In the early morning of May 26, 2013, a tugboat operating near an offshore oil platform off the coast of Nigeria capsized and sank to the seabed. One crew member, 29-year-old chef Harrison Okene, was trapped inside the overturned vessel in about 30 meters of water. Jascon 4 came to a halt upside down. Eleven other men on board died. Okun survived in a small air pocket for nearly 60 hours before being discovered by divers sent to recover the body. His rescue was later captured on video and attracted global attention. Medical experts and diving experts have since studied how to survive underwater for three days in such conditions.
Harrison Oken lives in an air bag 3 days underwater After the tugboat sank
The Jascon 4 was stabilizing an oil tanker on a Chevron platform about 20 miles offshore when waves suddenly appeared. The tugboat flipped over and sank quickly. Okun was swept across the ship and ended up in a small toilet cubicle in the officer’s cabin. When the ship rests on the seabed, an air pocket forms in the space. The ship’s doors have been locked as a security measure against pirates. This decision limited the crew’s escape routes, but also helped trap air within sections of the hull.The water is very cold. Okun found a mattress and built a small platform to keep part of his body above the water. In the darkness, he persisted and waited.
Harrison Okun lived in an underwater air pocket for three days after tugboat sank
Carbon dioxide poses greater danger
Lack of oxygen is not the most immediate threat. Eric Hexdall of Duke University’s Center for Hyperbaric Medicine said carbon dioxide accumulates faster in enclosed spaces and becomes toxic at concentrations around 5 percent. In an air pocket of about 13 cubic meters, a person can survive for about 56 hours before the carbon dioxide concentration reaches a critical value. Okun was trapped for nearly 60 hours.Carbon dioxide dissolves in water. By moving and splashing water within a confined space, he increases the contact between air and water. The surrounding seawater may have absorbed some of the gas, delaying the toxicity. Experts believe the airbag may also be connected to another compartment, providing additional volume. By the time divers reached him, he was showing early signs of exposure to carbon dioxide. He was found before losing consciousness.
High pressure creates further risks
The pressure 30 meters below the surface is approximately three times that at sea level. Under such pressure, nitrogen gas dissolves into the blood in large quantities. Prolonged exposure can cause nitrogen narcosis, a condition that impairs judgment and consciousness.Returning directly to the surface after being underwater for several days can cause decompression sickness, which is often fatal. Divers put an oxygen mask on Okun and guided him into a diving bell that maintained the same pressure as the ocean floor.From there he was transferred to a decompression chamber. The pressure gradually decreased over three days, allowing the nitrogen to safely leave his body. Subsequent physical examination revealed stable vital signs.
