A man was rescued after spending more than 23 hours in a New Zealand sea thanks to flashes of sunlight on his watch, New Zealand police reported in a statement.
The man, who has not been identified, embarked on a solo excursion on Tuesday when he fell from the boat he was on near the Alderman Islands, about 55 kilometers north of the North Island.
His efforts to swim to dry land were in vain, as the ocean currents dragged the man out to sea, where he spent the night floating in the middle of the ocean. In total, he spent 23 and a half hours in the water, during which he had to deal with a shark that approached to prowl, although he finally decided to leave, the police indicated in his letter.
Around two in the afternoon on Wednesday, a trio of fishermen who were near the Major Island, south of the Alderman, detected an "unusual" reflection in the water, which motivated them to investigate its origin and subsequently rescue the victim. According to the Police, the victim had "desperately" tried to catch the fishermen's attention by reflecting the sun on her wristwatch.
"Without a doubt they saved this man's life," the authorities remarked in reference to the trio of fishermen and this rescue described as "a miracle." Once back on land, the victim was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia and exhaustion.
Although the 12-meter boat is still "lost," the man "still has his watch," the Police humorously emphasized when celebrating the happy ending of the incident.
