Peruvian fisherman Maximo Napa has returned home after surviving an astonishing 95 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean—an ordeal that turned what was meant to be a routine two-week fishing trip into a battle for survival.
Napa set sail from his hometown of Marcona, a quiet fishing village on Peru’s southern coast, on December 7, 2024, for what should have been a standard 14-day expedition. However, just ten days in, a violent storm battered his vessel, leaving him lost at sea with no way to navigate back to shore.
Peruvian fisherman Maximo Napa, who spent 95 days lost in the Pacific Ocean before being rescued by an Ecuadorian fishing patrol, reunites with his brother after being rescued in Paita, Peru March 14, 2025 in this screen grab taken from handout video. La Republica/Handout via REUTERS
Despite extensive search efforts, Napa remained undetected for weeks, drifting further into the open ocean. Days turned into months as he battled hunger, dehydration, and isolation. To survive, he resorted to eating roaches, birds, and turtles. In the final 15 days before his rescue, with no food left, he clung to thoughts of his family—especially his two-month-old granddaughter—to keep going.
A military medical team provides care to Peruvian fisherman Maximo Napa, who spent 95 days lost in the Pacific Ocean before being rescued by an Ecuadorian fishing patrol, after his rescue in Paita, Peru March 14, 2025 in this screen grab taken from handout video. La Republica/Handout via REUTERS
Against all odds, Napa was finally spotted nearly 680 miles off Ecuador’s coast by a fishing patrol on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
His mother, Elena Castro, said the family never lost hope but admitted that as time passed, she feared the worst. Now, both mother and son are overwhelmed with gratitude, believing divine intervention played a role in his survival.
