Fisherman found after 94 days survived by eating birds, bugs

March 18, 2025 raa1p Social Media 0

A Peruvian fisherman was found alive after drifting in the Pacific Ocean for 94 days.

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Maximo Napa Castro, 61, was floating in his small fishing boat on March 11 after being spotted by an Ecuadorian vessel off the port of Chimbote in northern Peru, a Peruvian navy official said.

Castro, who was discharged from hospital on Saturday, told local media that he survived at sea by eating cockroaches, birds and a turtle.

Castro spent the last 15 days without eating, according to Reuters, and was “heavily dehydrated and in critical condition,” at the time of his rescue.

The Peruvian navy posted images of the rescue on Facebook, including one showing Napa reuniting with his brother after being rescued and another showing the fisherman receiving medical attention.

Following his release from hospital, Castro shared a tearful reunion with the rest of his family at the Jorge Chávez International Airport on Saturday.

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“I didn’t want to die, for my mother. I had a granddaughter who is a few months old, I held on to her. Every day I thought of my mother,” he told local media, according to CNN.

The fisherman said he also drank “rainwater collected on the boat,” noting to the RPP radio station that it was the turtle blood that “saved” him.

Fisherman Maximo Napa Castro, who was adrift at sea for 94 days, gets medical treatment after rescue. (Marina de Guerra del Peru/Facebook) Photo by Marina de Guerra del Perú /Facebook

Castro initially set out on a fishing boat from the coastal town of Marcona in Peru on Dec. 7, 2024, but “stormy weather” caused the vessel to go adrift 10 days into his two-week trip.

Notably, his small boat had no radio beacon.

Castro’s mother, Elena Castro, told local media after he was found: “I told the Lord, whether he’s alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it’s just to see him.”