Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – He fell from a cruise ship and remained at the mercy of the Pacific Ocean for nine hours, surrounded by water and unsure if he would survive. The protagonist of the ordeal was a 37-year-old Royal Caribbean onboard pianist, who survived thanks to a near-miraculous rescue.
According to CBS News, last Friday, Sean Norton and Grant Garrett, two fishermen from Newport Beach, went out on a marlin fishing trip near Catalina Island, California.
Around noon, on the return voyage, the captain noticed something in the water nearly 20 miles off the coast. It wasn't a floating object, but a person trying to avoid drowning.
"He's a human being. We stop the boat, we pull in all the lines," Garrett said, recalling those moments.
The two fishermen didn't hesitate: "Grant and I each grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aboard," Norton explained. "He was completely shocked."
When he regained consciousness, the man told his rescuers that he was a pianist on the Ovation of the Seas, a 14-deck Royal Caribbean cruise ship bound for Ensenada, Mexico, after departing Long Beach.
His first words were few, but enough to convey the fear he experienced in those interminable hours: “Thank you.
I thought I was going to die,” Norton said.
After recovering him, the fishermen sent out an emergency call to the sea. Newport Beach lifeguards also responded to the scene. According to Adam Yacenda, fire marshal, the rescue occurred about 15-20 miles offshore, practically in the middle of the ocean.
Initial reconstructions indicate that the 37-year-old may have fallen into the sea from the vessel around 2:30 a.m. He would have remained in the water for approximately nine hours, perhaps even ten, before being located by fishermen.
The man, whose identity has not been released, was taken to the hospital. His condition is such that he is expected to survive. The U.S. Coast Guard has launched an investigation to determine how he ended up overboard.
Making the story even more extraordinary, according to one of the fishermen, it was the water temperature that kept him alive. "This year we're having a really unusual super El Niño phenomenon. This man was in the water for probably ten hours, but the temperature was around 24 degrees," said Norton, who added that "in a different year, he wouldn't have made it."
Royal Caribbean confirmed it stands by its employee: "We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time. To respect our employee's privacy, we have no further details to share."
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