James Cameron Recalls Nearly Dying During Filming: ‘It Was Almost Check-Out Point’

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/james-cameron-the-abyss-4k-1235738502/

Had he died The Abyss would've no doubt been completed by the studio bringing in another director (maybe without the advanced CGI stuff),

Then obviously no further films from JC - no T2*, True Lies, Titanic, Avatar. and possibly no CGI revolution in FX happening in early 90s (Jurassic Park using animatronics/stop motion)

*T2 would obviously have still been made in the 90s but by another director (Ridley Scott? Renny Harlin? John McTiernan?), with a lower budget, no CG liquid metal T1000, Arnold as the villain again (who else than Cameron would think to switch it so Arnold was a good guy, anyone else including Arnold probably would've just thought Terminator has to be Arnold as the bad guy terminating everyone again. Or maybe they've have gone with two Arnolds one good/one bad, like Cameron considered in the early stages before going with the more regular looking shape shifter terminator idea he had for the first movie but abandoned when it would've been too expensive) and possibly taking some early ideas that Cameron had for the original movie (via earlier drafts, notes etc) expanded 2029 future war sequence showing end of the war, sending Reese and the terminators back in time,