World
Fishermen Rescue Cruise Ship Pianist From Pacific After Nine Hours
The Coast Guard is investigating how the unidentified employee fell overboard into warm ocean waters before his miraculous survival.
By Headlinne · Compiled from reporting by CBS, Guardian and BBC
Two California fishermen rescued a cruise ship pianist who spent roughly nine hours treading water in the Pacific Ocean nearly 20 miles off the coast on Friday.
Sean Norton and Grant Garrett discovered the unidentified 37-year-old man by noon while returning from a marlin fishing trip near Catalina Island.
Authorities took the man to a hospital in a stable condition after Newport Beach lifeguards responded to an emergency maritime call from the fishing boat.
The United States Coast Guard said it is currently investigating the incident and how the employee went overboard from the vessel.
Officials believe the man fell from the 14-deck Royal Caribbean cruise ship named the Ovation of the Seas at approximately 2:30 a.m.
Grant Garrett recalled the moment the boat captain spotted the stranded worker in the open ocean.
"I'm like, 'Yeah, it's a human being. Stop the boat; let's get all of our lines in," said Garrett.
Norton and Garrett pulled the exhausted worker aboard and learned he worked as a musician on the cruise ship.
"The only thing he said to me was, 'Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,"' said Norton.
Newport Beach Lifeguard Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda said the rescue occurred about 15 to 20 miles offshore.
Norton credited the man's survival to unusually warm sea temperatures caused by an El Niño weather pattern.
"You have this crazy super El Niño year. This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water's 76 degrees," said Norton.
"A different year, no way he makes it," said Norton.
BBC News reported that scientists monitoring the Pacific noted the El Niño climate phenomenon is the strongest on record.
Royal Caribbean Group confirmed the employment of the rescued individual and offered a brief statement.
"We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time," said a Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson.
The company declined to share additional details to respect the privacy of the employee.
Investigators will continue examining the exact circumstances that led to the pianist entering the water.
Reporting from
- CBS NewsNot politically framed
Newport Beach fishermen find Royal Caribbean cruise ship employee treading water 20 miles off coast
- The GuardianNot politically framed
Cruise ship pianist rescued after nine hours treading water miles from shore
- BBC NewsNot politically framed
Cruise ship pianist rescued from sea after nine hours in Pacific Ocean
How this article was made: Headlinne wrote it with AI from the 3 reports listed above. Direct quotes are checked word for word against those reports, every number appears in at least one of them, and no other sentence is copied from one. Photos are from those reports and credited to them. Each report’s page on Headlinne links to the outlet’s original.