Commercial Diving: The Risks, Near Misses and Reality of Offshore Life - Rob Hinton

Commercial Diving: The Risks, Near Misses and Reality of Offshore Life - Rob Hinton

This week I'm joined by Rob Hinton. Rob is a former Royal Navy mine clearance diver, commercial diver, military diving instructor and founder of HoldFast Elite and the HoldFast Schools Mission. We discuss the realities of commercial diving, the risks that come with working underwater, near misses that still stay with him today, and why humour is often a vital coping mechanism in high risk industries. Rob also shares stories from the North Sea, Norway, West Africa and the Middle East, along with the lessons he learned during nearly 15 years as a commercial diver. We finish by discussing why he stepped away from offshore life and how he turned his diving experience into a mission focused on mental and physical resilience. Topics include: • Royal Navy diving • Commercial diving offshore • Near misses and diving incidents • Offshore culture and dark humour • Air diving vs saturation diving • The realities of life offshore • Mental health and resilience • HoldFast Elite • Building purpose after offshore life 0:00 Introduction 0:26 Who is Rob Hinton? 1:05 Learning to dive in South Africa 1:47 Why he joined the Royal Navy divers 2:31 Moving from military diving into offshore oil and gas 4:40 First impressions of offshore life 5:30 Why he left the North Sea to work worldwide 6:41 The reality of risk in commercial diving 7:45 Why dark humour is essential offshore 11:10 Near misses and dangerous situations offshore 12:54 The Norway incident that nearly became a fatality 14:57 Equipment failures and emergency situations underwater 16:54 The closest call of Rob's diving career 20:35 Air diving vs saturation diving 21:31 Why air diving can be riskier than people realise 22:20 What people misunderstand about commercial diving 23:33 The reality of life away from home 25:00 Burnout and the mental toll of offshore work 26:31 Why Rob stepped away from offshore diving 27:50 Creating HoldFast Elite 28:52 Using military training to improve mental resilience 31:13 Building the HoldFast Challenges 32:25 Looking back on life offshore 33:13 Advice for anyone considering commercial diving 34:35 Rob's proudest career achievement 35:39 Closing thoughts

Energy Security: The Missing Piece of the Energy Transition - Erik de Haas

This week I'm joined by Erik de Haas. Erik has worked across offshore oil and gas, renewables, subsea operations and major marine projects around the world. We discuss why offshore remains a "prove it, not potential" industry, whether the sector really has a skills shortage, and why valuable experience is often being overlooked. We also dive into the energy transition, the risks of an increasingly polarised debate, and why energy security may be the missing piece in conversations about affordability and sustainability. A thoughtful conversation on leadership, commercial decision making, offshore culture and the future of energy. Topics include: • Offshore hiring and skills shortages • Why experience still matters • Oil and gas vs renewables • The energy transition debate • Energy security and geopolitics • Offshore wind challenges • Leadership and decision making offshore • Learning from failure • Building high performing teams #energy #energysecurity #offshoreenergy #podcast   0:00 Introduction 0:20 Erik's background and journey into offshore energy 2:56 Moving from engineering into commercial leadership 5:18 Why offshore is a "prove it, not potential" industry 7:30 Is the industry protecting itself from new talent? 8:40 Offshore wind vs oil and gas on developing people 10:12 Why innovation struggles to gain traction offshore 12:34 Why offshore wind treats every project like a prototype 14:23 Where offshore projects lose the most value 16:22 Who really owns project interfaces? 17:31 What actually drives major offshore decisions? 18:51 Is there a disconnect between onshore and offshore? 25:15 Skills shortage or hiring problem? 27:50 Why experienced workers are being overlooked 30:18 Oil and gas, renewables and the energy transition 33:07 The missing pillar: energy security 35:35 Groningen, Aberdeen and domestic energy production 37:22 Energy transition vs energy addition 39:08 What happens when energy shortages become real? 40:59 Politics, taxes and difficult energy decisions 42:52 Why energy should not be a tribal debate 44:55 Learning from what doesn't work 47:24 Erik's proudest career moments 49:35 Advice for people struggling to find opportunities 50:05 The abundance mindset that shaped Erik's career 51:05 Closing thoughts

Ian Garden - Offshore Safety, False Positives & Speaking Up

In this episode of Wind, Waves & Wells, I sit down with Ian Garden, Managing Director of RigDeluge and creator of the False Positives documentary. Ian discusses concerns he has raised over more than a decade regarding offshore firefighting systems, emergency response planning, rescue capability and what he describes as the growing gap between safety messaging and operational reality. We talk about HSE investigations, platform shutdowns, speaking up in the industry, leadership, accountability and why Ian believes the offshore sector needs to focus more on action and less on optics. Whether you agree with Ian or not, this is a conversation that raises important questions about safety, culture and the future of the UK energy industry. As always, the purpose of this podcast is to provide a platform for discussion and allow listeners to make up their own minds. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:18 Who is Ian Garden? 01:10 Building RigDeluge and lessons from offshore 04:30 The origins of False Positives 07:12 Documenting concerns since 2013 08:11 Early firefighting system trials and resistance to change 11:20 Flare boom safety concerns 14:00 Taking concerns to regulators 15:10 Six firefighting systems that should have been condemned 18:00 Refusing to continue work on an unsafe asset 19:50 Escalating concerns to the HSE 22:20 Platform shutdowns and industry response 25:50 Being NRB'd and speaking up 28:10 Has offshore safety improved since Piper Alpha? 30:15 Safety culture versus safety performance 32:00 The gap between onshore messaging and offshore reality 33:20 Why False Positives was created 35:30 Industry reaction to the documentary 36:30 Why people are reluctant to speak up 40:00 The 124kg rescue capability debate 45:45 Government policy and the future of the North Sea 50:05 Ian's vision for the UK's energy future 52:00 Politics, energy policy and investment 57:10 What if a major incident had happened? 58:00 Firefighting systems and reliability concerns 01:00:15 Will there be a False Positives 2? 01:02:10 Why Ian continues to challenge the industry 01:11:00 The personal cost of speaking out 01:14:00 Proudest career moment 01:15:20 Leadership, accountability and integrity 01:18:30 Safety in numbers and collective action 01:20:30 Paperwork versus real safety 01:21:00 What happens next? 01:24:00 Final thoughts

Keeley Bell - Five Years Sober, One Mission: Changing Offshore Culture

What happens when an offshore driller hits rock bottom and decides to rebuild his life from the ground up? In this episode, I sit down with Keeley Bell, founder of Silverback GRIT, to discuss offshore life, addiction, mental health, leadership, fitness, and why the energy industry needs to start taking care of its people as seriously as it takes care of its equipment. Keeley shares his journey from the drilling rigs of the Gulf of Mexico to becoming a passionate advocate for mental resilience and personal transformation. From battling alcoholism and surviving a heart attack to building a company focused on improving the wellbeing of offshore workers, this is an honest conversation about the realities many people face but few talk about openly. The discussion covers offshore culture, isolation, leadership, fitness, sleep, nutrition, mental health, family life, and what companies can do to better support their workforce. Most importantly, it is a reminder that no matter how difficult things get, there is always another day to keep moving forward. 00:00 Introduction 00:48 Life as an offshore driller in the Gulf of Mexico 02:25 Offshore rotations and the drinking culture 05:30 The story behind Silverback GRIT 09:13 Bringing mental health conversations offshore 12:32 Hidden pressures of offshore life 13:52 Why being open about your struggles matters 17:03 Is there a mental health crisis in the industry? 18:36 Breaking the culture of bottling things up 21:01 Hydration, sleep and physical wellbeing offshore 23:53 Isolation and building support systems 29:06 Offshore vs onshore culture challenges 31:47 Is the industry finally changing? 34:03 Leadership, generations and culture shifts 37:02 Fitness, longevity and staying physically capable 39:16 Offshore weight limits and workforce health 43:56 Why people are the most important safety barrier 46:40 Advice for younger workers entering the industry 48:28 The future of Silverback GRIT 50:10 Advice for anyone currently struggling 53:10 Keeley's proudest moment 54:56 Final thoughts and closing remarks

John Underhill - Oil, Gas & Renewables: Why It’s Not Either Or

This episode is one of the most balanced and honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast. John Underhill, Professor at the University of Aberdeen and Director for Energy Transition, joins me to break down what’s actually happening in the energy world right now. This isn’t about picking sides. It’s about understanding reality. We get into the North Sea, the role of oil and gas in the transition, the truth behind emissions reporting, and why energy has suddenly become such a political battleground. John brings decades of experience across academia and industry, and gives a perspective that cuts through a lot of the noise. We also talk about: • Why the UK has become more dependent on imports • The unintended consequences of how emissions are measured • The real challenges of transitioning from oil and gas to renewables • Why job losses in traditional energy are not being replaced like for like • Whether the North Sea still has a future • The idea of “energy addition” rather than just transition • Why energy has become so divided and politicised • And what a realistic energy future actually looks like If you want a proper, grounded view of where we are and where we’re heading, this is one worth listening to. 00:00 – Intro 00:24 – Introduction to John Underhill 01:27 – Working in the North Sea during its peak 02:49 – Academia vs industry experience 05:17 – What a day looks like in energy today 07:37 – Why energy has become centre stage 11:49 – The role of oil and gas in the transition 14:19 – The global reality of fossil fuel dependence 16:47 – Addition vs transition mindset 19:41 – The truth about emissions reporting 23:26 – Are we just shifting emissions elsewhere? 26:04 – Domestic vs imported energy and carbon footprint 29:45 – Global emissions and energy realities 32:00 – Impact on communities and jobs 37:10 – Can renewables replace oil and gas jobs? 40:23 – The reality of offshore wind jobs 42:41 – Skills gaps and retraining challenges 47:09 – How much is left in the North Sea? 49:41 – Tax policy and investment challenges 55:39 – Why energy has become so divided 58:16 – The real state of the energy transition 01:00:51 – Challenges with hydrogen and new technologies 01:03:14 – Public perception and community pushback 01:06:22 – Proudest career moment 01:08:54 – Independent thinking in energy 01:13:42 – Unique career experiences and insights 01:18:12 – Final thoughts