Indonesian Teen Survives 49 Days at Sea
On July 14, a storm broke the rope that was holding 18-year-old Aldi Adilang’s fishing raft in place off the coast of Manado, Indonesia, sending him drifting out to sea. He floated at sea for 49 days, traveling over 2,500 kilometers before he was rescued near Guam, according to news reports.
Adilang was picked up by a Panamanian ship heading for Japan on August 31. Upon arriving in Japan, Adilang was taken to Osaka to recover. “Aldi said he had been scared and often cried while [at sea]," Fajar Firdaus, an Indonesian official, told The Jakarta Post.
Adilang’s raft was a rompong, a floating fish trap with a simple hut on top.
He survived by catching fish and cooking them on a small gas stove. "After he ran out of the cooking gas, he burned the rompong's wooden fences to make a fire for cooking,” another official said. In order to make sure he was not drinking too much salt, he drank seawater through his clothing.
Adilang told officials that he had seen over ten large ships while at sea. Each time, he would wave his clothing and flash the raft's lights, but the ships did not stop. At one point, he remembers being circled by a shark for several hours.
Adilang’s parents said that when they found out he was missing, they prayed to God to keep him safe. Thankfully, Adilang made it home to his family just in time to celebrate his 19th birthday.
The original location of Aldi's rompong off the coast of Indonesia (left) and the location where he was rescued after 49 days at sea (right).
