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Trapped deep underwater in complete darkness, Harrison Okene stayed alive in a tiny air pocket while rescue teams believed nobody could have survived.
News18
For most people, surviving a shipwreck would be enough to stay away from the ocean forever. But for Harrison Okene, the sea somehow became even more meaningful after he spent almost three days trapped inside a capsized boat at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
The frightening incident happened in May 2013 when Okene was working as a cook aboard the tugboat Jascon 4 near the Nigerian coast. It was early morning and rough weather had already been building at sea. Okene had just gone to the bathroom when a powerful wave suddenly slammed into the vessel, flipping it upside down within seconds.
One moment he was preparing for another workday. The next, he was underwater in total darkness.
As water rushed through the boat, terrified crew members tried to escape through a hatch. Okene joined them briefly, but panic and confusion quickly took over. Realising he could not stay there, he swam deeper inside the overturned vessel. That decision ended up saving his life.
He was swept into another cabin where a small pocket of trapped air had formed near the ceiling. It was barely enough space to survive, but it gave him hope.
For nearly three days, Okene stayed there alone.
He searched through floating bags and found a small can of cola and some sardines. He tore pieces of clothing into strips to create a guide rope so he would not lose his way whenever he swam through the dark corridors of the wreck. At times, he could hear sounds outside the boat, but he had no idea whether rescuers were nearby.
The silence was the hardest part. Earlier, he had heard the cries of his colleagues echoing through the wreck. Then suddenly, there was nothing.
Okene later said he forced himself to stay calm because panic would only make him use oxygen faster. He prayed constantly and sang church songs to keep fear away.
When divers finally entered the wreck, they were expecting to recover bodies. Instead, one diver suddenly spotted a hand moving through the darkness. Video from the diver’s helmet later captured the shocking moment Okene grabbed him.
Today, more than a decade later, Okene works as a professional diver. Rather than running from the ocean, he chose to face it again. He says surviving underwater changed the way he thinks about fear, faith and life itself.
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