Incredible Story Of Man Rescued After 438 Days At Sea Surviving Only On Raw Fish And Birds

Salvador Alvarenga and his friend Ezequiel Córdoba thought they were heading out for a brief fishing trip from Mexico on November 17, 2012.

They expected to be back in a day or two.

At 35, Alvarenga was seasoned on the sea and aware of an approaching storm. 

Yet, his previous experiences with rough weather meant he wasn’t too worried about it. 

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"It wasn't the storm that was the problem," Alvarenga recounted more than a year later, according to CNN. "My engine gave out."

Soon, they found themselves helplessly drifting as the storm relentlessly pummeled their boat for a whole week.

During this ordeal, Alvarenga’s radio and fishing equipment were swept away.

When the storm finally subsided, they were alarmingly distant from Mexican shores.

The only resource they had left was an ice box, originally for storing fish.

The boat had no roof or shelter. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Out of sheer necessity, they initially resorted to drinking their own urine to quench their unbearable thirst.

As time passed, they began catching seabirds that landed on their boat, cutting their throats to drink their blood for hydration.

Fish and birds became their sole sustenance.

Despite lacking proper fishing tools, Alvarenga's expertise allowed him to catch fish occasionally, but there were stretches when they went hungry for days.

The journey turned tragic when Córdoba, only 22 at the time, passed away while they were still lost at sea. 

"We said our goodbyes. He wasn't in pain. He was calm. He didn't suffer," Alvarenga reflected on those final moments.

Left to survive alone, Alvarenga tried signaling to passing ships, to no avail.

He even contemplated suicide during his darkest moments.

It wasn't until 438 days had passed that Alvarenga spotted the mountains of one of the Marshall Islands on the horizon.

He swam towards the land as soon as he was close enough. 

"I hit the ground first. My boat hit the ground second," he said.

Alvarenga was flocked by reporters after returning. ELIZABETH RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images

"I felt the waves, I felt the sand, and I felt the shore. I was so happy that I fainted on the sand. 

"I didn't care if I died at that point. I was so relieved. I knew at that point I didn't have to eat any more fish if I didn't want to."

Local residents discovered him near the beach and transported him to the largest hospital in the Marshall Islands.

As he disembarked, a crowd of reporters and cameras awaited, eager for his extraordinary survival story.

Some skeptics doubted his tale, but Alvarenga’s focus was on his gratitude for being alive.

Post-rescue, he admitted to being 'afraid' of the ocean, which now felt 'haunting' to him.

But after months of isolation, he found great joy simply in being back with his family.