### Stranded: The Harrowing Tale of a Fisherman Lost at Sea
**In an unbelievable true story, a Mexican fisherman spent a staggering 438 days lost at sea.**
José Salvador Alvarenga was set for a two-day fishing trip with his friend Ezequiel Córdoba in November 2012.
What was meant to be a weekend adventure turned into a nightmare they could never have imagined.
Their journey began off the coast of Mexico, where the two men planned to reel in the catch of a lifetime.
But nature had other plans.
A fierce storm struck, crippling their boat and leaving them stranded in the vast Pacific Ocean.
As they fought to stay afloat, they were forced to toss overboard about 500kg of fish, along with most of their gear.
With only a damaged icebox left for survival, they found themselves battling both the elements and their dwindling supplies.
Alvarenga tried to steer the boat to safety while Córdoba used the icebox to bail water.
Then, disaster struck—without GPS, they were utterly lost at sea.
**The harrowing details of their struggle are chilling.**
With no way to navigate, they drifted endlessly, surrounded by nothing but water.
The two men relied on the icebox for sustenance; Alvarenga leaned over the edge, catching fish to survive.
Córdoba took on the grim task of gutting the fish and drying its flesh in the sun.
They became experts in finding rainwater and lived on raw fish for months.
But tragedy hit when Córdoba fell ill after consuming a bird.
Desperate to maintain hope, Alvarenga urged him to rest.
“Don’t think about that. Let’s take a nap,” he said, unaware of the fate that awaited them.
Just moments later, Córdoba passed away, leaving Alvarenga alone in a world of despair.
**The emotional toll was immense.**
Overcome with grief, Alvarenga propped his friend’s lifeless body up to prevent it from sinking.
Exhausted but alive, Alvarenga swam to the shore and encountered a local couple who signaled for help.
“I cried for hours,” he admitted, feeling the weight of loss.
To cope with his isolation, he began talking to Córdoba’s corpse.
“How do you feel? How was your sleep?” he would ask, desperate for companionship.
In a surreal moment of survival, he stripped off Córdoba’s clothes, donning a red sweatshirt adorned with skulls and crossbones.
“As I slid him into the water, I fainted,” he recalled, confronting the stark reality of his solitude.
The haunting question lingered: “Why had he died and not me? I had invited him to fish.”
This guilt consumed him, but Alvarenga pressed on, buoyed by sheer determination.
**After 438 days adrift, Alvarenga finally reached land in January 2014.**
He drifted around 6,700 miles, a true testament to the will to survive.
His rescue on Ebon Atoll in the Marshall Islands was a bittersweet moment.
Local residents nursed him back to health, shocked by his incredible tale of endurance.
Alvarenga returned home a changed man, haunted by his memories yet grateful to be alive.
His story serves as a gripping reminder of human resilience against nature’s brutal forces.