[4] As a researcher, Bennett performed studies of nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity, submarine escape, decompression illness, ascent rates, and the effects of flying after diving.
[5] Bennett described helium tremors in 1965 and coined the name of high pressure nervous syndrome (HPNS),[clarification needed] a diving disorder resulting from breathing a high-pressure mixture of helium and oxygen known as heliox at depths greater than about 150 metres (490 ft).
[5][6] Bennett was a consultant on the James Cameron underwater science fiction film The Abyss, in which a character experiences HPNS.
[citation needed] In 1981, at Duke University Medical Center, he conducted an experiment called Atlantis III lasting 43 days, which involved compressing divers to an equivalent depth of 2,250 feet (690 m), and slowly decompressing them to surface pressure, setting a world record in the process.
[9] Bennett was pressured by board members to step down, in reaction to alleged improprieties in his handling of the organization's finances.