Two Newport Beach fishermen found a Royal Caribbean cruise ship employee floating in the water nearly 20 miles offshore while returning home from a fishing trip near Catalina Island on Friday. Sean Norton and Grant Garrett were fishing for marlin in the morning. By noon, they had rescued the man who had been floating in the water nearly 20 miles offshore in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. “I said, ‘Yes, he’s a human being. Stop the boat; let’s set all our lines,'” Garrett said, recalling the moment the boat’s captain saw the man in the water. “Grant and I each took an arm and lifted him up,” Norton said. “I was in complete shock.” Garrett said when the man came to, he told them he was a pianist on the 14-deck Royal Caribbean cruise ship called “Ovation of the Seas.” “The only thing he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was going to die,'” Norton said. After removing him from the water, the crew issued a marine emergency call and a group of Newport Beach lifeguards responded to help. “It was about 15 to 20 miles offshore, pretty much in the middle of the ocean,” said Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda. They believe he may have fallen over the side of the ship about nine hours before he was found. The man, who has not yet been identified, was hospitalized after the ordeal and is expected to survive, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which is investigating the incident and how he fell overboard. “You have this crazy super El Niño year. This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water is 76 degrees,” Norton said. “A different year, there’s no way he’s going to make it.” In a statement to CBS LA, a Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson shared: “[w]We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time. To respect our employee’s privacy, we have no additional details to share.” More from CBS News
