The open ocean is one of the deadliest environments on the planet. Remember The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: “Water, water everywhere / not a drop to drink.” On top of no drinking water, you are at the mercy of the weather, must rely on whatever food you can catch from the ocean, and there’s the sheer psychological misery of looking for miles in all directions and seeing nothing.
All of which means that nobody should be able to survive a colossal 438 days drifting in the open ocean. But José Salvador Alvarenga somehow did.
