In 1973 Cooper graduated from the Ocean Corporation , a commercial diving school . He then worked for Taylor Diving & Salvage for eleven years as a commercial diver in many different parts of the world . His work included air , mixed gas , and saturation diving . He also gained experience with welding habitats . Cooper was diving near the Ixtoc oil platform when it exploded in 1979 , killing a friend of his . Cooper subsequently worked with oil well firefighter Red Adair during the efforts to contain the Ixtoc I oil spill
Ixtoc oil platform
Ixtoc I oil spill
Craig B. Cooper