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Life of a mariner is never easy. Yet, many harbour a strong passion for a life spent at sea and find it very difficult to ignore the call. Inevitably, the Mariners have to endure a state of social isolation that is different from life at the shore. Usually, the voyages at sea are extremely long and time-consuming, perhaps even taking a few months or years to complete their target or reach their destination. Though the sea is fraught with numerous dangers, the sense of adventure beckons one and many! The weather hazards like hurricanes or tropical cyclones carry the potential to severely damage or even drown a vessel. Moreover, it is dangerous to navigate the ships around icebergs, canals, coral reefs, sandbars etc. that can also turn into a life-threatening situation. Apart from that, even technical glitches like navigational equipment failure, structural issues, engine problems etc. can prove to be hazardous for those on board. In spite of all these major and minor problems, a sea journey can be very exciting and thrilling for someone who loves being wild and free! #1 Jose Salvador Are you a fan of Tom Hanks’ performance in the movie, ‘Cast Away’? Well, meet Jose Salvador Alvarenga who was discovered in a similar state in the faraway Marshal Islands. In 2014, Jose was finally rescued from around 6,000 miles away from his homeland, Mexico, from where he had set out on a fishing trail. Little did he know that this supposedly day-long fishing trip would result in him being cast away for 13 months! In December 2012, Jose had started the shark fishing trip along with a young companion, called Ezequiel Cordoba, when due to adverse weather conditions and a raging storm, the engine was blasted off. Unfortunately, his teenage companion didn’t survive the ordeal and died four weeks after they were isolated in the sea. Unlike him, Jose was able to survive wholly on turtle blood and raw fish for a long period of time. After being rescued, he was relieved to return to his home and family again though he still suffered from ill health. He has denied any rumours of him being involved in cannibalism as a means of survival! #2 Amber Burkett Imagine going for the perfect, summer vacation to your relatives’ place and getting stuck on a boat for four, long days! When the sunny vacation in Honduras turned into an unbelievable nightmare for the American teen, Amber Burkett, she was hanging precariously at her wits’ end. In 2013, Amber had commenced her journey on a chartered boat to the nearby Utila Island, only to be faced with a problematic situation. Their boat ran out of its gas supply only 5 miles from the island, sending Amber and eight other people into panic mode! Amber had to survive on the boat without any food and water and her sensitive skin suffered from serious sunburns due to overexposure to the harsh sunlight. Each day became tougher than the last one and Amber started falling sick, with her hands turning purple. She lost her courage and will to survive and was convinced that she was never going to make it home again. She prayed to God to meet her mother one last time. When she was rescued after four days, her joy knew no bounds as she cried in her mother’s and grandmother’s arms. She admits that this has been her life’s biggest lesson. #3 Doaa Al Zamel Another such heartbreaking story of a shipwreck incident is the one where a boat carrying 500 people had capsized near Greece. In 2014, this vessel was carrying 500 refugees from Syria who had undertaken the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea, in an attempt to escape from the war and poverty prevalent in their country. Only 11 people came out alive after the boat sank, with the 19-year old woman, Doaa Al Zamel, living to tell the horrific tale! In spite of all the odds she faced at sea, this brave woman managed to stay afloat for four days while holding two kids who were entrusted to her by people who were on the verge of death by drowning. Doaa had to endure the pain of seeing her fiancé, Bassem, dying in front of her own eyes as he couldn’t go on anymore. With incomparable courage and unwavering determination, Doaa Al Zamel managed to stay alive for four days without any food or water. She is a strong-willed woman who achieved the impossible in the worst scenario! She simply hopes that peace is again restored in Syria and that nobody else has to go through such a nightmare again. #4 Abby Sunderland Abby Sunderland, a 16-year old teenager from California, decided to go on a non-stop sailing trip around the globe in an attempt to become the youngest person to achieve that. In 2010, she set out on her 40-feet yacht, known as Wild Eyes. Even if the majority of the world had treated his adventure of hers as being ‘foolhardy’ or even as the result of ‘bad parenting’, Abby had managed to survive alone in the ocean for 138 days. Unfortunately, she could not complete her journey as she was engulfed by extreme weather conditions, in the perilous Southern part of the Indian Ocean. With harsh winds and tall waves of the size of a three-storeyed building, Abby was close to death and it was no less than a miracle that she had managed to stay afloat! She activated the two emergency, satellite beacons on her yacht after figuring out that her mast was broken. She was rescued soon after. This terrible experience did nothing to dampen her spirits! Abby plans to set sail soon again, with a higher zeal and a fiercer passion. #5 Okene In July 2013, a tugboat drowned near the Nigerian coast with only one survivor: Okene, the cook. Surprisingly, Okene had been alive for two days in the sunken vessel when the rescue team discovered him! With a stroke of good luck, Okene managed to stay inside a small air pocket, due to which he could breathe and survive and achieve a feat that is unheard of. He spent 60 hours in complete darkness, with the only panic being his constant companion. After being rescued, there was a risk factor that his body had imbibed too much of nitrogen to function properly. He was immediately sent to a decompression chamber for two days. Luckily, his body started to normalize and his life was spared.