Random Stories About Modern People Who Were Lost at Sea (20 items)

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  (#14) Lucio Rendon, Salvador Ordonez, And Jesus Eduardo Vivand

  When five men set out on a fishing trip from San Blas Nayarit, Mexico, in October 2005, they planned on spending three days at sea. Instead, those who survived spent more than nine months adrift. Two died of starvation, but Lucio Rendon, Salvador Ordonez, and Jose Vidana managed to get by on fish, turtles, and rainwater, drifting 5,500 miles across the Pacific before being rescued by a Taiwanese fishing vessel.
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  (#19) Abby Sunderland

  • 25

  At age 16, Abby Sunderland attempted to become the youngest sailor to complete a solo circumnavigation of the planet, setting out first from California, then Mexico, in early 2010. In June, about four months into her journey, Sunderland encountered high winds that tore the mast from her boat in the Indian Ocean.

  Stranded and without satellite phone reception, her Personal Locator Beacon activated and she was rescued within two days.
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  (#2) Jennifer Appel And Tasha Fuiaba

  Honolulu residents Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiava set sail for Tahiti in the spring of 2017. But their boat's engine died in May, and despite their efforts to sail the rest of the way, the women found themselves hopelessly lost in the ocean. Luckily, Fuiava and Appel had prepared for a long journey, so they had plenty of provisions. Sharks were a problem, however, and none of the flares they set off brought help.

  Finally, the ship was spotted by a Taiwanese fishing boat in October. The women were found to be healthy. In all, they spent almost five months at sea.

  The story garnered a lot of attention, but strange details began to emerge. Appel said they never turned on their emergency beacon, since she understood it was only to be used in life-or-death situations. The women also claimed most of their instruments had failed at once, and that they were caught in a storm, but no such storm was recorded.
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  (#1) Aldi Novel Adilang

  On July 14, 2018, the fishing hut Aldi Novel Adilang worked on drifted far from the Indonesian coast. Normally, a rompong — the fishing hut — is tethered to the seabed by ropes. Due to strong winds, however, Adilang's hut snapped, and the Indonesian teen was sent adrift. 

  The teen, who hails from the island of Sulawesi, spent 49 days adrift. He ended up thousands of miles away from his home, close to Guam. A Panamanian vessel rescued him. Before he was rescued, Adilang survived by cooking fish he caught with wood he broke off his vessel. He repeatedly tried to wave down passing ships, but none of them stopped or saw him.

  Finally, when he saw the MV Arpeggio, he sent out an emergency radio signal, and the Panamanian boat saved him. The crew took him to Japan — where they were already heading — and then Adilang flew back home on September 8. 

  "He is now back at home and he will be 19 on September 30 — we're going to celebrate," his mother told the BBC.
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  (#16) Poon Lim

  • Dec. at 73 (1918-1991)

  After his merchant vessel sank in 1942, Chinese sailor Poon Lim survived 133 days alone in the South Atlantic during WWII. He ate fish and drank rain water to stay alive. He was eventually found by some fishermen off the coast of Brazil. 

  When he was told that he set the record for surviving at sea, Lim replied, "I hope no one will ever have to break that record."
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  (#10) Dennis White

  In 2010, rough Atlantic waters left father-daughter sailing duo Willie Thorns and Amanda Thorns lost at sea along with Willie's friend, Dennis White. Willie perished when he was swept into the water. Dennis and Amanda struggled to stay alive for 15 days when they caught lucky winds that propelled them to safety.

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