by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
NEWPORT BEACH, USA (Worthy News) – A cruise ship pianist who reportedly spent nine hours struggling to survive in the Pacific Ocean was rescued by two fishermen off the California coast after fearing he would never make it home alive.
The unidentified man, an employee of Royal Caribbean, was discovered Friday about 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 kilometers) offshore near Catalina Island, where fishermen Grant Garrett and Sean Norton spotted him in the water.
The two men were fishing when they noticed what appeared to be a person in the ocean and realized someone urgently needed help.
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a human being. Stop the boat; let’s get all of our lines in,’” Garrett told the U.S. broadcaster CBS, recalling the moment they spotted him.
The fishermen rushed to help the man aboard, finding him conscious but shaken after his ordeal.
‘I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE’
“Grant and I each got an arm and lifted him up,” Norton recalled. “He was in total shock.”
The survivor identified himself as a pianist aboard Royal Caribbean’s 14-deck Ovation of the Seas cruise ship.
“The only thing he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,’” Norton recalled.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report from “a Good Samaritan who recovered a conscious individual from the water.”
The survivor was subsequently handed over to Newport Beach lifeguards and taken to hospital in stable condition, authorities said.
NINE HOURS ALONE AT SEA
Officials believe the pianist may have fallen overboard around 2:30 a.m. Friday, leaving him in the Pacific Ocean for approximately nine hours before his rescue.
“It was approximately 15 to 20 miles offshore, pretty much in the middle of the ocean,” Newport Beach Lifeguard Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda told CBS.
The circumstances surrounding his fall remain unclear, and the Coast Guard has launched an investigation into how he ended up in the water.
The Ovation of the Seas was sailing in Southern California waters on a voyage involving Ensenada, Mexico, when the incident occurred, according to local reports.
The pianist’s name, age and nationality have not been publicly released, and officials have not established whether anyone aboard the cruise ship knew he was missing before the rescue.
WARM OCEAN WATERS
Norton believes unusually warm Pacific Ocean temperatures may have helped the man survive his prolonged exposure to the sea.
“You have this crazy super El Niño year. This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water’s 76 degrees,” Norton said, referring to a temperature of 76 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius).
“A different year, no way he makes it,” he added.
Although warmer water can slow the loss of body heat, spending hours in the open ocean still carries serious risks, including exhaustion, dehydration, drowning and exposure.
The fishermen’s account highlighted how difficult it can be to spot a person in open water, particularly far from shore.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN RESPONDS
Royal Caribbean Group confirmed that the rescued man was one of its employees and said it was assisting him following the incident.
“We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time,” a company spokesperson told the British public broadcaster BBC.
“To respect the privacy of our employee, we have no additional details to share.”
The Coast Guard has not announced findings from its investigation, leaving unanswered questions about how the pianist went overboard and what happened during his hours alone at sea.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
