From Le Figaro with AFP
Published yesterday at 11:48 p.m., updated yesterday at 11:53 p.m.
The fisherman spent 24 hours in the water before being fished out. MARIO TAMA/Getty Images via AFP
The man who fell into the sea while fishing alone was discovered thanks to the sun's reflection on his watch.
A New Zealand fisherman was rescued by an “absolute miracle” on Thursday (January 4) after police spent almost 24 hours in the water and used the sun's glint on his watch to attract attention.
The man was fishing alone when he fell overboard after catching a marlin off the Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island on Tuesday. He was swept away by the current and was unable to return to his boat, Sergeant Hamilton said. “He spent a cold night in the sea and was too exhausted to swim any further. While he was in the water, a shark even came to sniff him before he left,” he added.
“A true miracle”
On Wednesday afternoon, three men fishing in the area noticed an unusual reflection in the water. “They decided to search and discovered another fisherman desperately trying to get their attention by using the reflection of the sun on his watch,” Hamilton said. “It is a true miracle that the fisherman is still alive after this ordeal. Without the quick action of the three men who fished him out, the outcome would certainly have been tragic.”