A man who spent over 400 days lost at sea after a fishing trip went wrong ‘cheated death’ in a series of incredible ways.
In 2012, Mexican man José Salvador Alvarenga set out for a fishing trip with Ezequiel Córdoba, with the idea being that they’d spend two days out on the water of the Pacific Ocean before returning with their catch.
At first, things seemed to be going well for the expedition as they caught plenty of fish, but then their little boat was battered by a storm.
Alvarenga tried to sail to safer waters while Córdoba bailed water out of the boat, but with no oars or sails and the only motor on the boat broken, they couldn’t help but be swept further into the world’s largest ocean.
They radioed for help but without a GPS signal or the ability to drop an anchor, there was little chance of them being spotted.
José Salvador Alvarenga survived an incredible 438 days lost at sea, sadly his colleague didn’t (GIFF JOHNSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the waves were battering the boat even more and threatened to tip the boat over entirely.
One of the main problems that the boat had was that it was being weighed down by all the fish they’d caught, so they had to tip about 500kg worth of it overboard.
Sadly that wasn’t enough and they had to toss other equipment, while their radio gave out and they were stuck with no way to communicate with anyone.
In the end, all they could do was flip over the icebox which had been used to store the fish and huddle beneath it for protection from the elements, with the two men taking turns to go out and bail water out of the boat.
Alvarenga’s boat and the icebox he huddled under for shelter, pictured after he made it ashore (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
The upturned icebox would prove to be the main form of shelter for Alvarenga for his 438 days lost at sea.
Far from any shore and nobody having any idea where they were, they figured out how to catch fish without equipment, having had to toss it overboard, as Alvarenga would lean over the side of the boat with his arms in the water and close his hands when a fish swam through them.
Córdoba would then clean and gut the fish before cutting off strips of flesh to be dried out by the sun, and they’d occasionally be able to catch the odd turtle or bird as well.
While Alvarenga had ‘cheated death’ and survived 438 days at sea in a small fishing boat while using an icebox for shelter, Córdoba had not been so fortunate.
In this boat Alvarenga drifted for thousands of miles and over a year, having initially set off for a two day fishing trip (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
After several weeks of living off rainwater and raw meat, Córdoba was struggling and became ill, to the point that he wouldn’t even drink from a bottle that was raised to his lips, The Guardian reported.
When he died, Alvarenga still talked to his body for a while before sliding the body into the sea.
It would be a very long time before the remaining survivor would reach dry land, when he washed ashore on a place called Ebon Atoll, which is around 6,006 miles from Mexico.
Having drifted for thousands of miles, had he not hit the small bit of land he’d likely have gone for thousands more before making contact with any land.
Fortunately, there were people living on the island who could eventually bring him on the long journey back to Mexico.
In 2015, Alvarenga’s experience was made into a book, 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea, based on interviews he’d given to journalist Jonathan Franklin.
