New Zealand fisherman rescued after floating in ocean for 23 hours, surviving close encounter with shark

A New Zealand man survived nearly 24 hours floating in the ocean after falling off a fishing boat and surviving a close encounter with a shark, authorties said. Police said he was finally rescued by fishermen on another boat noticed the sun reflecting on the man's watch.

The man was not identified, but Whangamatā Police sergeant Will Hamilton said in a news release that the fisherman had set off on a solo fishing trip on Jan. 2. The man was in a 40-foot boat and planned to return on Jan. 3, but near the Alderman Islands off New Zealand's northern coastline, he hooked a large fish and fell overboard. 

The man attempted to catch up with his boat, but it "meandered further out of reach," Hamilton said. The man then tried to swim to the Alderman Islands, but currents pulled him away. 

The news release said that the man spent the night in the ocean, no longer able to keep swimming. During his time in the water, a shark even swam up to him to "have a sniff," but left him alone, Hamilton said. 

The next day, at around 2 p.m. local time, three fishermen on a boat near one of the islands noticed "an unusual reflection on the water." When they looked into the sight, they found the man "desperately trying to get their attention using the reflection of the sun on his watch." 

The three fishermen rescued the man and brought him to Whangamatā Marina, alerting police about the incident. Emergency responders greeted them at the marina. The man was "hypothermic and exhausted" when he arrived back on dry land, the news release said. No other information on his condition was available. 

The man's boat has not yet been recovered, but police and the Rescue Coordination Centre have shared information about the vessel and asked others at sea to report any sightings of empty powered boats. 

"It is an absolute miracle the fisherman is still alive after the ordeal. Without the quick actions of the three gentlemen that retrieved him, this certainly would have had a tragic outcome," Hamilton said. "The boaties did an absolute stellar job and without a doubt saved this man's life. ... Few stories end the way this one did, and police cannot thank the eagle-eyed trio enough for making the call to investigate something that looked out of the ordinary." 

In:
• Rescue
• Oceans
• New Zealand

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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