Newport Beach fishermen find Royal Caribbean cruise ship employee treading water 20 miles off coast

Two Newport Beach fishermen found a Royal Caribbean cruise ship employee treading water nearly 20 miles off the coast 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 treading water nearly 20 miles off the coast in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

“I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a human being. Stop the boat; let’s get all of our lines in,” Garrett said, recalling the moment the boat’s captain spotted the man in the water. 

“Grant and I each got an arm and lifted him up,” Norton said. “He was in total shock.”

Garrett said when the man came to, he told them he was a pianist on the 14-deck Royal Caribbean cruise ship called the “Ovation of the Seas.”

“The only thing he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,'” Norton said. 

After pulling him from the water, the crew put out an emergency maritime call, and a group of Newport Beach lifeguards responded to help. 

“It was approximately 15 to 20 miles offshore, pretty much in the middle of the ocean,” Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda said. They believe he may have gone overboard from the ship about nine hours before he was found, at around 2:30 a.m.

The man, who still hasn’t 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 went overboard.

“You have this crazy super El Niño year. This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water’s 76 degrees,” Norton said. “A different year, no way he makes it.”

In a statement to CBS LA, a Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson shared, “We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time. To respect the privacy of our employee, we have no additional details to share.”