Working as a pianist aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, a man fell overboard into the Pacific Ocean and survived nine hours at sea before two fishermen rescued him roughly 25 to 30 kilometers off the coast of Newport Beach, according to CBS News.
The ship was traveling toward Mexico when the man went over the side. The exact reasons for his fall remain unknown, as reported by CBS News.
Fishermen Grant Garrett and Sean Norton spotted him in the water. “I said to myself, that’s a man. Let’s stop the boat,” Grant Garrett recounted to CBS News.
The two fishermen successfully pulled the survivor aboard their vessel. “He was in absolute state of shock,” Sean Norton explained to CBS News, noting the man’s first words were, “Thank you. I thought I was going to die.”
A distress call went out following the rescue, and emergency personnel intervened to care for the man in his thirties. Rescuers hospitalized the pianist, and his condition is no longer life-threatening, according to CBS News.
Sean Norton credited part of the survivor’s endurance to the Pacific Ocean’s current temperature. The El Niño climate phenomenon is currently warming the waters, which he suggested helped the man withstand hours of exposure. “Another year, he wouldn’t have made it,” Norton told CBS News.
Royal Caribbean issued a statement confirming support for their crew member while withholding details about the incident itself. “To respect our employee’s privacy, we have no further details to share,” the company told CBS News.
Earlier coverage: Cruise Ship Pianist Rescued After 9 Hours in Pacific Ocean
