On a quiet afternoon in February 2022, the waters off Pointe-à-Pierre, Trinidad, looked serene. But beneath the surface, five men were about to face one of the most harrowing diving accidents in recent memory—a disaster that would expose the deadly intersection of physics, corporate responsibility, and human courage.

The Routine That Became Catastrophe

February 25th, 2022. Five experienced commercial divers—Christopher Budrum, Kazmal Jr., Ysef Henry, Fasil Kerban, and Rishi Nagazar—were tasked with a routine maintenance job on an underwater oil pipeline operated by Paria Fuel Trading Company. Working from a pressurized hyperbaric chamber, their mission was to remove an inflatable plug and repair the pipeline’s riser at Berth 6.

But hidden dangers lurked. The pipeline, drained of oil weeks earlier, had become a vacuum—a scenario known as “delta P,” where differential pressure can unleash thousands of pounds of force in an instant. As the plug loosened, the chamber erupted in chaos. Seawater exploded into the habitat, creating a vortex that sucked all five men into the pipeline with terrifying speed.

For 95 seconds, the divers were battered through a 30-inch diameter metal pipe, 16 meters below the ocean’s surface. Oil residue burned their eyes and lungs. In the pitch-black darkness, the men found themselves trapped in an air pocket—alive, but injured and disoriented.

The Fight for Survival

Inside the pipeline, panic gave way to determination. The divers called out to each other, assessing injuries and searching for a way out. One end of the pipe led back to the subsea habitat; the other to Berth 5, sealed tight for repairs.

With oxygen tanks scattered along the pipeline, the men took turns sipping clean air, fighting off nausea and exhaustion. Injuries made movement agonizingly slow. As water levels rose and air diminished, Chris Budrum decided to push ahead alone, hoping to find help.

Bruised and battered, Budrum crawled, swam, and clawed his way through the flooded pipeline, desperately searching for air pockets and oxygen tanks. Each breath became harder to draw. Just as he thought he’d reached his limit, he collided with another tank, gasping for life. Minutes later, he surfaced in a secondary air pocket, joined by Fasil Kerban. Refusing to rest, Budrum pressed on, finally reaching the upward bend of the pipeline and the dive chamber. But no rescue team was waiting.

Exhausted, he clung to a chain and prayed for help. After agonizing minutes, rescuers finally arrived, pulling him to safety more than two hours after the initial accident. Budrum immediately pleaded for a rescue mission for his trapped colleagues.

The Rescue That Wasn’t

As news of the accident spread, families gathered at the refinery car park, desperate for updates. Divers topside prepared to mount a rescue, some volunteering to risk their lives. Bangs were heard inside the pipeline—signs the trapped men were still alive.

But at this critical moment, Paria Fuel Trading Company halted the rescue, citing lack of commercial dive equipment and fears of a secondary delta P event. Even as two fully equipped dive vessels arrived, the company enforced a total ban on diving, prioritizing safety and liability concerns over immediate action.

Instead, a slow, cautious approach was adopted. An ROV was deployed but became tangled in debris. Hours passed as hope faded. Around 6 a.m. the next day, Paria authorized the removal of the blind flange at Berth 5—a move that rapidly dropped the pressure inside the pipeline, flooding it and sealing the divers’ fate.

The Aftermath: Grief, Outrage, and Inquiry

It wasn’t until 12 hours later that families were notified the operation had shifted from rescue to retrieval. Over the next several days, the bodies of Kazmal Jr., Ysef Henry, Fasil Kerban, and Rishi Nagazar were recovered. Autopsies revealed that some of the men survived until Saturday morning, with one possibly enduring until Monday.

The tragedy sparked an official commission of inquiry in 2022. Its findings, delivered in late 2023, were damning: Paria Fuel Trading had no proper rescue plan and made no real attempt at rescue. During hearings, company officials stated they had no legal responsibility to save the men once the accident occurred, fearing increased liability.

The commission condemned Paria’s actions as gross negligence, possibly criminal. The stance—prioritizing legal risk over urgent life-saving efforts—outraged many. As one official infamously rated the incident’s management “excellent,” grieving families and the public recoiled at the lack of accountability.

Legal Battle and the Fight for Justice

In September 2024, charges were filed against managers at Paria Fuel Trading and Land and Marine Contracting Services, the contractor responsible for repairs. But the path to justice remains uncertain. Last week, in June 2025, the Privy Council heard arguments that may determine whether anyone will ever be held legally accountable.

The crux of the case: Trinidad’s statute of limitations for occupational safety prosecutions is six months. The criminal cases, brought after the 2023 commission report, fall outside this window. The council has reserved judgment, and the possibility looms that the case could be dismissed on a technicality.

Lessons From the Deep

The Paria diving incident stands as a stark reminder of what happens when the laws of physics collide with human error and corporate decision-making. It’s a story of valor—divers risking everything to save themselves and others—and cowardice, as profit and liability trumped the urgency of human life.

The tragedy has prompted calls for reform in Trinidad’s industrial safety standards and emergency response protocols. It has also ignited debate over the ethical responsibilities of corporations in life-or-death situations.

As survivor Chris Budrum reflected, “Everything inside me was hoping a rescue was going on. Nobody was making an attempt to rescue me.”

The Unfolding Story

With judgment still pending, the families of the four lost men—and the wider diving community—wait for closure. Whether justice will be served, or lost in the maze of legal technicalities, remains to be seen.

But the story of the Paria diving incident will not be forgotten. It is a testament to the courage of those who fight for survival against impossible odds, and a warning to never let profits come before people.