A Filipino fisherman miraculously survived eight days stranded at sea in a sinking boat by drinking rainwater and eating raw fish.
Rosalon Frans Cayon, 31, and other trawlers had set out from Buliluyan Port in Palawan Island, the Philippines, to catch tuna in the South China Sea on Dec. 20.
They left at 4 a.m. and rowed some 30 miles offshore to fill their containers with fish to sell at the market for one last payday before the Christmas and New Year holidays, according to the Viral Free Press.
On Dec. 23, after meeting their fishing quotas, the group decided to return to port, but Rosalon was left behind as his aging boat had sprung a leak.
Miraculously, he was rescued by Chinese fishermen on Dec. 31 in the vicinity of Rizal Reef in the contested waters.
Speaking to local media after the ordeal, Rosalon said, "When I saw water leaking into the boat, I started to panic. I calmed down after a while and thought maybe I could survive this. That's when I started taking the videos."
Selfie videos taken on Rosalon's phone detail how the quick-thinking fisherman managed to survive for more than a week on the open seas. He had no phone signal but wanted to record the videos to keep a diary.
He showed the boat half-submerged as Styrofoam boxes filled with fish bobbed up and down in the water.
In one video, Rosalon had taken some of the tuna, cleaned and cut up the meat, and salted it to make sun-dried fish called "daing."
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He had also melted and drunk the ice he had brought in a bucket to preserve his catch. When the water ran out after three days, he said he relied on the rain for drinking water.
"I destroyed the boxes and used the parts to make a raft, which I rowed toward Rizal Reef. I also took the boat's rudder and used that to steer the raft. For my water, I was lucky there were occasional rains. If there were none, I just had to endure my thirst," he said.
Using what remained of his phone battery, Rosalon located the nearest stretch of land using GPS and rowed toward it, docking at the Rizal Reef or Commodore Reef.
He said he waved to passing Chinese fishermen, who spotted him and took him to the Philippine Navy barracks on Dec. 31.
"I couldn't even stand up," Rosalon said. "I was stumbling from exhaustion, hunger and thirst after days without food and water."
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Che-che Cayon Quinicon, Rosalon's sister, said she grew worried when the other fishermen had returned without her brother.
"By Dec. 23, almost all of the fishermen had already come home except my brother. They said they didn't see him. I also called the Coast Guard every day, but they always told me, he hasn't been found," she said.
"The safe return of Rosalon Cayon is a testament to the power of inter-agency operations. The leadership of Western Command and the collaborative efforts of Naval Forces West, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) District – Palawan, and the LGU of Bataraza Palawan played a pivotal role in ensuring the successful rescue and the reunion of Cayon with his employers in Brgy RioTuba and with his family soon in Puerto Princesa City," the Naval Forces West said in a statement.
