Cruise ship pianist fell into the sea and drifted for 9 hours. Anglers revealed that the "El Niño phenomenon" saved his life

An incident involving a cruise ship employee falling into the sea was reported on Friday (6th) off the coast of California, USA. A pianist on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship drifted in the Pacific for about 9 hours and was lucky enough to be rescued by two anglers. The anglers bluntly said that thanks to the warm water brought by this year's El Niño phenomenon, the pianist was able to survive until he was rescued.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that the angler who rescued the pianist, Grant Garrett, stated that he and his companion Sean Norton found the man surviving in the water near Catalina Island. The man claimed to be a pianist who served on the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. Norton said that the man said to him after being rescued, "Thank you, I thought I was dead."

The U.S. Coast Guard said they received reports from brave citizens who claimed to have rescued a conscious man from the sea. The man was later handed over to the Newport Beach Lifeguards and was sent to the hospital in stable condition.

The Newport Beach Lifeguard confirmed that the rescued man was indeed an employee of the Ovation of the Seas. He probably fell into the sea around 2:30 a.m. and drifted at sea for about 9 hours before being discovered.

"The location is about 15 to 20 miles (about 32 kilometers) offshore, almost in the middle of the ocean," said Newport Beach Lifeguard Captain Adam Yacenda.

Norton pointed out that the pianist's lucky survival was due to the warm water temperature caused by the El Niño phenomenon. "This year is a crazy super El Niño year. This guy was in the water for about 10 hours, but the water temperature was 76 degrees Fahrenheit (about 24 degrees Celsius). In any other year, he would never have survived."