A cruise ship pianist was found battling the waves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California, where he remained for about nine hours after falling overboard, until two fishermen spotted him by chance and rescued him.
According to U.S. media reports, the man, who works for Royal Caribbean, was found on Friday about 32 kilometers off the coast, near Catalina Island.
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The two fishermen, Grant Garrett and Sean Norton, spotted a person in the water and rushed to help him. “As soon as I realized it was a person, I told them to stop the boat and immediately reel in all our fishing lines,” Garrett told CBS News.
The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, managed to explain to them that he worked as a pianist on the 14-deck cruise ship “Ovation of the Seas.” “All he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was going to die,’” Norton said.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced that it had been notified by a civilian who had pulled a conscious man from the water. The survivor was then handed over to Newport Beach lifeguards, who confirmed that he was a crew member of the “Ovation of the Seas.”
The pianist was taken to a hospital in stable condition, while the Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances under which he fell from the cruise ship.
The two fishermen believe that the unusually high temperatures of the Pacific Ocean played a crucial role in his survival.
“We’re experiencing an exceptionally strong El Niño year. This man was in the water for probably ten hours, but the temperature was around 24 degrees Celsius. In any other year, he would have had no chance of survival,” Norton emphasized.
For its part, Royal Caribbean confirmed the incident, noting that it is providing support to its employee. “We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time,” a company spokesperson told the BBC. “Out of respect for our employee’s privacy, we have no further information to share,” the spokesperson added.
Source: Proto Thema
