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.”
Toddler Calls 911 Accidentally and Saves Dad's Life
A father from Florida collapsed on the floor during a medical episode. Fortunately, his toddler son dialed 911 by accident and saved his life. An officer from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office arrived quickly and administered first aid before transporting him to a nearby hospital.
The fearless Annie Lee Cooper
Annie Lee Cooper was fired in 1963 after attempting to register to vote. She attempted it once more in 1965, but the sheriff ordered her to leave after prodding her in the neck with a club. She then punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. She was imprisoned before ultimately registering to vote. Following the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the sheriff was ousted and subsequently imprisoned for collaborating to transport drugs, but Annie Lee Cooper lived to reach 100 years old and bears her name to this day.
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.
Drive-Thru Weddings in Las Vegas: The Ultimate Fast, Fun, and Legal Way to Say “I Do”
Inspired by fast food convenience, Las Vegas offers drive-thru weddings where couples can legally marry in under 5 minutes—without leaving their car. Some chapels even offer curbside Elvis impersonators and 24/7 ceremonies, complete with “to-go” marriage licenses.
Longest burning light bulb, The centennial light bulb in livermore, California
The world's longest lasting light bulb holds the Guinness World Record, and has been illuminating local fire stations in Livermore, California since 1901, the year Queen Victoria died.
The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
Located in Belize, there is a cave where the remnants of ancient Maya human sacrifices can be witnessed. However, reaching the back of the cave system requires swimming, wading through a cave river, and crawling through narrow, uneven rocky passages in darkness. Once there, visitors can walk among the numerous corpses of sacrifice victims, including The Crystal Maiden, an 18-year-old whose skeleton has become calcified to the point of sparkling.
Before "The Rock," There Was "Rocky Maivia"
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first WWF persona was Rocky Maivia, a face (good guy). The audience rejected him due to his cheesy character, with chants of “Die, Rocky, die!”. After this, he became a heel (villain), referring to himself in the third person as “The Rock” and insulting the audience.
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.
Couple reunites after 60 years apart
A Russian couple were reunited after being separated for 60 years. They were married for 3 days when the husband left to join the Red Army. They were unable to find each other until 60 years later when they randomly visited their hometown on the same day.
A U.S. Submarine Collides with a Japanese Fishing Ship in 2001
In 1998, 14-year-old Michael Crowe was charged with the murder of his sister. The police started targeting him after he seemed “distant and preoccupied” when his sister’s body was discovered, and during interrogation, police coercion led him to make a false confession. He was later declared factually innocent and the family won a lawsuit of $7.25 million in 2011.
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.
Neerja Bhanot, the braveheart flight attendant was never run away from a crisis
Neeja Bhanot, a 22 year old Indian flight attendant who helped hides 41 American passports aboard a hijacked plane. She died shielding three children from gunfire and was posthumously awarded bravery medals from India, Pakistan, and the United States.
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
Timothy Ray Brown, who inspired millions of HIV-positive people, died of leukemia
Timothy Ray Brown, also known as "The Berlin Patient," was the first person to be HIV-free. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006 and had a bone marrow transplant in 2007 as part of his treatment. The transplant helped him overcome the otherwise incurable disease thanks to the rare, HIV-resistant donor.
Man Trapped in the Sahara Desert Constructs a Bike From His Broken-Down Car to Save His Life
A man who became lost in the desert disassembled his broken-down car and turned it into a functional motorcycle, which he used to escape.
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.
24-year-old burglar beaten by retired boxer victim
A 24-year-old knife-wielding burglar attempted to get into the home of a 72-year-old senior in Oxford, England, in 2009, but was left battered, bruised, and pinned to the ground. Frank Corti, the elderly, turned out to be a former boxing champion.
The actions of a 7-year-old girl protected her mother from bullets
A 7-year-old girl jumped in front of her mother to save her from a man who was attempting to kill her in 2007. She was shot six times and survived, as well as saving her mother.
'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.
The Man Who Survived Falling Through a Thunderstorm, William Rankin
William Rankin was a fighter pilot who survived an ejection into a thunderstorm. He suffered frostbite, violent wind and lightning, severe decompression, and nearly drowned from breathing in rain water. He was in the cloud for over 40 minutes in total.
Croatian teenager wakes up from coma speaking fluent in German In 2010
In 2010, a Croatian teenager awoke from a coma to discover she could no longer speak Croatian but was fluent in German, a language she had just recently begun studying at school in the United Kingdom. reports in the press
A woman who had been lost since she was a newborn 51 years ago was said to have been spotted
A woman who had been lost since she was a newborn for 51 years was reported to have been sighted.
Man uses first-class ticket to eat for free at airport's VIP lounge for almost a year
A Chinese man purchased a First Class Ticket, which included admission to a VIP Lounge with free food. Over the course of a year, he rescheduled over 300 times in order to receive over 300 free dinners. When questioned, it was discovered that he is rescheduling his reservation to another date after eating. He eventually cancelled the ticket and got a full refund.
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.
How hero parrot saved little girl who was choking on her breakfast
In 2008 Quaker parrot Willie alerted his owner Megan Howard when the little girl she was babysitting began to choke. Howard was in the bathroom when the parrot repeatedly yelled "Mama! Baby!" flapping his wings. Megan rushed and performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving her life. Willie received the Red Cross Animal Lifesaver Award.
