A story of a man Survived Inside Sunken Ship For Three Days
A man survived for nearly three days inside a sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean in one of the most shocking stories of sea survival ever told.
A tugboat with a 12-person crew was navigating choppy waters off the coast of Nigeria in May. At around 4:30 a.m., the boat was towing an oil tanker when a sudden ocean swell or rogue wave slammed into the vessel, snapping the tow rope and sinking the vessel.
When the boat turned over and began to sink, Harrison Okene, the ship’s cook, was in the bathroom. The majority of the other crew members were locked in their cabins as a precaution against the pirates who regularly rob and abduct vessels in that area. However, that precaution sealed the fate of the other crew members.
Okene was thrown out of the bathroom in his boxer shorts in the early morning darkness. He told The Nation, “I was dazed, and everything was dark as I was thrown from one end of the small cubicle to the other.” Okene, on the other hand, was luckier than his crewmates. None of the passengers survived the ship’s sinking because they were asleep inside their cabins.
Okene made his way into the engineers’ office, where he discovered a small pocket of air. The boat had turned upside down on the seafloor at a depth of about 100 feet by this point (30 meters). Okene’s chances of survival appeared to be near-zero, almost naked, without food or fresh water, in a cold, wet room with a dwindling supply of oxygen.
The Tales of survival
Okene survived, thanks to a series of strange coincidences and incredible luck. Others who have been trapped underwater have similar unbelievable stories of survival in near-impossible circumstances.
Scuba diver Michael Proudfoot was exploring an underwater wreck off the coast of Baja California in 1991 when he smashed his breathing regulator and lost his entire supply of air. Proudfoot is said to have survived for two days on raw sea urchins and a small pot of fresh water after discovering an air pocket.
Okene also discovered a bottle of Coca-Cola and a life vest with two small flashlights attached, in addition to his small pocket of air. But as Okene listened to the sounds of sharks or other fish devouring the bodies of his crewmates, he began to lose hope, he is reported as saying.
The physics of staying alive
The air pocket Okene discovered was only about 4 feet (1.2 meters) high, despite the fact that humans inhale about 350 cubic feet (10 cubic meters) of air every 24 hours.
According to a statement from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), because Okene was under pressure at the ocean floor, physicist and recreational scuba diver Maxim Umansky estimates that Okene’s air pocket had been compressed by a factor of about four.
Umansky calculated that if the pressurized air pocket was about 216 cubic feet (6 cubic meters), it would have enough oxygen to keep Okene alive for two and a half days, or 60 hours.
However, there is another danger: carbon dioxide (CO2), which is lethal to humans at levels of about 5%. Okene exhaled carbon dioxide as he breathed, slowly building up levels of the gas in his tiny air chamber.
Water, on the other hand, absorbs carbon dioxide, and by splashing water inside his air pocket, Okene inadvertently increased the water’s surface area, increasing CO2 absorption and keeping CO2 levels below the lethal 5% level.
Hypothermia: a slow death
Hypothermia, which occurs when a person’s core temperature falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), was another danger for Okene. Hypothermia can cause confusion, movement disorders, amnesia, and unusual behaviors such as “terminal burrowing,” in which a person tries to find a small, enclosed shelter, similar to a hibernating animal.
Extreme hypothermia can eventually lead to death. According to the University of Minnesota, even in water as warm as 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius), a person could pass out within two hours.
But luck was on Okene’s side once more: he was able to construct a small platform with a mattress that kept him just above the water’s edge. If his body had been exposed to the freezing seawater, Okene would have died within a matter of hours.
Looking for bodies
Salvage divers were looking for bodies and had already discovered four when they noticed a human hand motioning to them through an opening in the wreck.
Okene’s oxygen supply was running out after about 60 hours underwater. In an LLNL statement, Umansky said, “This man was lucky to survive because a sufficient large amount of trapped air was in his air pocket.” “After 60 hours, he was not poisoned by CO2 because it stayed at safe levels, and we can speculate that the ocean water sealing his enclosure helped.”
Okene was finally brought to the surface in a decompression chamber by salvage divers after nearly three days of desperately hoping, praying, and reminiscing about family and friends. However, he had no idea how much time had passed.
“I saw the stars in the sky when we came out and thought I must have been in the water all day,” Okene told The Nation. “I was told I had spent more than two days in the DCC [decompression chamber] after I left.”
The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes
Stefano Mariottini was snorkeling off the coast of Monasterace near Riace in 1972 when he noticed a human hand sticking out of the sand and called the police, thinking it was a corpse. It was actually two statues of "Warriors from Riace" - 5th century BC Greek bronze statues.
A Pilot Survived 20 Minutes Outside A Flying Jet
In 1990, the captain of flight 5390 Timothy Lancaster got sucked out of his own plane when the window of the plane fell off. The crew held the captain’s leg for 30 minutes while the plane performed emergency landing. Everyone survived.
'Super obedient' lookout parrot trained by Brazilian drug dealers is seized by police
In 2019, police in Brazil seized a 'super obedient' lookout parrot trained by drug dealers. According to reports, the bird had been taught to alert criminals to police operations by shouting: "Mum, the police!" As soon as the police got close, he started shouting.
This whale tail sculpture saved a train that went off the rails
A train in the Netherlands failed to stop in time and broke through the emergency barrier. It's being held up by the statue of a whale's tail.
ILOVEYOU Virus, the worst computer virus of all time
The ILOVEYOU Virus, also known as Love Letter for You or Love Bug, had a high infection rate due to its ability to spread itself by copying entries from users' email address books. It is a virus that was created in 2000 by a college student in Manilla, Philippines, and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the worst computer virus of all time, causing more damage than anything before it.
Water park in japan, ocean dome: Largest indoor water park in the world
The Seagaia Ocean Dome, located in Miyazaki, Japan, was the biggest indoor waterpark in the world. An "Ocean" six times the size of an Olympic pool, filled with 13,500 tons of unsalted, chlorinated water kept heated at 28 degrees Celsius and recognized as the largest simulated pool by the Guinness Book of World Records, measures 12,000 square meters of the sandy beach made from 600 tons of stone.
Unique Dining table with a hole for your cat to peek and join you dinner.
Dinos, a Japanese internet shop, has launched a new range of cat furniture, which includes this oak table with a hole in the middle and a perch underneath. It places your cat companion in the center of the table, making your cat the main focus of your meal, as it should be, because cats are the true proprietors of “your” home.
stranded hikers rescued by a life-saving iPhone feature
Stranded hikers were rescued by a life-saving iPhone feature that an awful lot of folks don't know a lot about.
chand baori stepwell in Rajasthan India, Ancient cooling technique
This Chand Baori stepwell in Rajasthan, India is over 1200 years old. It’s called Chand Baori. The air at the bottom of the well is 5-6 degrees cooler than at the surface, so in addition to being a water source, it was used as a community gathering place where locals could escape the heat.
Kipekee, the world's only spotless giraffe, was born at Brights Zoo
The world's only spotless giraffe was born at a zoo in the United States. The giraffe born without spots on July 31 is the only one of her kind on Earth.
Max Headroom Incident: America’s Creepiest TV Hack
In 1987 a man hijacked a television station during an episode of Dr. Who and wore a Max Headroom mask and uttered nonsense, and he still hasn’t been caught
Before Hollywood, Christopher Walken Was a Teenage Lion Tamer with a Lioness Named Sheba
Before acting, Christopher Walken worked as a lion tamer in a circus at age 16. He performed with a lioness named Sheba and described the job as surprisingly calm—just another day before Hollywood stardom.
The Inspiring Journey of Francis Tsai, Marvel Comics artist diagnosed with ALS
Francis Tsai, an American illustrator and conceptual artist who worked for Marvel Comics, was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. After he lost the ability to move his hands and arms, he started painting digitally on his cellphone with his right big toe. After he could not move his feet anymore, he began using eye-gaze technology to keep drawing.
China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile
One thing is certain: when it comes to ensuring nice weather for the world's largest party, the Chinese cannot be accused of being subtle. The Chinese government authorized the use of 1,104 cloud seeding missile launches from 4:00-11:39 p.m. on Friday night to reduce the possibility of rain ahead of the 29th Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing
Who invented the three-point seat belt?
While employed by Volvo in 1959, Swidish engineer Nils Bohlin created the three-point safety belt. Volvo first had the design patented, but soon as they discovered its importance as a new safety measure, they made the patent open to everyone. Millions of lives were genuinely spared by Volvo’s gift to the world.
The incredible story of a plane that lost its roof in mid-flight and the light signal that saved 94 lives.
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane.
Apple Watch saves a 78 year old man from life threatening fall
An Apple watch saved the life of a 78-year-old man from North Carolina. When the man was unconscious and collapsed on his driveway, his Apple watch quickly sent an alert to emergency services.
A three-year-old boy discovers a $4 million pendant in England
A $4 million 16th-century gold pendant was discovered in 2010 by a three-year-old boy using his father's metal detector.
Lafayette pizza delivery driver who saved 5 from burning house
Nicholas Bostic a 25-year-old pizza delivery man from Lafayette, Indiana, ran into a burning house to rescue four children, who told him there is one more inside. He ran back inside, he found the six-year-old girl, jumped out of a window, carried her to a cop who captured the moment on his bodycam.
Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer
In 2013, A young programmer offered a homeless man the choice between $100 cash or coding lessons. Leo Grand chose the lessons, and his first mobile app was “Trees for Cars," which helps drivers find carpooling partners.
Aitzaz Hasan, Pakistani school boy who sacrificed his life from suicide bomber
Aitzaz Hasan, a 15 year old Pakistani school boy, sacrificed his life while preventing a suicide bomber from entering his school of 2000 students. His father said "My son made his mother cry but saved hundreds of mothers from crying for their children."
Whang-od Oggay, The legendary tattoo artist from the Philippines
This is Whang-od Oggay, a 106-year-old tattoo artist from the Philippines. She is often described as the last and oldest Kalinga tattoo artist, and has been performing the traditional art of hand-tapped tattoos since the age of 15
People are freaked out because they keep finding 'help me' messages under the cap of Sobe bottles
With their bottle caps that said, "Help me, I'm trapped in SoBe factory," SoBe Beverage discovered the hard way that forced labor is serious business. This is an example of when humor can be overdone.
JBJ Soul Kitchen: Bon Jovi's community restaurant
JBJ Soul Kitchen is a community restaurant by Jon Bon Jovi with no prices on the menu; customers donate to pay for their meals. If you are unable to donate you may do volunteer work in exchange for your family’s meal.
How Magic Johnson Missed Out On $7 Billion Nike deal
Magic Johnson turned down a deal with Nike in 1979 that offered him 100,000 shares of stock and $1 for every pair of shoes sold. Instead, he chose Converse, which offered him $100,000 per year. Johnson lost about $5 billion by declining the Nike deal.
