Two fishermen from Newport Beach rescued a Royal Caribbean cruise ship employee who was treading water almost 20 miles off the California coast on Friday, as they made their way back from a fishing trip near Catalina Island.
Sean Norton and Grant Garrett had been out fishing for marlin that morning. By noon, they had pulled a man from the open Pacific Ocean who had been staying afloat far from shore.
Garrett recalled the moment the boat's captain noticed the man in the water. "I'm like, 'Yeah, it's a human being. Stop the boat; let's get all of our lines in," he said.
"Grant and I each got an arm and lifted him up," Norton said. "He was in total shock."
According to Garrett, once the man regained his senses, he told the fishermen he worked as a pianist aboard the Ovation of the Seas, a 14-deck Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Norton said the rescued man had little to say beyond gratitude. "The only thing he said to me was, 'Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,'" Norton recalled.
After getting the man aboard, the crew sent out an emergency maritime call, and a team of Newport Beach lifeguards responded to assist. Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda described the location of the rescue as "approximately 15 to 20 miles offshore, pretty much in the middle of the ocean." Officials believe the man may have fallen overboard roughly nine hours before he was spotted.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is investigating the incident, including how he ended up overboard.
Norton credited unusually warm ocean conditions for the man's survival. "You have this crazy super El Niño year. 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."
CBS LA said it contacted Royal Caribbean officials for comment but had not received a response.
