In an astonishing tale of survival, Salvador Alvarenga endured an unimaginable 438 days stranded at sea after a fishing trip off the coast of Mexico took a disastrous turn. In November 2012, Alvarenga, initially planning a two-day voyage with his regular boatmate, Ray Perez, found himself accompanied by inexperienced fisherman Ezequiel Córdoba when Perez had to cancel last minute. Alvarenga, familiar with unpredictable weather, decided to venture out despite an approaching storm.
Just two days into their trip, the storm hit, lasting an agonizing seven days. Their small boat was tossed violently, and as their motor failed and equipment was discarded to lighten their load, they became completely isolated. With no means of communication—radio dead and no flares—they were left at the mercy of the vast ocean.
In desperation, Alvarenga adapted his fishing techniques, using raw instinct and audacity to catch fish. He would kneel at the edge of the boat, feeling for fish and even sharks, submerging his arms into the water to grasp his catch. Once successful, he and Córdoba dried the fish under the sun, making the most of their limited resources.
As the days turned into weeks, the reality of their dire situation set in. Water was their most pressing concern, forcing them to drink their own urine until rainwater finally graced them a month later. Hunger pangs soon followed, leading to their most drastic measures: capturing seabirds and drinking their blood for hydration and nourishment. “We cut their throats and drank their blood. It made us feel better,” Alvarenga recalled, revealing the depths of their struggle.
Córdoba began to lose hope, often speaking of home and his mother, which added to Alvarenga’s emotional burden. Eventually, Córdoba succumbed to despair and refused to eat, passing away after an emotional goodbye. Alvarenga, grappling with the solitude of the ocean, made the harrowing decision to bury his friend at sea, marking a turning point in his survival journey.
With Córdoba gone, Alvarenga focused on maintaining his sanity by searching for food, praying, and singing hymns to stave off despair. Days blurred together, and although he sometimes spotted passing ships, he was unsure if they were real or figments of his imagination.
Finally, after 14 months adrift, Alvarenga spotted land—a moment that felt surreal. He jumped into the water, swimming towards the distant mountains and eventually reaching shore in January 2014. After surviving in solitude, he found himself afraid of human interaction.
Once on land, Alvarenga fulfilled his promise to visit Córdoba’s mother and, in collaboration with journalist Jonathan Franklin, published his story in the book 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea. However, the aftermath of his survival brought legal challenges, including a million-dollar lawsuit from Córdoba’s family, who claimed he had resorted to cannibalism, an accusation Alvarenga and his lawyer vehemently denied.
Despite the trauma and initial phobia of the ocean, Alvarenga eventually expressed a desire to return to fishing. His remarkable story of resilience and survival not only highlights the human spirit’s tenacity but also the moral complexities that arise in life-and-death situations. Alvarenga’s journey serves as a testament to the lengths one might go to survive against all odds.
