The Story of the Man Stuck in the Ocean for 438 Days

In this incident that took place in late 2012, they were actually two people, but after a while Jose’s friend unable to withstand living conditions He had died and left his teammate alone.

So how did Jose Alvarenga spend more than a year in the middle of nowhere? spent in a 7-meter rowboat Did you manage to survive? Was the story he told true? What do the experts say about this?

Jose Alvarenga had planned a 30-hour deep-sea shift fishing amongst the sharks.

Competition was fierce in the Mexican fishing village of Costa Azul, and Alvarenga was determined to catch an impressive catch. Working for his friend and employer, Villermino Rodriguez another fisherman He was going to set out with, but that person had taken a step back at the last minute.

Alvarenga didn’t care much about this situation and chose another young fisherman named Ezequiel Cordoba from his employer’s company. Previously with Alvarenga, Cordoba never worked and although he hadn’t even spoken to her, he saw the inexperienced young man fit for his journey.

Unaware of what will happen to them, the two set off in a tiny boat across the ocean.

On 17 November 2012, the duo set out in a 7-metre boat with a small motor. Various fishing gear on board, a portable electronic radio and for catching fish a big box of ice there was.

The trip seemed to be going as well as Alvarenga had hoped, because before long almost all of the iceboxes They had caught enough fish to fill it.

Due to the stormy rain, it was impossible to chart a route.

A few hours before the end of their journey, a storm broke out that would last for five days. Alvarenga and Cordoba, the boat they tried to bring it back to shore but in this storm and rain it was impossible to see where the shore was.

Their boats were also weighed down by the fish, and they had to dump their catch into the sea in order to maneuver. For a while, the rain water and the things they brought with them with a small amount of food they were able to survive.

When the storm subsided, they were able to see exactly what they had left.

Their engines were unusable, their fishing gear was lost, and their electronics were damaged. Only a few basic materials They were stranded in the middle of the ocean.

Jose Alvarenga; with bare hands He was able to catch fish, turtles, jellyfish and seabirds. For a while, they managed that way, but days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and everything was getting harder and harder.

Their only hope was to be seen by planes or drifted to a shoreline.

By following the phases of the Moon, Alvarenga was able to keep herself busy and to keep time. grown in water and most of his life having spent time at sea, he was accustomed to a diet of seafood, the sun, and harsh salty air. For Ezequiel Cordoba, however, the situation was different.

When his friend died, Alvarenga also considered committing suicide.

Cordoba; He was starting to get sick from eating raw fish, birds, and turtles. shortly after getting sick stopped eating and eventually died of starvation. Left alone after Ezequiel Cordoba’s death, Alvarenga began to consider suicide, but never did.

After spending more than 400 days at sea, Alvarenga finally saw what he had dreamed of for over a year: land.

His little battered boat sails south, about 9,000 kilometers from where he started his voyage, to a remote corner of the Marshall Islands had drifted.

After arriving at the shore beach house knocked on his door. The couple, who could not believe what the man said, immediately reported the situation to the authorities. Thinking that Alvarenga died 11 months ago, the police were shocked by the story.

Everyone thought the two fishermen in the small boat were already dead. Her parents, her little daughter and her boss; They were very happy with his return. For his boss, Alvarenga search team He had sent them, but they could not find him because of the storm.

In the beginning, almost no one believed the story of Jose Alvarenga.

Alvarenga looked too healthy to spend more than a year at sea. He was emaciated, his hair and beard had grown too long, and his skin was frayed, but he certainly was without eating or staying that long without drinking fresh water would have weakened him even more. Doctors claimed that he must at least have scurvy (a disease likely caused by the fish he ate).

In addition, several maritime specialists were particularly keen to reach the point of the Marshall Islands. on a straight line He said that he would have to sail, that it would be nearly impossible without any steering mechanism or navigation system.

But this route inconsistency is a result of a University of Hawaii study showing that ocean currents that he will direct him directly to the island where he landed. disappeared when proven.

Today, Alvarenga lives in a small landlocked town in El Salvador, as far from the water as possible.

The story the man told is still not fully proven to be true or false. If what he said was not true, why had he lived away from home for so long? If true, a miraculous nature was carrying.