Imagine being at sea in a boat, and due to its malfunction, you drift for almost a year and a half with no one coming to your rescue.
It’s hard to believe, but this is exactly what happened to José Salvador Alvarenga, who survived in his boat for 438 days in the Pacific Ocean before reaching dry land, with no one coming to rescue him.
In November 2012, José Salvador, along with a friend named Ezekiel Cordoba, set off on a fishing trip from Mexico.
The journey was meant to last 30 hours and involved catching fish.
However, a storm damaged their boat, and they had to throw the caught fish back into the ocean to prevent the boat from sinking.
José Salvador tried to call for help using the boat’s radio, but it broke down, and their boat continued drifting aimlessly in the Pacific Ocean.
Rescue efforts were initiated based on the radio call, but they were discontinued after just two days.
Due to the storm, their food supply was destroyed, leaving them with very little to eat.
During the journey, José Salvador’s friend died from starvation because he refused to eat raw fish.
Before dying, Ezekiel Cordoba asked José Salvador not to eat his body but to throw it into the sea.
During this harrowing time, José Salvador felt he might go insane.
After drifting for 438 days, their boat eventually reached the Marshall Islands, thousands of miles away.
In subsequent interviews, José Salvador mentioned that although he saw several ships during his ordeal, none came to his aid.
He also stated that he did not have the equipment to send distress signals.
The area of the Pacific Ocean where they were drifting had very little maritime traffic, which is why they were not spotted.
He attempted to swim to the ships several times but was unsuccessful each time.
During this journey, he survived by eating raw fish and birds and relying on turtle blood instead of water.
On January 30, 2014, he reached a shore near the Marshall Islands, left the boat, and swam to dry land.
He was taken to a hospital and later wrote a book about his incredible ordeal.