Máximo Napa Castro, a 61-year-old Peruvian fisherman, survived 95 days adrift in the ocean, feeding on cockroaches, birds and finally, a turtle whose blood he drank to quench his thirst. He left Marcona Harbor on Dec. 7 for a fishing trip and drifted when his boat’s engine failed on Dec. 20. Napa Castro says he kept his hopes alive by thinking of his mother and children. He was spotted on March 12 by an Ecuadorian fishing boat and then rescued by the Peruvian Coast Guard.
After his rescue, Napa was taken to Paita to undergo a medical examination before being transported to Lima, Peru. Arriving at Jorge Chávez International Airport, he was finally able to embrace his daughter Inés Napa.
As local media reported, a group of neighbors and relatives from the Peruvian fisherman’s home neighborhood, a place called San Andrés in the Ica region, decorated the streets to celebrate his return. Dehydrated and sunburned, he was greeted by his family in tears and offered a cake decorated with birds, cockroaches and a turtle, symbols of his incredible fight for life. “His birthday was unique because all he could eat while he was lost at sea was just a small cookie, so it’s very important for us to celebrate because, for us, he was reborn,” the family said.
Mr. Napa emotionally recounted that thinking about his family, including his two-month-old granddaughter, gave him the strength to endure this difficult adventure. “I thought about my mother every day. I am grateful to God for giving me a second chance,” he added.
