Junior Apiuta Apiuta, a fisher from a tiny atoll in the Cook Islands, survived eight days lost in the vast Pacific Ocean after his engine failed. He battled towering waves, bitter cold, and loneliness but never gave up hope.
Ordeal Begins on Solo Fishing Trip
On 11 June, Apiuta left his home island of Pukapuka, about 1,140km (708 miles) north-west of Rarotonga, for a solo fishing trip. After playing volleyball, he prepared his gear and headed to sea. The wind was strong, and he followed birds flying above the water, signaling fish were nearby. Soon, his engine began to fail, spluttering and cutting in and out. By darkness, it died completely. He had no tools to fix it, and the wind picked up.
Facing the Elements
Twice, huge swells threw him into the ocean. “Big waves, way higher than the boat, slammed [me] from both sides … but I wasn’t scared because I never lost faith and stopped praying,” he said. He survived with two bottles of water, a bucket, fishing gear, a chilly bin, and a sheet. He ate small pieces of raw fish and collected rainwater. To stay warm, he used the sheet and chilly bin. “Night-time, I [couldn’t] do anything. I was freezing out there,” he recalled.
Rescue on the Eighth Day
On the third day, he saw a fishing vessel and paddled desperately, but the wind pushed him away. On the eighth day, a New Zealand air force plane circled above and alerted fishing vessels. A Taiwanese vessel approached; Apiuta whistled until a crew member heard him and shone a torch. After seven nights and eight days, he was rescued. Safely onboard, he showered, ate, and called his partner: “Darling, I’m okay.”
Never Losing Hope
Apiuta said the hardest part was not knowing where the ocean would take him, but he never believed he was finished. “I didn’t lose hope. I just felt sad,” he said. He was taken to New Zealand and will soon return home. He plans to fish again but with more caution: “Don’t forget about your torch, life jacket. Don’t forget the raincoat. Say your prayer before you start going fishing.”
