James Cameron had to punch a safety diver in the face in order to escape drowning while filming 1989’s The Abyss.
Per Variety, Cameron attended a screening of The Abyss (Special Edition) at Los Angeles’ Beyond Fest on September 27, 2023. During the Q&A, Cameron recalled an experience where he almost died while filming underwater, thus forcing him to punch a safety diver in the face so he could swim to safety.
James Cameron breaks down what happened during The Abyss’ production
When filming a scene approximately 30 feet underwater, Cameron said his equipment began to fail.
“When the tank gets low, you get a warning that you’re about to run out of air,” he said. “Well, this thing had a piston servo regulator in it, so it was one breath… and then nothing. Everybody’s setting lights and nobody’s watching me. I’m trying to get [underwater director of photography] Al Giddings’ attention on the p.a. but Al had been involved in a diving accident and he blew out both eardrums so he was deaf as a post, and I’m wasting my last breath of air on an underwater p.a. system going ‘Al… Al…’ and he’s working away with his back to me.”
At that point, Cameron removed his gear, which caught the attention of a safety diver, also referred to as an “angel.” The diver handed Cameron a regulator to breathe out of; however, upon doing so, Cameron found the regulator was damaged, meaning he still couldn’t breathe.
“At that point, it was almost check out point and the safety divers are taught to hold you down so you don’t embolize and let your lungs overexpand going up,” Cameron continued. “But I knew what I was doing. And he wouldn’t let me go, and I had no way to tell him the regulator wasn’t working. So I punched him in the face and swam to the surface and therefore survived.”
Written and directed by Cameron, The Abyss stars Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Beihn. The movie is currently not available to view on any streaming services but is available to purchase on physical media at Amazon and other retailers.
