Trapped In The Dark
Harrison Okene was on the toilet, deep inside the tugboat Jascon-4 when the wave hit. Suddenly, the ceiling became the floor. The toilet fell and hit Okene in the head—then the power went out and everything went black.
He wouldn't see light again for 60 agonizing hours.
The Jascon-4
The AHT Jascon-4 was a tugboat contracted to Chevron. It was "performing towing operations" 30 km off the coast of Nigeria's oil-producing Delta State on May 26, 2013 when what Chevron describes as a "sudden ocean swell" capsized the vessel.
Harrison Okene
Harrison Okene, the ship's cook, was just 29 years old when the Jacson-4 capsized. Nothing could have prepared him for what he was going to endure over the next two days.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Loves The Water
Okene always dreamed of a life on the ocean. He loved the water before his ordeal, which is why he signed up for the crew to begin with. But soon, the ocean would be haunting his nightmares.
Three Days From Leave
That morning, Okene was scheduled to go on leave in three days. He hadn't even gotten dressed to start his day when he took a trip to the loo that lasted much longer than he planned.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
Sinking Fast
After the wave hit, the Jascon-4 rolled over and immediately began sinking. Okene later recalled that it only took one or two minutes before he felt the ship come to rest on the ocean floor.
RedCoat10, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Trapped And Injured
With blood pouring from the wound left by the falling toilet, Okene struggled to open the door to the bathroom he was in. He finally did get it open—but it didn't solve any of his problems.
He Wasn't Alone
Okene got the door open and he found three of his crewmates on the other side. They were struggling with a hatch as the water level quickly rose.
Ministerie van Defensie, Wikimedia Commons
They Were Swept Away
As Okene's crewmates struggled, water roared into the corridor. He watched as the three of them were swept away, one by one. Knowing in his gut that they were goners, Okene made an unthinkable decision.
He Went Deeper In
Thinking fast, Okene fought every instinct imaginable and turned to go deeper into bowels the ship.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Knew His Ship
Okene knew that his crew kept the airtight hatches to most cabins shut at all times, due to the threat of pirates. That gave him an idea.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
His Only Chance
As Okene swam away from the exit, the rushing water quickly swept him along. Soon, he found himself in another bathroom, just as the water forced the door shut behind him.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Wasn't Alone
Many of Okene's crewmates were still trapped in the ship. He remembered hearing "so many shout, shout, shouts...calling and crying".
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Wanted Out
Okene still hoped he would be able to find his way out of the ship—but the force of the water on the door to the bathroom was too great. He broke the handle trying to get it open.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Didn't Panic
This is the point when most people would despair. Okene told himself to remain calm. From that point, for the next 60 hours, he would remain in a state of hyper-composure. It was the only thing that would keep him alive.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Was In Charge
Telling himself he was in charge of the situation, Okene took a moment to think. Always a practical man, Okene spotted a metal vent and had another idea.
He Got Himself Out
Okene managed to break off the steel vent to use as a lever to pry the door open. It wasn't easy work—especially accompanied by haunting sounds.
His Crewmates Were Stuck Too
As Okene worked on getting the grate and opening the door, he could still hear the shouts of the other crew members echoing through the ship.
Okinawa Diving School World Diving, Pexels
It Fell Silent
Okene's quick thinking with the vent got him out of that bathroom—but by the time he got the hatch open, the shouts of his crew had fallen silent. In the moment, Okene told himself they must have escaped.
NOAA Ocean Explorer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The First Sign Of Hope
Gathering himself a bit, Okene made for the airtight hatch his crewmates had been struggling with before—but it didn't look good.
Jon Sommers, Wikimedia Commons
It Didn't Look Good
Aside from the air pocket he'd found in the second engineer's cabin, the rest of the ship had completely flooded. He only had that one small bubble of air to keep him alive.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Didn't Have Much Time
The watertight hatch that led out was still stuck—and by now completely submerged. Okene could only work on it for so long before he had to head back to his air pocket to breathe.
He Nearly Didn't Make It
Okene almost lost his fight for survival in the first moments. The first time he dove to check on the door, he got lost while trying to make it back to the air pocket.
He Was In A Maze
The route between the hatch and the pocket was full of doors—the engine room, mess room, chiller, cabins. It was a maze—but it was even worse than that.
He Couldn't Think Straight
The ship was upside down, underwater, and pitch black. It would be hard to navigate under perfect conditions, but the stress and lack of oxygen made it far worse.
A single wrong turn, and Okene might not make it back to the air pocket.
He Found Food
The hatch wasn't opening, so Okene focused on what he could. Searching through his surroundings, he managed to scrounge up a tin of sardines and a can of cola for food.
He Found Clothing
Okene also managed to find a set of coveralls—he was still in his boxers. But he wasn't going to put the coveralls on. He had a better idea.
He Made His Own Rope
Okene methodically cut the coveralls into strips, tying them end to end until he had a long piece of rope. He then tied the rope to the door at the entrance to the cabin.
He Made Sure He Knew The Way
Since getting lost could be the end, Okene used the rope to guide him as a guide between the air pocket and the hatch, buying him extra time. Genius.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Was Freezing
Okene had more problems he had to deal with. The waters of the Atlantic are freezing, and he wouldn't survive long if he stayed submerged.
He Built A Raft
Ripping the wooden panels out of the ceiling, Okene fashioned a raft just big enough to haul himself up on to. From his cramped little perch, he could retain some heat and plan his next move.
Adamantios, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
All He Could Do Was Wait
After a few attempts, Okene had to admit that he was not going to get the hatch open. Trying any more would just waste precious oxygen. All he could do was sit, wait, and pray.
He Quickly Ran Out Of Food
The can of sardines and the cola did not last him long. The hunger quickly set in, but far worse was the thirst—made so much more painful by all the saltwater he'd ingested.
He Lost Sense Of Place And Time
Sitting there in the darkness, Okene says that time started to lose meaning. He sat there in total darkness. But this wasn't sensory deprivation. It was so much worse—because there were still the sounds.
Media Whale Stock, Shutterstock
He Wasn't Alone
Sea creatures soon started infiltrating the ship. They tore at Okene's skin when he left a limb in the water for too long. But he wasn't their only meal.
His Crewmates Never Got Out
Okene couldn't see in the darkness, but he could sense the bodies of his crewmates nearby—and he could hear the fish nibbling away at them: "It was horror".
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A, Shutterstock
He Was In Terrible Pain
Harrison's throat burned from all the salt water he'd swallowed. It made the skin of his tongue peel away. His extremities weren't faring much better. But all he could do was endure it.
The Water Kept Rising
Okene kept himself calm, but he couldn't deny the fact that the water was rising. He sat there and waited for the water to fill the room completely.
He Thought Of His Family
Trapped on his raft, Okene thought of his wife and mother. In the total darkness, his memories flashed before his eyes, thoughts and moments from his life.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
Church Songs Kept Him Company
Okene sang church songs over and over in his head to help him pass the time. And he wasn't hanging on for nothing.
He Kept The Fear At Bay
The entire time he was waiting, Okene knew that a panicked brain used more oxygen, so he simply remained calm and bought himself as much time as possible. Long enough to hear a new sound in the darkness.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Heard Something
Okene suddenly heard what sounded like a hammer banging on the hull. It was faint, but it was there. If it was a person, he was going to make sure they knew he was there.
He Made As Much Noise As Possible
Swimming down towards the source of the noise, Okene started banging as hard as he could on the side of the ship with a water filter.
He Saw A Light
Okene had no idea how long he'd been in darkness when he saw the faintest reflection of a light appear beneath him.
KONSTANTIN_SHISHKIN, Shutterstock
He Swam To The Light
Taking a deep breath, Okene mustered what strength he had and dove down towards the light. But it was still too faint in the darkness. He had to resurface into his bubble to take one last deep breath and try again.
phmarcosborsatto, Shutterstock
They Found Him
The rescue divers who found Okene were wearing cameras on their helmet. In the footage, you can see Okene's palm appear out of the darkness. The diver radios that he has found another body—then the hand reaches out and grabs him.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Was Shocked
In that moment, Okene wasn't exactly worried about surprising his rescuer. In an interview, he says the man "shivered with fear" when he reached out.
If you thought a body reached and grabbed you, 30m under water, you'd jump too!
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Shouldn't Have Been Able To Survive
The bubble of air that Okene survived in should have filled with a toxic level of carbon dioxide within just a couple hours. So how did he survive for 60?
Oregon State University, Flickr
Physics Saved Him
The cold water was painful, but it may have been what saved his life. Okene was breathing out carbon dioxide, but cold water actually absorbs carbon dioxide quite well, pulling it out of the air around him. He had something else going for him too.
His Bubble Had A Secret Weapon
There's one other factor that gave Okene a chance to survive. Since he was near the bottom of the ocean, the air in the bubble was four times as dense as it would have been at the surface. That's a big difference.
He Had A Little Extra Time
Four times the pressure in the air pocket means four times as much oxygen. Between the ocean slowly diffusing carbon dioxide he was exhaling and the increased air pressure, Okene was given just enough time to survive until his rescue. But the pressure caused its own problems.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
His Blood Was Toxic
Recreational divers usually wouldn't spend more than 20 minutes at that depth. Okene had been there nearly three days, and in that time his blood had absorbed potentially fatal amounts of nitrogen.
It Wasn't Over Yet
Okene had been through unimaginable stress, and he had been trapped at pressure for nearly 60 hours. The dive team had to be extremely careful with what they did next.
They Took It Slow
The rescue team outfitted Okene with dive equipment and slowly led him to a dive bell. From there, they slowly raised him to the surface—but he still wasn't out of the woods.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Was Still Trapped For Three Days
He wanted to go home, but Okene had to go straight into a decompression chamber for three days upon reaching the surface, to allow his body to slowly reacclimate to atmospheric pressure.
Mike, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
He Had No Clue How Long It Had Been
Okene couldn't believe it when they told him that he'd been trapped for nearly three days. He didn't even think a single night had passed.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Was The Only Survivor
One of the first things Okene did upon being rescued is ask about his crew mates. He had spent all that time in the darkness hoping they might have gotten out—but he was the only survivor.
Bukola Anney, How I survived 3 days under the Ocean (Harrison Okene's Testimony)
He Was...Perfectly Fine
After completing decompression, medics were shocked to discover that Okene was in almost perfectly normal health aside from his raw skin.
Krakenimages.com, Shutterstock
He Didn't Go To The Hospital
Despite pleas to seek further medical attention, once Okene was finished in the pressure chamber, he went straight home to be with his family. But it would be a long time before he could put the experience behind him.
He Suffered Nightmares
For weeks after his rescue, Okene suffered nightmares. He would feel like the bed was sinking, like he was trapped in his bedroom with his wife with the water rising. And it wasn't like the daytime let him forget about it.
The Media Hounded Him
Okene's incredible story attracted an incredible amount of media attention—for Okene, too much. Every day journalists and paparazzi would hound him at his door.
He Didn't Think He'd Return To The Sea
As the nightmares haunted at night, Okene thought he would maybe never return to the sea again. But he had always loved the ocean, and it would come back to him before long.
He Went Under Again
About a year after the ordeal, Okene was driving with a friend when his car went off a bridge and into the water. But this time, Okene knew he could handle himself.
GagliardiPhotography, Shutterstock
He Went Back For His Friend
Okene not only got himself out of the car, he went back for his friend when he realized he was stuck. Then, he actually went down again to tie a rope to haul the car out.
He Got A New Start
The years after the accident weren't easy on Okene. He and his wife separated, and he grew depressed. But there was one thing he knew he was good at.
He Went Back Under
Harrison Okene survived on a makeshift raft for nearly 60 hours near the bottom of the sea at depths that by all rights should have killed him. So why not play to his strengths?
He Became A Diver
Despite protests from his family, Okene faced his past, and today he works as a professional diver, installing and repairing underwater oil rig facilities.
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