The sea which used to be clear blue was like mud water and it was as if it was boiling up and gaint waves were coimng on to the land.

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At 8:20 p.m. on the day of the explosion the pressure data suggest there was a constant flow of sea water being pumped into the drill pipe that was displacing the heavier mud system which was the primary pressure control for the well.

WSJ: The Oil Disaster Is About Human, Not System, Failure

This meant replacing the 14-pound-per-gallon mud that was in the wellbore with 8.5-pound-per-gallon sea water.

WSJ: The Oil Disaster Is About Human, Not System, Failure