A fisherman from New Zealand is lucky to be alive after he spent over 23 hours floating alone in open ocean, only to be rescued using the reflection of light off his wristwatch.
Will Fransen told the New Zealand Herald he ventured out for a solo fishing trip off Whangamatā and the Coromandel Peninsula, south of Auckland, on Tuesday. Fransen, a 61-year-old from Cambridge, N.Z., said he planned to return in his 12-metre boat the following day.
His fishing plans turned dire when Fransen was pulled over the boat’s safety rail by what he believes was a marlin on his line. Once in the water, Fransen lost his grip on the line, and his idling boat started to float away. Fransen said he could not reach it.
The fisherman was stranded about 30 nautical miles (over 55 kilometres) from New Zealand’s North Island. Fransen said the current was pulling him away from the nearby Alderman Islands, making the swim impossible.
He had no lifejacket and was forced to tread water. Wearing only his clothing and a semi-buoyant harness, Fransen shouted out for help, but his calls went unanswered.
At one point, he said he saw a shark swim near him, though it “decided it wasn’t interested” and swam away.
As time passed, Fransen said he began to feel “pessimistic” about his chances of survival. He hoped his family would be able to find his body if he died, so that his children could claim his life insurance policy.
After bobbing in frigid ocean waters for the night, the current pushed Fransen toward Mayor Island, also called Tūhua.
“I just kept staying alive,” Fransen said. “I wasn’t meant to go yet.”
Finally, when Fransen saw another boat, he used his wristwatch to cast a sunny light reflection at the vessel. Three men who were fishing onboard saw the strange signal and approached, only to find Fransen shivering in the water.
The fisherman pulled Fransen onboard. They tried to raise Fransen’s body temperature by bundling him in anything they could find. The men also gave Fransen warm bottles of water and cranberry juice.
Fransen had been in the water for about 23.5 hours.
When they arrived at the town of Whangamatā, he was taken to hospital. Whangamatā police sergeant Will Hamilton said he was treated for hypothermia and exhaustion. Fransen’s face was sunburned and his body was sore, but he was altogether fine.
“It is an absolute miracle the fisherman is still alive after the ordeal. Without the quick action of the three gentlemen that retrieved him, this certainly would have been a tragic outcome,” said Hamilton. “Few stories end the way this one did, and police cannot thank the eagle-eyed trio enough for making the call to investigate something that looked out of the ordinary.”
After he was released from hospital, the exhausted angler treated himself to McDonald’s and a Heineken beer. Fransen’s fishing boat is still missing, though he hopes to one day find it.
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