Survives Underwater for 60 hours

[delmarrey]

Harrison Okene survived under water for 60 hours in an air pocket at 100 ft, and no one knew he was alive, until.........

Luckest man in the sea!

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ive-air-pocket

[chris mac]

That is absolutely incredible! How he was still calm and coherent enough to not want to startle the diver, after 60 hours??? WOW!
The video is worth watching, very lucky man

[Boatguy30]

Was this a mono or multi hull tug boat? Chris White design by any chance?

[chris mac]

Well it sunk.... Obviously mono;-)

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

Was this a mono or multi hull tug boat? Chris White design by any chance?

Click on the link!

[fstbttms]

This happened 3 years ago. Where you been?

[delmarrey]

I've been down and back up the west coast!
I searched the CF threw its search pull down and nothing came up. Soooo...
I posted.

[WildFireAus]

Thanks for sharing - amazing story. We hadn't seen before either! How scary.

[Shrew]

I remember this from a few years ago. Maybe a diver can clarify for me???

The article discusses concerns with nitrogen build-up for extended periods at depth. He was in an air pocket. I assume that would act like diving bell. At that point isn't the hull structurally holding back the water pressure. Would there be so much pressure in a air pocket to cause nitrogen build-up?

Obviously i'm not a diver, so I apologize for the frustratingly stupid question.

[SV DestinyAscen]

Originally Posted by Shrew

I remember this from a few years ago. Maybe a diver can clarify for me???

The article discusses concerns with nitrogen build-up for extended periods at depth. He was in an air pocket. I assume that would act like diving bell. At that point isn't the hull structurally holding back the water pressure. Would there be so much pressure in a air pocket to cause nitrogen build-up?

Obviously i'm not a diver, so I apologize for the frustratingly stupid question.

Not a diver. But the air pocket Isn't like a closed bell because the air is compressed by water pressure from below. It's akin to a wet bell.

[chris mac]

Water doesn't compress, the weight of the water will compress the air however. As you go deeper, the water would force itself in from the bottom, compressing the air in the pocket.
He also spent 60 hours using up the oxygen, I would imagine that there wasn't a lot of breathable air left for him.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Shrew

I remember this from a few years ago. Maybe a diver can clarify for me???

The article discusses concerns with nitrogen build-up for extended periods at depth. He was in an air pocket. I assume that would act like diving bell. At that point isn't the hull structurally holding back the water pressure. Would there be so much pressure in a air pocket to cause nitrogen build-up?

Obviously i'm not a diver, so I apologize for the frustratingly stupid question.

At 100 ft the air pressure would be 3 times (atmospheres) of the surface. Which builds up the saturation of air in the joints and muscles. By coming back up to the surface immediately the air would expand and cause the bends, so bad it would kill him.

At 100 ft the nitrogen would hardly be enough to affect his ability to think properly. But decompression in a hyperbaric chamber was necessary to get him back to normal.

[Teknishn]

Shrew, some rather simplified basic dive theory here for you. For every 10-meters of depth, atmospheric pressure on the human body doubles, we compress. Oxygen and Nitrogen molecules are also compressed to 50% of their original size on the surface. Since normal human breathing patterns don't change with depth, one is now breathing in twice as many oxygen and nitrogen molecules at 10 meters of depth than they would normally breath in on the surface. For each additional 10-meters the Oxygen and Nitrogen molecules are further compressed by 50%.

Now, we inhale and exhale oxygen and nitrogen. Our bodies use oxygen to support life functions, we burn it off and exhale some of it. Nitrogen however, being an inert gas, is not used....but is still absorbed into our bloodstream and we only exhale part of it. Oxygen off-gases very quickly since we use some of it. Nitrogen on the other hand, does not leave our bodies as quickly as it is also a denser gas.....it takes time for our bodies to get rid of it. This is where decompression stages in diving are important. It allows our body to off gas/dissipate the nitrogen that is still in our bloodstream.

If one were to ascend from 100-feet (in the case of this sailor) without adequate time to get rid of the accumulated nitrogen molecules in his system, as he would rise up towards the surface, the nitrogen gas molecules compressed by depth, but still in his system, would start expanding to their original size as depth decreases. This would lead to what are called "The Bends" which can cause severe arterial damage as the gas bubbles expand beyond the limits that one's joints, arteries and veins can withstand and can cause permanent injury and in some cases, death.

Like I said, a simplified version. If you want to really understand how it works, taking dive course is a good place to start. Lots of books out there on dive theory and dive medicine as well. Some good reads if you're a diver (which I am).

[David B]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

I've been down and back up the west coast!
I searched the CF threw its search pull down and nothing came up. Soooo...
I posted.

And thank you for doing so!
Reading the article was one thing, but watching that video - call me old, but I found it pretty emotional. That poor guy, down there for 60 hours, praying, and then out of the water comes someone to save him.
You can see the wonderment on his face.

Imagine also the diver, having found him, and being able to bring him back up to safety. You would just know that your life was worthwhile that day - that you had made a huge difference in the world for that guy and his family.

This is an amazing world we live in.

[barnakiel]

How much air does a frightened, freezing person 'consume' over 60 hours?

It had to be a big air bubble, no?

b.