Cruise ship pianist rescued after nine hours treading water in the Pacific
A pianist from a cruise ship has been rescued alive after spending nearly nine hours treading water in the Pacific Ocean. Two fishermen from Newport Beach, California, spotted him floating in the sea on Friday.
The rescued man is a crew member of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. The United States Coast Guard is investigating how he went overboard.
The Coast Guard said Sean Norton and Grant Garrett were returning from a marlin fishing trip near Catalina Island when they pulled the man from the water around noon.
Authorities believe he may have been in the ocean for about nine hours before the fishermen spotted him. He was taken to hospital after the rescue and is expected to survive.
The boat's captain first saw the man in the water. Garrett told CBS News, "I'm like, 'Yeah, it's a human being. Stop the boat; let's get all of our lines in.'"
The two fishermen then worked together to bring him on board. Once he had regained his composure, the man told them he was a pianist aboard Royal Caribbean's 14-deck cruise ship, the Ovation of the Seas.
Norton said the rescued crew member had few words for what he had just been through. In Norton's words, the only thing he said was, "Thank you. I thought I was gonna die."
After the rescue, the fishing crew sent out an emergency maritime call. Newport Beach lifeguards then responded to the scene and provided assistance.
Battalion chief Adam Yacenda told CBS the man was found about 15 to 20 miles offshore — in his words, "pretty much in the middle of the ocean".
Norton believes the unusually warm ocean water played a major role in the man's survival after so long in the sea. He said, "You have this crazy super El Niño year. This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water's 76 degrees. A different year, no way he makes it."
How the crew member fell from the cruise ship remains under investigation. The Coast Guard is looking into the circumstances of the incident.
Royal Caribbean Group acknowledged the incident and said it is assisting the employee. In a statement to CBS, a company spokesperson said, "We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time. To respect the privacy of our employee, we have no additional details to share."
