Story of Nigerian who survived underwater for over 2 days.

Harrison Okene, a Nigerian cook survives under water for two days and a half in 30m (98ft) deep freezing sea.

With the hope of surviving coming to an end,

 after being trapped in freezing cold water and breathing from an air bubble in an upturned tugboat under the ocean, his hope was again renewed when an unexpected light shined out in the dark.

The Jascon-4 tugboat capsized on May 26 2013 due to the heavy Atlantic ocean that swelled around 30 km or 20 miles off the Nigeria coat, as it tried to stabile an oil tanker filling up at a Chevron platform. The 29 years old cook, Okene, happened to be one of those onboard the ship on the terrible incident.

It was said that there were 12 people onboard the ship and divers were able to recover 10 bodies, unable to find one when they carried out the rescue mission.

Okene miraculously survived by breathing inside a four foot high bubble of air as it shrunk in the waters slowly rising from the ceiling of the tiny toilet and adjoining bedroom where he sought refuge. He continued this way until two South African divers came to his rescue.

Alone In the Dark

According to Okene, "I was there in the water in total darkness just thinking it's the end. I kept thinking the water was going to fill up the room but it did not," As at the time he was rescued, part of his skin had pilled off for staying long in salt water.

Expressing his ordeal further, he said "I was so hungry but mostly so, so thirsty. The salt water took the skin off my tongue,". He explained that seawater got to his mouth, but he had nothing to eat or drink throughout this trying time.

How it began 

Explaining how the unfortunate incident happened, he said he was in the toilet at 4:50 a.m. on May 26, when he suddenly realized the tugboat was beginning to turn over. As water rushed in and the Jascon-4 flipped, he the metal door forcefully.

"As I was coming out of the toilet it was pitch black so we were trying to link our way out to the water tidal (exit hatch),"

Okene, narrative his experience to Reuter said further

"Three guys were in front of me and suddenly water rushed in full force. I saw the first one, the second one, the third one just washed away. I knew these guys were dead."

He was then swept along a narrow passageway by water in the boat into another toilet, this happened as the capsized boat crashed onto the ocean floor. He was surprised to still be alive though he would spend the next two and half days in the ocean floor.

Trying To Survive

Okene summoned the courage to open the door and swim into the officer's bedroom as he started to pull off the wall paneling whicj he intends to us use as a tiny raft to lift himself out of the freezing water.

Horrifying Sounds 

He would later realized he was not alone in the darkness.

"I was very, very cold and it was black. I couldn't see anything," He says.

"But I could perceive the dead bodies of my crew were nearby. I could smell them. The fish came in and began eating the bodies. I could hear the sound. It was horror."

The Rescue 

Unknown to Okene, a team of divers sent by Chevron and the ship's owners, West African Ventures, were already searching for crew members, how by now thought everyone would have died.

Fortunately for him, he heard them in the afternoon of May 28.

"I heard a sound of a hammer hitting the vessel. Boom, boom, boom. I swam down and found a water dispenser. I pulled the water filter and I hammered the side of the vessel hoping someone would hear me. Then the diver must have heard a sound."

As the divers broke into the ship to carry out the search, Okene saw light from a head torch of one of them along the passageway past the room.

"I went into the water and tapped him. I was waving my hands and he was shocked," 

Decompression 

The diving team fixed Okene up with an oxygen mask, diver's suit and helmet and he reached the surface at 19:32, more than 60 hours after the ship sank.

Okene reported that he spent another 60 hours in a decompression chamber where his body pressure was returned to normal. If he had been exposed to outside air immediately, it would have killed him.

Post Experience

Okene didn't have it easy after the experience as it still traumatized him.

"When I am at home sometimes it feels like the bed I am sleeping in is sinking. I think I'm still in the sea again. I jump up and I scream," 

Okene explained how he was able to survive the incident as a miracle.

"I don't know what stopped the water from filling that 

room. I was calling on God. He did it. It was a miracle."