Fallen overboard pianist rescued after nine hours of drift in the Pacific

The pianist of the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas was rescued after nine hours of drift in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. It was discovered by two fishermen near the island of Catalina, reports the BBC with reference to the American television channel CBS News.

According to rescuers, the employee of the liner fell overboard at about 02:30 local time (13:30 GMT). Fishermen Grant Garrett and Sean Norton found it about nine hours later 15–20 miles (24–32 km) from the coast and pulled it out of the water.

"I said, "Look, it's a man! Stop the boat, remove the tackles! said Garrett.

The man was then handed over to rescuers from Newport Beach, who confirmed the man was a member of the Ovation of the Seas crew.

The victim was taken to hospital, his condition is assessed as stable. According to the fishermen, the man told them that he worked as a pianist on a cruise ship.

He [the pianist] said to me, Thank you. I thought I was going to die, Norton added.

The fisherman suggested that the employee’s survival was helped by the relatively high temperature of the water in the ocean – about 24 ° C. According to him, at other times of the year, the chances of escape from a man could be much less.

A spokesman for the Royal Caribbean Group, which owns the Royal Caribbean cruise line, told the BBC the company was providing support to the employee.

"Out of respect for our employee's privacy, we are unable to provide any further details," the Royal Caribbean Group said in a statement.

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating what happened.

In late October, Australian broadcaster ABC reported the rescue off the coast of Kiribati 18-year-old resident of Papua New Guinea, Luca Rahan, who spent 41 days in a drifting boat about 2 thousand km from home.

The young man went fishing with his cousin, but the engine broke. A relative died at sea a week before being rescued. Rahan was found severely dehydrated and taken to a hospital on Tarawa Island.