Hyperbaric Welder · Saturation Diver · Ireland
Thomas McCarthy
Thirty years beneath the surface — building, repairing, and surviving the impossible.
32
Years Offshore
12,500
Underwater Hours
287
Saturation Dives
540
Offshore Projects
24
Countries Worked
1,180
Days In Saturation
Stories from the Deep
Long-form writing from a life offshore
Saturation programmes, near-disasters, and the small rituals that keep a crew sane. The long version of a thirty-year career.
North Sea
The Day The Bell Stopped
A bell stuck at 180m, a crew running through every procedure, and the long quiet on the other end of the umbilical.
9 min read →
Norwegian Sea
Twenty-Eight Days Under
Life inside a saturation chamber: helium voices, mealtimes by clock, and the small rituals that keep a crew sane.
7 min read →
Gulf of Mexico
Welding At Pressure
Striking an arc in a hyperbaric chamber, where the rules of light, sound, and metal are not what you learned on land.
8 min read →
“The sea does not forgive carelessness. It rewards preparation, respect, and the steady hand of a man who knows his craft.”
— Thomas McCarthy
