CNN
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A fisherman who fell overboard off the coast of New Zealand and spent nearly 24 hours in cold, choppy waters, attracting the attention of a shark, was rescued on Wednesday after using the reflection of his watch to signal for help.
Whangamata police Sergeant Will Hamilton said in a statement the “truly miraculous” rescue happened after the angler, who has not been named, set out on a solo fishing trip in his 40-foot (12-metre) boat on Tuesday.
The fisherman fell into the ocean about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) off the coast of New Zealand’s North Island while trying to reel in the marlin, the statement said.
After their boat was swept out of reach, the fishermen tried to swim to the nearby Alderman Islands but were swept away by strong currents.
Mr Hamilton said he was too tired to continue swimming so he endured a cold night at sea, adding that at one point a shark came “to get a sniff” before leaving.
“It’s a miracle the fishermen are still alive after all this,” Hamilton said.
Incredibly, the next day three fishermen spotted the reflection in the water and went out in their boat to investigate, where they were rescued.
Hamilton said they found the stranded man desperately trying to get their attention by using the watch’s reflection of the sun.
He was taken back to Whangamata and treated for hypothermia and exhaustion.
“Without the quick actions of the three men who rescued him, it certainly could have been a tragic outcome,” Mr Hamilton said.
Rescue worker James McDonnell told CNN affiliate Newshub that a “series of lucky events” led to the amazing rescue after three fishermen “saw a glowing object maybe 600 metres from their boat”.
They didn’t expect to find anyone.
“We were 10 miles (16 kilometers) offshore from Mayer Island and couldn’t see the boat, but certainly as we got closer we could clearly see someone waving,” he said.
Rescue boat captain Max White told Newshub their first priority was getting the man on board and keeping him awake and warm.
“We had a big cooler bag and wrapped him up in as many layers as we could,” he said.
“He’s craving water… so I’ve got a little bit of warm water in the boat and some cranberry juice… just trying to give him what I can, keep him talking, keep him awake as much as possible.”
Police said the fisherman expressed his gratitude to the rescue and emergency services.
“The boat operators did a really great job and undoubtedly saved this man’s life,” Hamilton said.
While authorities are currently searching for the fisherman’s boat, he was able to cling to the only thing that gave him a ray of hope during his ordeal.
“The boat may be lost, but the fisherman still has his watch,” Hamilton said.
