This archive report was first published on 25 December 2019.
On December 8, 2019, a dramatic scene unfolded in Ziwayu, Kilifi County, when a boat capsized, leaving 8 fishermen stranded in the ocean.
Eighteen days later, on December 26, 2019, the fishermen were discovered treading water in the open sea by other fishermen, who had drifted a distance of seven hours from the capsized vessel.
According to Yunnus Aboud, Chairman of the Fishermen Association of Malindi, the 8 survivors had managed to subsist on 58 kilograms of lobster and fish that they had caught on the day of the capsizing.
The fishermen were on the ill-fated Alhafidh Fibre 15HP boat, which was wrecked by powerful waves, forcing the crew to jump ship and swim for their lives.
Their survival is a remarkable feat, especially considering that marine biologists project that the longest a person can survive in the sea without food or water is around 8 days.
However, the fishermen's story is reminiscent of José Salvador Alvarenga, a Mexican native who survived 438 days in the ocean.
