A fisherman who spent more than three months adrift in the Pacific Ocean has spoken out about the extreme lengths he had to go to in order to stay alive.
Máximo Napa Castro, 61, set out on what was supposed to be a two-week fishing trip from the coastal town of Marcona, Peru, on December 7, 2024.
However, powerful storms pushed his boat off course, leaving him stranded in open waters with dwindling supplies and no way to call for help.
With only two weeks' worth of food on board, Castro was forced to rely on rainwater for hydration and resorted to eating whatever he could find to stay alive.
"I said I didn’t want to die for my mother. I have a granddaughter who is a few months old. I held on for her. Every day, I thought of my mother," he told CNN.
According to Reuters, he survived by eating anything he could catch, saying: “I ate roaches, birds, the last thing I ate was turtles.”
While his family anxiously awaited news, his daughter shared an emotional message on Facebook earlier this month: "Every day is anguish for the whole family… We never thought we would go through this situation, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, we will not lose hope, Dad, of finding you."
After 95 agonizing days lost at sea, Castro was finally rescued by Ecuadorian fishermen who spotted him 680 miles off the coast on March 11, 2025.
He was found in a severely dehydrated and critical condition before being rushed to Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes Hospital in Paita for treatment.
His mother, Elena Castro, shared how she prayed for his safe return, telling TV Peru: "I told the Lord, whether he's alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it's just to see him. But my daughters never lost faith. They kept telling me: 'Mom, he'll come back, he'll come back,'" cited by The Independent.
His daughter, Inés Napa Torres, expressed her gratitude to the fishermen who saved him, writing on Facebook: "Thank you, Ecuadorian brothers, for rescuing my dad Gatón, God bless you."
She later told RPP Radio: "It is a miracle that my father has been found. We, as a family, never gave up hope of finding him."
Now recovering, Castro is eager to return to his normal life and enjoy a proper meal again. "Today I ate rice with chicken and beans. I wanted to eat five plates, but I couldn't, so I had to eat just one," he told the outlet. "My stomach still needs to settle. My mom is going to make me carapulcra, rice with chicken, and sopa seca.
"All I want is to hug my mom. [The doctors] have told me I'm fine; I've always eaten well," he added.