Just because your movie takes place 30 feet underwater, doesn't mean you should film 30 feet underwater. But don't tell James Cameron that — he not only submerged his entire Abyss cast that far down, he accompanied them. Then again, Cameron once visited the Mariana Trench, so perhaps he thought 30 feet would be nothing.
If so, he was wrong. According to Time, the crew spent anywhere from 15 to 18 hours a day filming underwater in five-hour chunks thanks to underwater oxygen filling stations. Unfortunately, it took a while to get the pH levels right — until then, crew members suffered hair loss and burnt skin. Landlubbing was little better; since it was wintertime, the only place the cold, shivering crew could accomplish any non-filming business was in a hot tub. Even then, people were constantly cold and sick. That's why some channeled their inner Mad Magazine and took to calling the film The Abuse.
Cameron almost died while filming Abyss. His assistant director forgot to warn him he needed oxygen, and he was rapidly running out of air. He was forced to swim to the surface, at the risk of developing the bends, but was stopped by a safety diver named George, who gave Cameron his back-up regulator to breathe with. Problem was, it was broken — all Cameron got was water. The only reason he's still alive is because he punched George in the face and swam up himself. Needless to say, both George and the assistant director were soon jobless. Also needless to say, Cameron was back working as soon as possible. After all, 30 feet is nothing.
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