After a fishing trip went wrong, a man who was stranded at sea for more than 400 days ‘cheated death’ in a variety of incredible ways. José Salvador Alvarenga, a Mexican, and Ezequiel Córdoba went fishing in 2012, intending to spend two days in the Pacific Ocean before returning with their catch. The mission seemed to be going well at first, as they were catching a lot of fish, but then a storm hit their small boat.

While Córdoba pumped water out of the boat and Alvarenga attempted to sail to calmer waters, they were dragged deeper into the world’s largest ocean since they lacked sails and oars, and the boat’s single motor was broken. They radioed for help, but they had little hope of being found because they lacked a GPS signal and the ability to drop an anchor.

At the same moment, the waves pounded the boat harder, threatening to capsize it entirely. One of the boat’s main problems was its weight, which was caused by all of the fish they had captured; they had to throw almost 500 kg overboard. Unfortunately, this was insufficient, so they had to destroy additional equipment. Furthermore, their radio failed, leaving them trapped with no means of communication.

Finally, their only alternative was to flip over the icebox that had been used to store the fish and congregate beneath it to protect themselves from the elements. The two guys took turns going out to remove water from the boat. During Alvarenga’s 438 days at sea, the upturned icebox was his main source of refuge. Despite having to toss it overboard because Alvarenga would lean over the side of the boat with his arms in the water and close his hands as a fish passed through them,

they were able to catch fish without using any equipment despite being far from any beach with no one knowing where they were. After cleaning and gutting the fish, Córdoba would chop out portions of meat and allow them to dry in the sun. They would occasionally catch birds or turtles. Córdoba had not been as fortunate as Alvarenga, who ‘cheated death’ by living 438 days at sea in a small fishing boat equipped with an icebox for protection.

According to The Guardian, Córdoba was in pain and becoming ill after surviving for a few weeks on rainwater and raw meat. He refused to drink from a bottle brought up to his lips. Alvarenga talked to his body for a bit after he died before lowering it into the ocean. When the last survivor washed ashore on Ebon Atoll, almost 6,006 miles from Mexico, it would be a long time before he reached dry land. He would have gone thousands of kilometers further before coming into contact with any land if he hadn’t hit the tiny patch of land.