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Stranded with smaller supplies, Castro was left to drift helplessly, more than 1,094 km (680 miles) from shore. His family launched a desperate search, but despite their efforts, Peru’s maritime patrols were unable to locate him.
Peruvian Fisherman Survives 95 Days Adrift (X)
A Peruvian fisherman has been rescued after an incredible 95 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean. Battling hunger, dehydration, and the vast loneliness of the Pacific Ocean, the 61-year-old Peruvian fisherman defied the odds—enduring rainwater, birds, cockroaches, and eventually, sea turtles.
Maximo Napa Castro initially set out with only two weeks’ worth of food, but his small boat was thrown off course by stormy weather just 10 days into his journey. Despite Peru’s navy launching a search effort, it was an Ecuadorian vessel that finally found and rescued him.
Stranded with smaller supplies, Castro was left to drift helplessly, more than 1,094 km (680 miles) from shore. His family launched a desperate search, but despite their efforts, Peru’s maritime patrols were unable to locate him.
⚠️⚠️A Peruvian fisherman who spent 95 days lost in the Pacific Ocean returned home to his family on Friday.“I did not want to die,” Maximo Napa told reporters after reuniting with his brother, in Paita, near the border with Ecuador. “I ate roaches, birds, the last thing I ate… pic.twitter.com/rhV3WqJq8l
— Roughneck (@Adees4795) March 17, 2025
The fisherman’s 95-day struggle for survival ended when the Ecuadorian patrol vessel Don F rescued him, finding him severely dehydrated and critically ill. After receiving medical attention, he was reunited with his brother in Paita, Ecuador, where he shared a tearful account of his harrowing experience.
Maximo expressed his gratitude to God for a second chance at life, revealing that thoughts of his loved ones, particularly his mother and two-month-old granddaughter, gave him the strength to persevere during his 95-day ordeal.
“I thought about my mother every day. I’m thankful to God for giving me a second chance,” he told the local media, recalling how the thought of his loved ones—especially his two-month-old granddaughter—gave him the will to push through. His last 15 days at sea were spent without food.
The fisherman’s daughter Inés Napa Torres thanked the Ecuadorian fishermen for saving her dad’s life. “Thank you, Ecuadorian brothers, for rescuing my dad Gatón, God bless you,” she said in a Facebook post.
“Every day is anguish for the whole family and I understand my grandmother’s pain because as a mother I understand her (…) We never thought we would go through this situation, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, we will not lose hope, Dad, of finding you,” his daughter wrote on March 3 on Facebook.
Castro’s incredible journey serves as a testament to the human spirit’s capacity for resilience and mental fortitude.
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