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From 13 months to 484 days: Extraordinary stories of survival at sea
Five people were rescued this week in the South Pacific island nation of Kiribati after 3 months drifting at sea in a 20-foot skiff.
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The rescue of 5 people, including 2 children, after they spent nearly 3 months drifting across the Pacific Ocean has once again drawn attention to extraordinary stories of survival at sea.
According to the Associated Press, the group was rescued by villagers off Fanning Island in Kiribati on Sunday after drifting approximately 5,400 km east from the Federated States of Micronesia in a 20-foot skiff. The group had reportedly been attempting a one-hour crossing between the islands of Murilo and Ruo when a storm caught them and left them adrift at sea.
The US Coast Guard in Guam said the boat, carrying 9 people, had been reported missing after it failed to return to Ruo Island in Micronesia on July 30. A 10-day search covering 85,700 sq km was launched, but the missing boat and its occupants could not initially be located. 5 of the 9 people have since been rescued, while 4 remain missing.
While the ordeal is a remarkable account of endurance, it is not the first time people have survived for months in the vast Pacific Ocean. Here are some extraordinary survival stories.
Jose Salvador Alvarenga: 13 months at sea
Jose Salvador Alvarenga made headlines in January 2014 after being rescued in the Marshall Islands, having reportedly survived more than a year adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
According to a report by the BBC, Alvarenga said he had spent approximately 13 months at sea, covering nearly 8,000 km in a small fibreglass fishing boat. His ordeal began in December 2012 when he set out on a fishing trip from Mexico and was caught in a storm that pushed his boat off course. Alvarenga said that he stayed alive by drinking urine, rainwater and the blood of birds. His fellow fisherman, Ezequiel Cordoba, died during the ordeal.
Three Mexican fishermen: 9 months adrift
In August 2006, three Mexican fishermen - Jesus Eduardo Vidana, Lucio Rendon and Salvador Ordonez - were rescued after spending approximately 9 months adrift in the Pacific Ocean. The men had reportedly left the Mexican port of San Blas on a shark-fishing expedition in October 2005. Their boat was caught in strong winds and carried far out to sea. After running out of fuel, they were left at the mercy of ocean currents.
The fishermen survived by eating raw fish and birds and drinking rainwater. They were eventually spotted by a Taiwanese fishing vessel on August 9, 2006, in the South Pacific.
Lapahele Sopi and Telea Paa: 4 months at sea
2 men from Samoa, Lapahele Sopi and Telea Paa, survived 4 months adrift in a small metal boat before being rescued in Papua New Guinea in 2001. The pair had drifted approximately 4,000 km from their home country. During their ordeal, they survived by catching fish and drinking rainwater. A villager in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, eventually spotted the survivors and paddled out to them in a canoe after they fired their last flare.
Maurice and Marilyn Bailey: 117 days in the Pacific
In 1973, British couple Maurice and Marilyn Bailey survived 117 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean after their yacht was reportedly struck by a whale off the coast of Guatemala.
According to NPR, the couple escaped in a rubber dinghy after their yacht capsized. They spent nearly 4 months at sea before being rescued.
Other well-known survivors
Captain Oguri Jukichi: According to Guinness World Records, Japanese captain Oguri Jukichi and one of his sailors survived approximately 484 days adrift at sea between 1813 and 1815.
Deborah Kiley: In 1982, American sailor Deborah Kiley and another crew member survived 5 days on a life raft after their boat was caught in a storm off the US coast. Kiley’s experience later inspired the film Two Came Back, which depicted the terrifying struggle for survival.
Steven Callahan: American adventurer Steven Callahan survived 76 days alone in an inflatable life raft in the Atlantic Ocean in 1982 after a whale reportedly rammed his sailing vessel, causing it to sink. He managed to survive by catching fish and collecting rainwater while drifting across the ocean. He described his adventure in the best-selling book Adrift: 76 Days Lost At Sea (1986) and gave advice in the making of the film Life of Pi.
