ON the missing submarine Oga Harrison Okene , is one of the few people who have survived under the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Despite being on the seabed for two and a half days, he still came out alive in what was described as a miracle.
What baffled the experts was that Okene was trapped on the seabed in a normal boat.
Unlike the submarines which are normally pressurised and are designed for underwater ventures, normal boats and ships become flooded with water as soon as they sink below the water surface.
On that fateful day, Oga Okene being the cook on the tugboat, had woken up early at 5.00 am to prepare breakfast for the crew. But first he visited the toilet to relieve himself when a huge wave jolted the boat sending it to the seabed.
As the vessel sank, he managed to find his way to a cabin with an air pocket. An air pocket is a small area filled with air that prevents the flow of a liquid or gas, in this case water.
One can breathe in an underwater air pocket - it’s normal air. However with time, the oxygen supply will be exhausted, depending on the size of the air pocket.
Oga Okene was 30m (98ft) underwater, in total darkness thinking it was the end. Out of a crew of 12 people, he was the only one surviving.
60 hours later DCN global diving company sent divers to the seabed to investigate and retrieve the bodies. However while moving through the wreck of the sunken boat , one diver felt something grabbing his hand.
The diver took a great fright and almost swam back to the surface but held back after Okene identified himself. Even after being found , great care had to be taken to bring Okene to the surface .
Bringing him to the surface so fast was likely to result in a cardiac arrest or serious neurological issues. As Dr Christine Cridge explained “After a certain amount of time at pressure, nitrogen will dissolve into the tissues.” He had to be put in a decompression chamber to normalise his body pressure.
After the incident Oga Okene vowed never to come anywhere near the sea citing nightmares.
But two years later he abandoned his fear and became a certified commercial diver in 2015.
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