Crew member survives nine hours in Pacific after falling off Royal Caribbean ship
Two fishermen pulled a pianist from the water off California, where authorities say he spent nearly a full day in the ocean.
By Ricardo Brooks ·
A pianist working on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship is expected to survive after spending approximately nine hours in the Pacific Ocean. Two local fishermen found the crew member treading water on Friday and brought him to safety.
Sean Norton and Grant Garrett were returning from a marlin fishing trip near Catalina Island when they spotted the man. He was located between 15 and 20 miles off the coast of Newport Beach, California. By noon, the pair had pulled the exhausted crew member onto their vessel.
Norton stated that the ocean temperature was 76 degrees Fahrenheit, a factor he credited for the man's survival. He described the current conditions as a 'crazy super El Niño year' and noted that the water was unusually warm for the season. 'A different year, no way he makes it,' Norton said.
Upon regaining his composure, the crew member identified himself as a pianist aboard the Ovation of the Seas, a 14-deck ship operated by Royal Caribbean. He provided few details about the incident. 'The only thing he said to me was, Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,' Norton recalled.
Grant Garrett described the moment the boat's captain first saw the figure in the water. 'Yeah, it's a human being. Stop the boat; let's get all of our lines in,' Garrett said. The two fishermen worked together to secure the man on board before sending out an emergency maritime call.
Newport Beach lifeguards responded to assist the fishing crew. Battalion chief Adam Yacenda described the location of the rescue as 'pretty much in the middle of the ocean.' The rescued man was transported to a hospital following the incident.
The US Coast Guard has opened an investigation into how the crew member ended up overboard. Royal Caribbean Group confirmed the incident and stated it is supporting the employee. A company spokesperson said in a statement: '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.'
