Man who was lost at sea for 438 days reveals the one thing he had to help him survive that his crewmate didn't
He says survival is all about the mindset
José Salvador Alvarenga's story is a pretty crazy one.
In 2012, the Mexican fisherman was lost at sea for 438 days after his boat got caught up in a storm.
Alvarenga was on a two-day fishing trip with 22-year-old Ezequiel Córdoba when they saw a storm brewing.
But the pair were catching tons of fish so they decided to stay out in the open waters.
Advert
It was a decision they would some come to regret.
The rough waters flooded the boat's engine and destroyed the motor, and the boat was pushed further and further into the Pacific Ocean, leaving them completely stranded.
They initially survived by eating turtles, bird blood and fish while lost at sea. But after 10 weeks, Córdoba became unwell and passed away.
Alverenga then spent 438 days alone at sea until he eventually washed up on a tiny island called Ebon Atoll, around 6,700 miles from Mexico. There, he found a beach house owned by a local couple who were able to wave down help.
The fisherman has since revealed the one thing he had that helped him survive while Córdoba died.
When asked in an interview what the main factors that helped him survive were, he said: "The first and foremost was my faith in God. There were a number of different days when I just didn't know if I was going to be able to make it and I faith in God first of all that I can get through."
As for what separated him from his crewmate, "It was bravery. I had to be able to continue to survive," Alvarenga explained. "And that's what my companion unfortunately didn't have.
"But on those days when we weren't sure if we were going to make it, I just kept telling myself I can make it. I have to do this."
He also spoke about the lessons he learnt during his 14 months at sea.
"I learned that survival is in the mindset. It's really the basics - you have to eat and you have to drink. You adapt to your situation. You have to drink your urine. My companion actually knew that before and he taught me."
He continued: "I had to learn how to catch birds when they landed on the boat. I had to learn to catch them with the little time that we had.
"So I learned how to survive after I had that mindset and learned that I am going to survive as a matter of learning how to take care of those basics."