Boy’s day-and-night drift at sea ends in rescue: A real-'Life of Pi' adventure

A 10-year-old boy from a village in Lingshui county, South China's Hainan Province survives a perilous 24-hour drift at sea and was rescued by people who were fishing nearby on March 22, 2025. (Photo/China National Radio)

In a miraculous survival tale reminiscent of the novel Life of Pi, a 10-year-old boy from a village in Lingshui county, South China's Hainan Province survived a perilous 24-hour drift at sea. The boy, who went out to sea to catch squid, fell asleep and drifted a whole day and night before being rescued by a fishing boat in Sanya.

A video of the boy drifting alone at sea in a small boat went viral online over the weekend. According to China National Radio (CNR) on Sunday, the video's uploader said they were fishing when they spotted a small green boat in the distance and heard someone calling for help. They approached and found a child, then worked together to rescue him.

"We received the rescue request from our fishing guests at around 5 pm on Saturday," said Luo Wen, captain of a local rescue team in Sana. "They had rented our boat for fishing and rescued the boy near a coastal area. After bringing him on board, they contacted us and soon brought him back to shore, handing him over to the local police."

Luo noted that the boy's skin had been severely sunburned from prolonged sunlight exposure, but he was in stable condition after receiving milk and bread given by the fishermen.

"He was very scared at the time, crying and saying that he had gone out to fish squid but couldn't find his way home," Luo told the CNR.

The boy said he is 10 years old, and this wasn't his first time fishing alone at sea, according to Luo.

At around 9 pm on Friday, , the boy went squid fishing near a village in Lingshui and fell asleep on the boat from sheer exhaustion and drifted away.

Lost at sea, he saw distant lights, but the strong waves and relentless winds had drained him of strength, leaving him too weak to paddle, Luo said.

According to the report, the land distance between the boy's departure point and the location where he was rescued surpassed 30 kilometers.

Luo said that on Friday night, the sea near Haitang Bay is windy and rough, with winds of around Force 6 and waves up to 1.5 meters high on Friday. "Even adult fishermen would hardly survive in such conditions, let alone a child. He was very lucky."

After securing the boy, Luo and the local police managed to connect his family. An hour later, the parents of the boy arrived at the local police station and took him home.

Liang Qiuming, the Party secretary of the village, told the CNR that they organized rescue teams to comb the village and coastal areas on Friday night to search the lost boy. They also issued a missing person notice.

Liang said that the boy is safe at home. Staff from the township government have visited his home to provide safety education and will arrange psychological counseling if needed, according to the report.