper, refusal of Claymore OIM (Offshore Installation Manager) to shut down supply. Effect of Piper on industry in safety regime. Situation re Department of Energy, HSE (Health & Safety Executive); change in philosophy, lines of responsibility. Changes took ten years to be put in place. Came to live in Aberdeen. Impression of Aberdeen, spoken language. Recalls hundreds of decommissioned fishing trawlers in harbour. Bond between Scots and French based on old alliance. Details. Effect of industry on costs in Aberdeen caused some bitterness. Mentions oil money going to Westminster, local feelings about Americans. Saw little actual oil during career. Explains concentrated energy in oil. Anticipates end of individual car because of end of affordable oil supply, change in transportation plans. Future possibility of extracting energy economically from water. Comments on industry and Government claims re future life of North Sea industry. Several oil fields have been shut down for economic reasons. Mentions creation of fish nurseries in US using old ships etc for artificial reefs, possibility of doing same with platforms in North Sea. Benefits of artificial reefs. Removal of platforms driven by fishing industry. Details re Brent Spar controversy. Summary of jobs in diving, safety management. Evolution of company from Comex to Newco to Stolt Offshore etc. Reference to Jacob Stolt Nielsen. Mentions poor management by engineers before Comex sold. Details re company expansions as Epic contractor, financial problems.
Tape 6 Side A: Further details re reformation of Stolt companies, problems, work done in deep diverless installations in Angola. Oil companies offset risks onto contractors. Details re poor management, losses, bank situation, current poor situation, support from Jacob Stolt Neilsen. Own situation as Group Diving Manager. Company staff 3000. Comments on industry today, reduction in number of diving fatalities since early days. Explains polarity of diving statistics. Value of sharing information in industry. Always several causes of accidents and element of fate. Importance of understanding causes, reporting of near-misses. Mentions numbers of unsafe situations reported last year often relating to each other. Gives example of an accident, its causes. Importance of reporting potentially dangerous situations. Compares attitudes of young people with own early days. Describes in detail most recent fatality through gas explosion during pipe-cutting job, following enquiry, frustration at not learning anything new etc. Details re current diving breathing equipment that makes no bubble noise, improves communication. Recalls own near-miss when a young diver, loss of umbilical, seeing flash of life passing by, being saved by application of superhuman strength. Mentions divers working in pairs. No reporting of near misses then. Contrasts with today. Details re risk assessment procedures, reporting, checks. Feelings about own job situation. When price of oil goes down 25000 people lose jobs in Aberdeen. Explains primitive shareholder experience of ups and downs of industry. Mentions health problems, treatment. Not doing much physical now. Details re hyperbaric oxygen, discovery through diving medicine. Explains situation when diver exposed to pressure, potential problems with decompression.
Tape 6 Side B: Continuation of technical description of decompression process, potential problems, treatment e.g. for the bends. Mentions effect of breathing pure oxygen at different depths, capacity of blood to carry oxygen, use of oxygen for treatment of various diseases. E.g. many multiple sclerosis sufferers use decompression chambers. Attitude of medical profession. Details re own and others' successful use of decompression, hyperbaric oxygen with few side effects. Hyperbaric medicine, not officially recognised. Attitude of doctors. Mentions doctor at University of Dundee, ex-company doctor to oil industry, who is writing book. Own future in industry. Career was in frontier technology which grew and is now in decline. There will always be limited need for divers. Explains likely future use of robots. Advantages of diver over robot. Explains liking for diving. Compares different diving situations. Recalls lack of fear in youth, growth of caution with age. Explains reliance on technology. Details re techno-diving - born in US - pushing the limit, which the industry is not doing. Mentions caving today, better, safer equipment. Recalls chairing debate between techno-divers and diving industry re diving work being stolen from industry. Details re vertical, horizontal diving. Reference to ADC (Association of Diving Contractors). Feelings about diving now.
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