A pianist working on a cruise ship was found floating in the sea about 32 km off the coast of California after falling overboard and surviving in the water for more than nine hours.
According to a report by U.S. CBS News on 9 Nov 2026, two fishermen found an employee of Royal Caribbean, a cruise line company, floating near Catalina Island on Friday (6 Nov). Authorities believe he had been in the Pacific Ocean for up to nine hours.
“I was like, ‘Yes, that's him! Stop the boat quickly and reel in all the fishing lines,’” said Grant Garrett, one of the fishermen, recalling the moment he and Sean Norton spotted the man. He said the man identified himself as a pianist on a 14-deck cruise ship named 'Ovation of the Seas.'
The U.S. Coast Guard told BBC News that the man, whose identity has not yet been released, was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition. The Coast Guard is currently investigating the details of the incident.
The Coast Guard also said that after receiving assistance, the pianist was handed over to Newport Beach lifeguards, who confirmed he is an employee of the cruise ship 'Ovation of the Seas.' They believe he fell overboard around 02:30 a.m. on Friday, approximately nine hours before being found.
“The incident occurred about 15 to 20 miles off the coast, which is right in the middle of the ocean,” said Adam Yasenda, chief of the Newport Beach lifeguards, to CBS News.
Norton credited the man’s survival to the unusually warm sea temperatures, saying, “This year we are experiencing a very strong El Niño. The man was in the water for about 10 hours, but the water temperature was 24 degrees Celsius... In other years, he would not have survived.”
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group told BBC, “We are providing care and support to our employee during this difficult time. To respect the employee’s privacy, we have no further details to share at this moment.”
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Source:bbc