A pianist working aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was rescued after spending nearly nine hours treading water in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 20 miles off the coast of Southern California.
Two fishermen, Sean Norton and Grant Garrett of Newport Beach, spotted the man while returning from a fishing trip on Friday. The cruise ship's employee was found around noon, according to CBS LA.
After being pulled from the water, the man regained consciousness and identified himself as a pianist on the Royal Caribbean ship Ovation of the Seas. "The only thing he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,’" Norton told CBS LA.
Following the rescue, the fishermen issued an emergency maritime call, and Newport Beach lifeguards responded to assist. Officials estimate the pianist may have fallen overboard about nine hours before he was discovered.