Fishing man rescued after drifting for 10 hours after falling overboard

A man clings desperately to the foam float. (Photo: Guangming Daily)

A man in south China's Hainan Province who recently had been drifting for 10 hours after falling into the water while fishing was spotted by a ferry captain, who successfully rescued him in just 11 minutes.

At 11:40 am on August 15, a ferry, carrying 500 passengers and 38 crew members, departed from the New Haigang Port in Haikou city, Hainan, heading to Xuweng Port in Zhanjiang, South China's Guangdong Province. Captain Huang Wanli, who has been a seafarer for 10 years, was in charge of the ferry, Hainan local media reported.

Around noon, Huang suddenly noticed a large foam floating object on the sea surface, with a faint black shadow next to it. However, by the time he went to grab his binoculars, the ship had already passed, missing the best observation angle.

"I felt like I should go back and confirm if that black shadow was a person," Huang said. However, with 500 passengers on board, turning back would disrupt the journey. Under immense pressure, Huang contacted the maritime authorities, requested to turn back for confirmation, and coordinated nearby vessels to give way.

As the ship approached, they discovered it was indeed a person! The man was clinging desperately to the foam float, in a critical condition.

Captain Huang immediately notified the crew, initiated the rescue procedure, prepared to rescue the man, and arranged the passenger department to maintain order among the passengers. "My voice was trembling when I reported to the maritime authorities," Huang said, "It's a matter of life and death!"

With the collective efforts of the crew, the man was successfully rescued from the water. It took only 11 minutes from spotting the suspected drowning person to rescuing him.

The man was totally exhausted when rescued, trembling with purple lips. The crew provided their clothes, blankets, hot water, and food, covering him with a blanket to prevent hypothermia.

The rescued man, a resident of Lingao, Hainan, had gone fishing alone on a homemade foam float board on the night of August 14.

After a check-up, the rescued man's vital signs were normal. He expressed heartfelt gratitude to Huang and the crew.

Due to the delay caused by the rescue, a rescue vessel sent by the maritime department took the rescued man away. Despite the 2-hour delay, passengers praised Captain Huang and the vessel's entire crew.