If the PF had ever been taught IFTOs it certainly wasn't apparent from this incident - 25 degrees nose up!!!
The transition from visual hover to instrument scan needs to be instant - ask anyone who has done night deck departures from a warship when you start around 50' or less above the water.
The PF clearly wasn't looking at the AI during the departure - select and hold an accelerative attitude, how difficult is that?
If they want to avoid this type of incident then give the crews NVG - no more flying into black holes, especially not with a 900' cloudbase and 7000m vis, they would have had a visible horizon on goggles, especially since the lights of the rig were all behind them.
I agree the sections on somatogravic illusions and blowback are just padding and wholly irrelevant to the accident. The 'pitch up' they refer to regarding blowback (flapback) happens at the onset of ETL, not at 40 kts and a gentle hover taxi forward will not feel like a pitch up either.
Neither pilot was doing their job very well that night and I am amazed they managed to avoid the water.