Fisherman survives 95 days at sea, shares his story

Máximo Napa Castro, a 61-year-old Peruvian fisherman, has shared his incredible story of survival after being lost at sea for an astonishing 95 days, battling hunger, dehydration, and loneliness in the vast Pacific Ocean.

  

Castro had set sail on a fishing trip from Marcona, a coastal town in southern Peru, on December 7, expecting to return within two weeks. He had packed enough food and water to sustain himself for the duration of the trip, completely unaware of the unexpected and life-threatening turn his journey was about to take.

  

Fisherman.

  

Just ten days into his journey, Castro’s boat was thrown off course by stormy weather that left him completely at the mercy of the ocean currents. Stranded in the middle of the Pacific with no way to navigate back to shore, his survival instincts kicked in.

  

His family, realizing that he had not returned home as expected, immediately reported him missing. Peru’s maritime patrols were dispatched to search for him, but despite their efforts, they were unable to locate his boat.

  

For weeks, Castro drifted helplessly, watching his food supply dwindle. He initially survived by rationing what little he had, but as his provisions ran out, he was forced to rely on his instincts to stay alive.

  

It wasn’t until last Wednesday that an Ecuadorian fishing patrol stumbled upon him approximately 680 miles off the coast. At the time of his rescue, Castro was severely dehydrated and in a critical state due to extreme malnutrition.

  

When Castro was finally rescued, he was in dire condition, barely able to stand, and in urgent need of medical care.

  

In a tearful interview after reuniting with his brother in Paita, near the Ecuadorian border, he recounted the harrowing experience, saying…

  

“I did not want to die. I ate roaches and birds. The last thing I ate was turtles.”

  

According to Napa, he was able to sustain himself by collecting rainwater on his boat, but as days turned into weeks, and then into months, he ran out of food. In his final 15 days at sea, he had nothing left to eat and survived solely on rainwater, growing weaker with each passing day.

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“I thought about my family every single day,” he said. “I have a granddaughter who is just a few months old, and I held on for her. I thought about my mother and prayed to God for a second chance at life.”

  

His miraculous survival left his family overwhelmed with emotions. Elena Castro, Napa’s mother, admitted that while she had hoped for a miracle, she had begun to fear the worst.

  

She told TV Peru…

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“I told the Lord, whether he’s alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it’s just to see him one last time. But my daughters never lost faith. They kept telling me, ‘Mom, he’ll come back, he’ll come back.’”

  

Castro’s story has since captured global attention, with many hailing his resilience and determination to survive against all odds.