Fishermen rescue cruise ship pianist 20 miles off California coast

Two fishermen returning from a trip near Catalina Island rescued a Royal Caribbean cruise ship employee who was treading water nearly 20 miles off the Southern California coast on Friday. Authorities believe he may have been in the ocean for about nine hours.

Sean Norton and Grant Garrett had spent the morning fishing for marlin. As they headed back toward Newport Beach, the boat’s captain spotted someone in the water. The fishermen brought in their lines and moved to help.

“I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a human being. Stop the boat; let’s get all of our lines in,’” Garrett told CBS News, recalling the sighting. By noon, they had pulled the man aboard.

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

Garrett said the man later told them he was a pianist aboard Royal Caribbean’s 14-deck Ovation of the Seas. Norton recalled the man’s first words to him: “Thank you. I thought I was gonna die.”

The fishing crew issued an emergency maritime call after the rescue, and Newport Beach lifeguards responded to assist. Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda said the man had been found approximately 15 to 20 miles offshore, “pretty much in the middle of the ocean.”

The crew member has not been publicly identified. He was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is investigating how he went overboard.

Authorities’ estimate that he may have spent about nine hours in the water has not been confirmed as an exact timeline. Norton estimated the period could have been closer to 10 hours and said he believed the ocean temperature helped the man survive.

“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.”

Royal Caribbean Group said it was helping the employee but declined to provide further information. “We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time,” a spokesperson said in a statement to CBS. “To respect the privacy of our employee, we have no additional details to share.”

The company did not describe how the pianist entered the water. That question remains the focus of the Coast Guard’s investigation.