Before we left for the shoot associate producer Elizabeth Kanter and I had decided that it was important to catch as much of the action as possible, so the producers filmed the action above deck, while underwater cameraman Andy Mitchell filmed all the action below... and Sean went down to get a close up view of the process. Eli Martinez went down with Andy and Sean to act as a safety diver.

Sean had assured me that he was an experienced diver. I have been scuba diving for twenty years. But I remember feeling very concerned when Andy, Eli and Sean went over the side during the first dive. Conditions were really bad. Winds were blowing hard, the sea was rough and our boat was moored to the Balder... so in essence there was no safety net. To make matters worse we were warned about strong currents and visibility was extremely poor. Nothing about this situation - location, lighting, safety concerns - were what you'd call ideal for making television. Technically it was a nightmare, not least of all for Jimmy Peterson, our soundman.

What we'd been told would be a 3 or 4 day fix soon turned into an epic. It became obvious early on that the weather was going to play a crucial role in this fix. A few days in, bad weather (50+ knot winds!) blew in... and we had to hurry up and wait. During one of the early dives, the set of winches connected to the thruster from on top snapped a cotter pin and damaged the holding clasp... putting a stop to proceedings before we really got started. The Balder's crew had to repair the damaged clasp before we could go on.

Another huge issue was purely logistical - making sure that our crew and cameras were in the right places at the right time. This sounds simple, but nothing is easy on a mega-vessel out at sea. Our quarters were on the Balder, whose deck sits well over 100 feet above the surface of the ocean. The diving setup was on a separate boat, way down below. And the only way to the boat was not for the faint of heart: jump on a rope basket and hold on for dear life while a giant overhead crane swings you way out over the open sea and eventually down to the deck of the boat. It was fun once you got used to it - but the only thing between you and the ocean were your two crossed arms clinging on to some industrial twine. But the real big hitch was the one crane in operation - it was responsible both for transferring people between vessels, and for moving the thruster under the hull of the Balder. This meant that we had to carefully plan all our moves - who would be where at what time and with which cameras and gear. Otherwise we'd be stuck in the wrong place and miss the action. Our planning definitely paid off. Several unexpected things happened on the deck of the Balder in the midst of dive operations, and someone (either myself or associate producer Elizabeth Kanter) was there to catch the key moments.

The next few days were a blur. The divers were on constant call. As soon as the captain considered it safe to shut down the engines and go over the side we had to be ready transfer to film. Sean, cameraman Andy and safety diver Eli must have done half a dozen dives in some of the most atrocious conditions I've ever seen. While the professional divers were connected via umbilical to our dive boat, our team were on scuba tanks... making everything that much more dangerous. To capture the moment when the old thruster was finally freed from the Balder's hull, the boys went over the side at night, with big waves buffering our safety boat. As producer, I'm responsible for getting everyone home in one piece - and this was possibly the most nerve-wracking experience I've ever had to watch. To their credit, Andy, Eli and Sean did a fantastic job. The results speak very loudly. It's definitely some of the most dramatic and beautiful underwater footage I've seen.

And we got some good drama. At the height of the thruster removal, the Remote Operated Vehicle that also monitors the procedure was being brought back on board the Balder when it tipped out of it's cage and plummeted into the sea. Sean's reaction to the drama and his in the moment commentary was a highlight of the shoot.

In the end, we came, filmed, and got a lot more than we bargained for. The crewmembers of the Balder were fabulous hosts, and the divers from Holland Diving were some of the funniest guys I've ever met. All in all it was a very exciting experience.

Even more exciting from a producer's point of view is how Sean Riley performed. I suspected he was going to be a "natural," but he surpassed all expectations. He's a good storyteller, not to mention quick, observant and affable. The most rewarding aspect of shooting the 38 ton engine was realizing we had the perfect host for World's Toughest Fixes.