NEWS photo Mike Wakotleld JIM ENGLISH, special projects manager for Can-Dive, stands in the clutches of an underwater submersible the firm supplied for the film The Abyss. 37 - Sunday, November § Evade nosy questions PAGE 33 . 1989 - North Shore News SEHIND THE SCENES SHOOTING THE ABYSS N. Van firm hel ped film get that sinking feeling unassuming office building tucked away on Crown Street in North Vancouver, Jim English sits comfor- tably at his desk surrounded with underwater gadgets and sea trinkets. On one shelf sits a copy of Dan- cing On the Edge of The Abyss, a glossy publication of the making of this summer’s movie blockbuster, The Abyss. Last Juiy, English, 48, and his Can-Dive crew spent nine weeks on a movie set in Gaffney, South Carolina, supervising the set-up of two underwater submersibles for the filming of James Cameron’s The Abyss. “We had eight weeks to do it,” says English, special projects man- ager for Can-Dive. The crew spent most of their time in the bottom of a huge con- crete tank — a converted nuclear reactor containment building at the never-completed Cherokee Nuclear Power Station. The tank was filled with 7.5 mil- PRICES EFFECTIVE _ NOVEMBER — OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK BAM TILL MIDNIGHT . Enjcy a satisfying main-dish ‘Snapper & Shrimp Chowder’ FREE RECIPE CARDS ARE AVAILABLE AT ALL SAVE-ON.FOODS LOCATIONS FRESH By EVELYN JACOB News Reporter lion gallons of water, filtered for weeks and heated to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Says English: ‘“‘It was quite elaborate just getting that operating, to get the water clarity they needed and to get the pictures right.”” Can-Dive has worked with the entertainment industry before but The Abyss was its first major mo- tion picture. As English explains, getting involved in movies isn’t a major part of the company’s business. ‘‘It’s not something we uciively pursuc,’* he says. Never- theless, English and his crew have skills much sought after in the big SNAPPER FILLETS WEATHER PERMITTING LB./454 GRAMS A DIVISION. oF OvERWATEA £0008 — ow i pond of Hollywood. The company, with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Seat- tle and Trinidad, works mainly in the area of underwater services and contracting. It also builds and purchases equipment to inspect dams and power plants, installs pipelines and helps with offshore oil and gas exploration. tn addition to designing and building two submersibles for The Abyss, Can-Dive advised the movie company on safety. Most of the actors were not certified divers, but according to English they were all ‘pretty good’’ by the time filming began. Crews spent between nine to 12 hours underwater in a_ single stretch, and some people required two to three hours of decompres- sion, says English. Despite this, there were no problems or serious accidents. ‘‘Whenever the cab went See Accuracy Page 39 A Operated mas Columbians me a SuSSsaee aa aaar” 4 PERMANENT) H DISCOUNT =| | SAvVE-ON- FOODS 4 DRUGS MY Foe recaaceecs Ml os What is Permanent Discount?