A Royal Caribbean pianist was pulled from the Pacific Ocean on Friday after spending nearly nine hours treading water roughly 20 miles off the California coast.
The rescue came when two Newport Beach fishermen, Sean Norton and Grant Garrett, were returning from a morning of marlin fishing near Catalina Island. The boat’s captain spotted the man in the water around noon LA.
Garrett said that once the man regained consciousness, he identified himself as a pianist aboard the 14-deck Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. The vessel had apparently continued its journey unaware of the overboard incident.
“The only thing he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,'” Norton said LA.
After pulling the man from the water, the fishing crew sent out an emergency maritime call. Newport Beach lifeguards responded to assist with the rescue.
“It was approximately 15 to 20 miles offshore, pretty much in the middle of the ocean,” Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda said, CBS LA reported.
Officials believe the pianist may have gone overboard from the ship about nine hours before he was spotted. The circumstances of how he fell from the vessel remain unclear.
The Ovation of the Seas, a Quantum-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean, features multiple entertainment venues where musicians perform. The ship was on a voyage along the West Coast when the incident occurred.
The rescue highlights the extraordinary survival of the pianist, who managed to stay afloat in open ocean conditions for most of a day before the chance encounter with the returning fishing boat. Water temperatures in the area typically range in the mid-60s Fahrenheit, making prolonged exposure dangerous.
Norton and Garrett had been targeting marlin during their morning excursion near Catalina Island, a popular fishing destination about 22 miles southwest of Los Angeles. Their return route took them through waters where commercial shipping lanes and cruise ship paths intersect with recreational boating traffic.
Newport Beach lifeguards coordinated the medical response after the emergency call went out. The pianist was transported for treatment following his extraction from the water.
Royal Caribbean has not issued a public statement regarding the overboard incident or how the crew failed to notice the pianist missing for approximately nine hours.