Peru: 61-year-old Fisherman Rescued After 95 Days Adrift at Sea
A Peruvian fisherman in his sixties set sail for a fishing trip at the end of last year but was caught in a storm that led him off course in the Pacific Ocean, leaving him adrift with dwindling supplies of food. He survived by consuming rainwater and whatever he could find until he was finally rescued after enduring 95 days of hardship.
Maximo Napa, aged 61, set out from the coastal town of Marcona in southern Peru on December 7, 2024, with provisions for only two weeks as he planned a short fishing expedition. However, just ten days into his voyage, a violent storm hit, causing his boat to veer off course and eventually drift into the open sea.
When Napa’s family was unable to reach him and their search efforts proved futile, they immediately alerted authorities. Despite an extensive search operation carried out by the Peruvian maritime patrol, no sign of him was found until last Wednesday (March 12) when an Ecuadorian fisheries patrol stumbled upon Napa approximately 680 miles (1,094 kilometers) off the coast of their country. At that time, he was severely dehydrated and in critical condition.
Following his rescue, Napa was reunited with his brothers in the Peruvian town of Paita near the Ecuadorian border. Tearfully, he recounted to the media present how he refused to give up and resorted to eating cockroaches, birds, and even a turtle in order to survive.
He revealed that his food supplies had run out long before his rescue, and for the last 15 days before being found, he had gone without eating anything, sustaining himself only with rainwater collected on the boat. It was his love for his family and the intense desire to see them again that kept him going.
Napa shared, “Every day, I thought of my mother and my two-month-old granddaughter. This belief sustained me. I thank God for giving me a second chance at life.”
His mother, Elena Castro, expressed to local media that despite the family trying to remain optimistic, she had moments of despair, praying fervently to see her son again, whether alive or otherwise. She acknowledged the unwavering faith of her daughters, who comforted her by insisting, “Mom, he will come back.”
After receiving medical treatment in Paita and being cleared by doctors, Napa was discharged from the hospital on Saturday (March 15). He has since arrived in the Peruvian capital, Lima, where he reunited with his family.