OC fishermen find cruise ship employee treading water miles off coast

Key points

• Two fishermen rescued a Royal Caribbean pianist treading water about 20 miles off the coast on Friday.
• The man may have gone overboard around 2:30 a.m., roughly nine hours before he was found.
• The Coast Guard is investigating the incident and the man is expected to survive.

Two fishermen from Newport Beach rescued a Royal Caribbean cruise ship employee who was treading water nearly 20 miles off the coast on Friday, CBS News reports. Sean Norton and Grant Garrett were fishing for marlin near Catalina Island when they spotted the man around noon and pulled him aboard.

The man, 37, told them he was a pianist on the Ovation of the Seas, a 14-deck ship sailing from Long Beach to Ensenada, Mexico. He has not been identified and was hospitalized after the ordeal.

Rescue at sea

Garrett said the boat's captain spotted the man and they stopped to bring in their lines. Norton said he and Garrett each grabbed an arm and lifted him up, adding that the man was in total shock.

The crew put out an emergency maritime call, and Newport Beach lifeguards responded. Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda said the location was approximately 15 to 20 miles offshore, pretty much in the middle of the ocean.

Thank you. I thought I was gonna die.

— the rescued man, as recalled by Sean Norton

Investigation and response

Officials believe the man may have gone overboard about nine hours before he was found, at around 2:30 a.m. The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the incident and how he went overboard, and said he is expected to survive.

Norton credited the warm water, saying the man was in the water for probably 10 hours but the water was 76 degrees. A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson told CBS LA the company is providing support and assistance to its crew member during this difficult time.