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

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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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  (#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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  (#3) The Crew Of ARA San Juan

  The submarine ARA San Juan disappeared off the Argentinian coast on November 15, 2017, with 44 crew members on board. A sound like an explosion was heard in the water shortly after the sub went under; it has not been seen or heard from since.

  After two weeks of searching for the lost submarine, Argentine officials announced they were shifting their focus to a search-only mission. The decision implies there's little to no hope of the crewmen being found alive.
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  (#4) Three Men Stranded On Remote Island

  A US Navy surveillance aircraft picked up this plea for help by three men who found themselves stranded on the deserted island of Fanadik in April 2016. The men had set out from Pulap in the Federated States of Micronesia (approximately four miles away from Fanadik), but their boat capsized after a few hours at sea.

  They spent a night swimming toward the island, and then waited three days to be discovered. They were finally rescued thanks to the large "HELP" sign they made from palm leaves.
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  (#5) Austin Stephanos And Perry Cohen

  Two 14-year-olds, Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, went missing off of the Florida coast in 2015. The teens were last seen buying fuel for their 19-foot boat on July 24, but soon after, thunderstorms caused high winds and big waves to roll through the area. Their empty boat was found capsized two days later, with no sign of the boys.

  Authorities were initially hopeful that the kids, who grew up in the boating community and were skilled on the water, were still alive. However, after an exhaustive search of the East Coast from Florida to South Carolina, rescue teams were unable to locate them. The search was eventually called off.
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  (#6) Steven Callahan

  • 67

  In 1981, Steven Callahan embarked on a solo journey across the Atlantic. After encountering a storm, his boat filled with water and Callahan escaped into an inflatable raft. He survived on that raft for 76 days before being rescued by fishermen off the island of Marie Galante in the Caribbean.
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  (#7) Jim Gray

  • Dec. at 68 (1944-2012)

  In January 2007, computer scientist Jim Gray embarked on a solo sailing trip to the Farallon Islands to scatter his mother's ashes. When he did not return home, his wife reported him missing. A search ensued, but no trace of Gray or his yacht were found. He was declared dead on May 16, 2012.
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  (#8) Bill Tilman

  • Dec. at 79 (1898-1977)

  In 1977, Bill Tilman, the "greatest adventure sailor of the 20th century," set sail to the South Atlantic to climb Smith Island. The boat disappeared without a trace, and the 80-year-old sailor/mountaineer never reached his South Pacific destination.
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  (#9) Filo Filo, Samuel Pelesa, And Edward Nassau

  In October 2010, three teenage cousins in the remote Tokelau Island chain set out in a dinghy for an excursion to a neighboring island. Instead, Filo Filo, Samuel Pelesa, and Edward Nassau spent 50 days lost in the Pacific, quickly burning through their supply of coconuts then relying on fish, rainwater, and a single sea bird for sustenance.

  They were eventually found by a fishing trawler and returned home.
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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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  (#11) Andrew McAuley

  • Dec. at 39 (1968-2007)

  Australian adventurer Andrew McAuley attempted to cross the Tasman Sea in a kayak in February 2007. His kayak capsized and his body was never found. A memory stick from his camera contained some of McAuley's thoughts as his situation worsened. At one moment, he says, "I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew."
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  (#12) Richard Van Pham

  In 2002, Richard Van Pham set sail from Long Beach to Catalina Island off the coast of California. A sudden storm destroyed his mast and Pham found himself lost at sea for over three months. He was eventually rescued when a US drug-hunting plane spotted him about 2,500 miles from his starting point.
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  (#13) Rebecca Coriam

  In 2011, Disney cruise ship crewmember Rebecca Coriam disappeared as the ship made its way along the Pacific coast of Mexico. Her whereabouts are unknown and the case, which has inspired many rumors, is still under investigation.
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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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  (#15) Ko Ko Oo And Haung Htaik

  In 2009, an Australian Coast Guard plane spotted Burmese fishermen Ko Ko Oo and Haung Htaik bobbing in a bathtub-sized icebox in shark-infested waters. According to the duo, 18 other fishermen died when their boat sank shortly after departing Thailand, leaving them to survive on rainwater and fish regurgitated by sea birds.

  Their story made international headlines and caused quite a bit of skepticism among experts.
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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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  (#17) Toakai Teitoi

  Toakai Teitoi, who was lost at sea for 15 weeks in 2012 when a two-hour trip from Kiribati to his home island went wrong, credits a shark with saving his life. He says that a shark swimming beneath him bumped the hull of his ship, which nudged him from his sleep. When he awoke, he saw the stern of a ship. The ship's crew rescued him. 
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  (#18) Louis Jordan

  In January of 2015, Louis Jordan took his single-masted sailboat on a fishing trip in open water beyond the North Carolina coast. Sixty-six days later, a German container ship spotted Jordan atop his capsized ship and he was airlifted to safety, having survived more than two months on rainwater, rations, and fish.
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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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  (#20) Jose Salvator Alvarenga

  Salvador Alvarenga, 36, and Ezequiel Cordoba, 22, went out on a fishing trip in 2012. A terrible storm pushed the boat out to sea, and the two men were forced to survive on turtle blood, urine, fish, and birds. Cordoba eventually passed, but not before begging Alvarenga to take his body back to his mother. After a few days of existing on the remains of the boat with a rotting corpse, Alvarenga threw his companion overboard. He was found drifting in the Pacific after 348 days lost at sea. 

  Now, Cordoba's family is suing Alvarenga, because they suspect that he ate their son after he passed in order to survive. Alvarenga and his lawyer deny that any cannibalism took place, but they are still being sued for $1 million.

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