Can you imagine what it would be like to be lost at sea? Nothing in sight but miles and miles of water with only the occasional cloud to break up the scenery. Stories of shipwrecks and harrowing survival on the open ocean are popular themes of literature and film… but sometimes we forget they’re inspired by true events.
All nine of the survival stories below absolutely blew us away. Each overcame incredible odds to survive in a place that should be impossible to stay alive for any length of time.
Check out the incredible stories below.
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1. Harrison Okene
This photo shows the moment that 29-year-old Harrison Okene saw his first glimpse of light in 3 days. The Nigerian sailor was the chef aboard an oil company ship when ocean swells caused the vessel to sink 100 feet to the bottom of the ocean.
Okene found refuge in a tiny air pocket of the ship and was the only survivor of the 12 member crew.
He survived by eating fish and drinking Coca-Cola from the ship’s rations. When rescuers found him, Okene had to spend an extra 60 hours in a decompression chamber to rid his body of excess nitrogen.
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via The Gaurdian
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