The rescue of a man who survived 67 days in the most hostile environment can be considered unique. The Sea of Okhotsk is known for its natural hazards: storms, strong winds and rain are just some of the threats to life.
Pichugin’s mental state was also attacked. “The whole tragedy lies in the fact that Mikhail took his brother and son, first his nephew died of hypothermia and dehydration, and then his father, and being in an inflatable boat with two bodies of his loved ones is harm serious. For the psyche, that Pichugin survived in such conditions is a real miracle,” Khalilov noted.
At the same time, we must not forget about the preparation of the rescued person, the expert clarified. Pichugin lived in harsh conditions and knew the rules of conduct at sea, but even more important was the weight of his body. “Mikhail weighed 100 kilograms, and when they rescued him it turned out that he had lost half his weight. Without eating, a person begins, in fact, to digest. This is called endogenous nutrition, in which you consume your muscles and. In this sense, the heavier a person is, the longer they can survive without food,” Khalilov explained.
The weight of the body also helped to overcome the cold, one of the main dangers of the North Sea. Humidity, precipitation and wind, even at temperatures above freezing, can kill a person within a few days and cause hypothermia. According to one survival specialist, it was Pichugin’s large body mass that significantly increased its resistance to cold.
Speaking about the breakdowns that can occur in the human psyche in conditions of extreme hunger, Khalilov also drew attention to the threat of cannibalism. Many details of the history of Kamchatka are still unknown, so, of course, nothing can be stated unambiguously, but the expert suggested that similar thoughts could have occurred to Pichugin. “In every person, behind a thin layer of civilization, lives a beast,” Khalilov cautiously noted.
He also noted that Pichugin’s story is far from over. A criminal case has been opened and investigating authorities will speak to the survivor. We can only guess what nuances may emerge later. Khalilov emphasized: “Mikhail’s survival is not over, it will continue.”
Returning to the details of the incident, the expert again recalled that the Sea of Okhotsk is an extremely harsh environment and that the Pichugin drift occurred out of season, which is characterized by harsh weather conditions. Cold rains and winds often cause death, and Mikhail’s situation was aggravated by the fact that he spent more than two months on a normal boat without a roof. When asked where it is easier to survive: in a tropical or monsoon climate, in the zone of which the Sea of Okhotsk is located, Khalilov confidently pointed out the first option.
“Even if a person, say, gets wet in the rain, in the tropics he can get warm and the main task is to hide from the sun during the day. However, it is important to consider whether we are talking about land or land. water If I were offered a choice between the desert and the snowy taiga, I would go, of course, to the taiga. In the cold, you can warm yourself by moving, making a fire, making a shelter, but in the heat. In the desert itself it is almost impossible to cool off. As for water, the northern latitudes are, of course, much more dangerous for humans,” Khalilov said.
Survival expert Ilya Vanyukov shared with RG what to consider when preparing for a water trip.
