Man Survives 14 Hours in Ocean Holding onto Old Buoy
A 52-year-old man who spent 14 hours floating in the Pacific Ocean survived thanks to a "piece of sea rubbish."
Vidam Perevertilov, from Lithuania, fell overboard on February 16 at around 4 a.m. He was working on the Silver Supporter, which was on its way from New Zealand to the Pitcairn Islands.
Vidam later told his son, Marat, that he wasn't feeling well, so he went outside to get some fresh air. Marat told Stuff that his father might have fainted because he does not remember falling in the water.
The ship continued sailing for another six hours before anyone noticed Vidam was missing. The captain then turned the ship around and sent out a call for help to other ships in the area.
As he tried to stay above water, Vidam saw a black dot on the horizon and started swimming towards it. The dot turned out to be a fishing buoy that was not attached to anything.
After about 14 hours holding onto the buoy, Vidam saw the Silver Supporter return and started shouting and waving, hoping that someone would notice him. Eventually, a passenger heard his voice and Vidam was pulled to safety.
"He looked about 20 years older and very tired but he was alive," Marat said.
When asked why Vidam had not taken the buoy with him as a souvenir, Marat told Stuff: "It's funny. He said he wanted to leave it there, so it could save another person's life."
