Fishermen Rescue Cruise Ship Pianist 20 Miles Off Newport Beach

A pianist who worked aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship survived after two fishermen from Newport Beach, California, found him treading water in the Pacific Ocean nearly 20 miles offshore on Friday, The Guardian reported. He was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is investigating how the man went overboard. Authorities believe he spent about nine hours in the ocean before anyone spotted him. His name has not been released.

How two anglers near Catalina Island found him

Sean Norton and Grant Garrett were heading back from a morning of marlin fishing near Catalina Island when the boat’s captain noticed something in the water. Garrett told CBS News that once the crew realized it was a person, they stopped the boat and pulled in all of their fishing lines.

The crew got the man aboard, and he had been pulled from the water by noon. After he steadied himself, he told them he played piano on Ovation of the Seas, a 14-deck Royal Caribbean ship, according to Garrett.

He said very little about what had happened. Norton recalled that the man thanked him and said, “I thought I was gonna die.”

Lifeguards respond to the emergency call

The fishing crew put out an emergency call over marine radio, and Newport Beach lifeguards came out to help. Battalion chief Adam Yacenda told CBS the man was found roughly 15 to 20 miles offshore, a spot he called “pretty much in the middle of the ocean.”

Reports give slightly different estimates of the man’s time in the water. Authorities put it at about nine hours. Norton said it was probably closer to 10 hours.

Warm water and the El Niño year

Norton believes unusually warm ocean temperatures helped the pianist stay alive. He told CBS the water was 76 degrees and tied the warmth to what he called a “crazy super El Niño year.” El Niño is a periodic warming of the Pacific that can push sea temperatures off California above normal. Norton said that in a different year, the man would not have made it.

The 76-degree figure comes from Norton’s account. Officials have not given their own reading of the water temperature that day.

What Royal Caribbean and the Coast Guard have said

The Coast Guard has not explained how the crew member ended up in the water. Royal Caribbean Group confirmed the incident and said it is assisting the employee.

A company spokesperson told CBS the cruise line is supporting the crew member and would share no further details, citing his privacy.

What it means for cruise travelers off Southern California

The man was found by recreational anglers on their way back from Catalina Island, a popular boating and fishing area off the Southern California coast. Their emergency call brought Newport Beach lifeguards, who handed the case into the rescue and hospital system.

The open questions belong to the Coast Guard investigation: how the pianist went over the side of Ovation of the Seas and how he spent hours in the water before the fishermen spotted him. The Coast Guard has not said when it will share findings, and Royal Caribbean has said it has nothing more to add.

Source: The Guardian