A Royal Caribbean pianist was rescued after spending almost nine hours in the Pacific Ocean, having gone overboard from the Ovation of the Seas off the coast of California.
The unidentified crew member was found about 15 to 20 miles offshore by fishermen Sean Norton and Grant Garrett, who were searching for marlin roughly 20 miles from Catalina Island.
The pair spotted what appeared to be a person in the water at around noon and immediately stopped their boat. “Yeah, it’s a human being. Stop the boat; let’s get all of our lines in,” Mr Garrett told reporters.
They pulled the man aboard, finding him in a state of shock after hours at sea. “Grant and I each got an arm and lifted him up,” Mr Norton said. “He was in total shock.”
Once he was able to speak, the man told his rescuers that he worked as a pianist on Royal Caribbean’s 14-deck cruise ship.
“The only thing he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,’” Mr Norton recalled.
Newport Beach lifeguards responded after an emergency maritime call. Authorities estimated that the pianist had fallen overboard at about 2.30am, several hours before the Ovation of the Seas was due to return to Los Angeles at around 7am on November 6.
He was taken to hospital and is expected to survive. The US Coast Guard is investigating how he ended up in the water.
Mr Norton suggested that unusually warm sea temperatures may have helped keep the man alive. “This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water’s 76 degrees,” he said. “A different year, no way he makes it.”
Royal Caribbean Group said it was supporting the crew member but would not disclose further details. A 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.”
