A Miraculous Rescue: Peruvian Fisherman Emerges After 95 Days Lost at Sea

Máximo Napa Castro, a Peruvian fisherman, has been rescued after spending nearly three months stranded at sea, where he battled hunger and thirst. He clung to hope and his faith, and ultimately was located by an Ecuadorean fishing crew.

For 95 long days, Máximo Napa Castro, 61, found himself alone and adrift in the boundless Pacific Ocean, praying fervently and deciding each day to cling to the hope of reunion with his family. Stranded since December 7, after departing from the Peruvian port of Marcona, his ordeal became one of survival against the odds.

With dwindling supplies of food and no water, Mr. Napa Castro resorted to desperate measures—eating cockroaches, catching birds, and finally consuming a turtle, using its blood to quench his parched throat. His days were filled with spiritual conversations, voicing his frustrations and pleas to God, often questioning his fate: "What am I going to find here? Who’s going to save me?” At one point, he expressed regret and a profound longing for a sign, affirming his belief that salvation would come.

That beacon of hope arrived on March 12, when crew members from an Ecuadorean tuna boat spotted Napa Castro hundreds of miles off the coast. His resilience and the will to survive had finally led to his long-awaited rescue. News of his incredible escape from the jaws of despair circulated rapidly, offering a glimmer of hope to many in dire situations worldwide.