Skip to main content

Salvador Alvarenga, a fisherman who spent 438 days adrift

Salvador Alvarenga is a real shipwrecked man.His story is as prodigious as it is incredible, according to many products of a very fertile imagination.He knows what happened to this Salvadoran fisherman in 2012.

Salvador Alvarenga, a fisherman who spent 438 days adrift

Born in El Salvador, in Ahuachapan, in 1975, and in 2000 he launched into the migratory adventure: he moved to Mexico, specifically to Chiapas, to live as a fisherman.Alli would work in a small fishing village, on the beach of Costa Azul near the town of Pijijiapan, on the Chiapas coast, facing the Pacific.

A day like any other, on December 21, 2012 , left in his small boat of fiberglass of 7 meters in length accompanied by Ezequiel Cordoba , another young fisherman.Despite some storm warnings, they decided to go to the sea equally, because it was not the First storm with which he, Salvador Alvarenga, ran into.He was very skilled in fishing and in the na vegacion, but the storm reached them, and huge waves crashed into the boat while hurricane winds shook them; a few hours after leaving, and having damaged the radio, engine and GPS thanks to the storm, the boat drifted, diverting its route.

Salvador Alvarenga, a fisherman who spent 438 days adrift

As a good sailor, Salvador Alvarenga had He had taken more provisions than he needed, since on more than one occasion he had to stay on the high seas more than planned.Once the provisions were finished, and already convinced that a rescue would not be possible in the short term, he began fishing turtles, fish and traps for birds.

He could never make a fire, so the meat was always raw.They were very careful not to drink salt water, and so, at first they drank their own urine; But Salvador realized that he was very thirsty and, since it was not raining, he could not collect rainwater.He had an idea: to drink the blood of the turtles, and that he did, but the other young man, Ezekiel, refused to do so.

Four months passed, and Ezekiel's health was seriously compromised, because he refused to eat; He rebelled against that diet, even at the thought of his own death.I slowly stop eating raw meat, and if it didn't rain I didn't drink water.Until the fatal and inevitable outcome happened: that young fisherman died, and left alone Salvador Alvarenga on that marine immensity.

Nine more months passed, and he finally saw land; He once again laid a beach on January 30, 2014, at Ebon Atoll in the Marshall Islands, 12,500km from Chiapas.The American journalist Jonathan Franklin , a contributor to some newspapers such as The Boston Globe , The Guardian and The New York Times , decided to write their story and interview Salvador Alvarenga, who were present in the Marshall Islands when he was appeared and those who accompanied the fisherman during his hospitalization.The book is called Salvador: the incredible story of Salvador Alvarenga and his 438 days adrift , and in the story he tells adventure of his shipwreck, of his anguish, of his madness by being completely alone, of his despair.

Salvador Alvarenga, a fisherman who spent 438 days adrift

Recreational route of Salvador Alvarenga's boat, which sailed a distance of 12,500 km

However, and as if that were not enough, time after returning to El Salvador, to his hometown, his neighbors accused him of being a drug dealer and talk, and Ezequiel's relatives filed a lawsuit against him for cannibal, because of in no other way could he have survived so long.

In the face of all this, Salvador Alvarenga hired a lawyer, but then refused his services and hired an American law firm; The former lawyer contacted the relatives of the other young man and they have sued him for a million dollars .Before the accusations, Alvarenga decided to undergo any polygraph and psychological exams, and the results say there are no lies, that Salvador's version is true.

“Never think about cannibalism; by then he was right-handed in catching fish and turtles, and always We had a five-day supply.Hezequiel despaired, thought they wouldn't save us and didn't eat.In the end he was so weak that he couldn't even speak anymore."

Canibal or not, Salvador Alvarenga now he fears the sea and his health is not as good as before.If he ate human flesh or subsisted on turtles and fish, we will never know for sure; He survived an extreme adventure, that's right.He was at sea 438 days, on his little boat, alone.

Meet other shipwrecks, like these 5 of which you would like to know.And also these 4 cases of survival cannibalism.

Images: Gerard Van der Leun, Commons Wikimedia

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

5 secret signs that you suffer from loneliness

Hi Science Daily Online ! Before reading the article we would like you to know a new way to discover our curious world, through Youtube ! We have a channel that we would love to be a part of.You can subscribe and meet him here-> YouTube Science Daily Online! Loneliness can be a trigger of negative feelings.The person who feels lonely without wanting to, can easily fall into depression and depression. The need to connect socially is basic for the self human. Although a bit of loneliness can have a positive aspect as a trigger for a reunion with society, to move forward, we must be aware that we are in that phase of our life.It is important to know the signs that you suffer from loneliness. 5 secret signs that you suffer from loneliness Dr.John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago, an expert on the subject of loneliness, talks about her as a evolutionary force that drives us to socialize.He says in his studies that loneliness can pr produce physical disorders c...

Amazing! This causes your brain neurons to become CANNAL!

You know that the consumption of drugs called "strong" brings numerous and fatal effects on our body, right? The heroine, the crack, the acid, the cocaine, all are terrible substances that degenerate the body and undermine its functions-fundamental, physical, intellectual...-, in that we agree.But also, one of them makes our neurons eat themselves .Want to know more? Incredible! This makes your brain neurons become CANNAL! A study done at John Hopkins University showed that very large doses of cocaine actually stimulate strange behavior in neurons: they eat themselves, practice autophagy and die. One of the conclusions of this study is that "autocannibal" behavior was not only observed in primary consumers, It also happens to fetuses when the mother consumes cocaine during pregnancy, which is more relevant when explaining the risks of addicted mothers . To understand this process of autophagy, let's first see how the brain cells are.They contain o...

Scientists say that this woman has the perfect body and her secret is in a part that nobody expected

Although what is attractive to each person is completely subjective, scientists have determined the measurements and proportions of the perfect female body and if that were not enough, they have found a perfect example of this standard in Kelly Brook, a British model, actress and TV presenter, whose curves have won him the admiration of many. Science supports him: this woman has the perfect body.Find out where the secret is. Although they say that beauty is in the eye of the observer, science believes that the model, actress and TV presenter Kelly Brook is still the possessor the most perfect figure of the world. The researchers at the University of Texas have again checked their data several years ago and decided that the Kent girl is perfect in almost every way.They conducted another study and found that the model born in Rochester, now 32, has the "perfect figure". Specifically it has a height of 1.68 and measures 99-63-91 in bust, weight and hips. The s...

The rarest blood type of humans: Rh Null

Not a whole generation of monarchs ‘blue blood’ equates to the bearers of the Null Rh.This scarce and precious “golden blood” is considered the rarest blood type in the world: only 43 people have it! And more than making those 43 people feel 'a little more than special' it has been discovered that it is an invaluable way to save lives. The Null Rh, the rarest type of blood Rh Null is considered "universal" to donate to people with any other blood group, so their ability to save lives is enormous.At the same time, it is also highly appreciated by doctors, since it is given to patients only in extreme circumstances, and after careful consideration.For those who are carriers of the rarest blood type, a transfusion with a different blood type could be fatal, despite its 'universal' character. Currently Only 9 of the 43 people identified as Rh null are registered as active blood donors. They are distributed all over the globe, making the donation procedure...

Are you a psychopath? Discover it with this Test

Before starting this article, we want to remember that being a psychopath does not imply, as cinema has caused us to misunderstand, that we are murderers, much less.population to a greater or lesser extent. Kevin Dutton , a provocateur professor of psychology at Oxford University, has joined Andy McNab , military recycled into a novelist, to create the book called «The Good Psychopath's Guide to Success», translating: « The Manual of the Good Psychopath to Triumph ".In this book they tell us the reasons and the characteristics that lead this kind of people to be very successful , especially in the professional .Generally, their ability to distance yourself from problems and keep the cold head , plan patiently and be perfectionists without stress, all this makes them tremendously suitable for certain jobs. These authors-and here comes the Science Daily Online-have given us a curious test to discover how psychopath you are .Want to find out? Test: Ho...

Are there black holes in the oceans?

Experts say that the first person to approach the concept of oceanic black holes, was undoubtedly Edgar Allan Poe. Through his fantastic story «A descent into the Maelstrom», he explained to us the unusual thing about this real phenomenon, which we already talked about in Science Daily Online, where a violent sea whirlpool has engulfed more than one vessel over time, in a kind of "sucking funnel." Now, then, are this kind of sea whirlpools perhaps similar to the conventional black holes we all have in mind? The truth is that it is amazing, but in recent times and due mainly to climate change and global warming , scientists are discovering the existence of incredible oceanic eddies. Their Vortices, they had not noticed until very recently, but it is intuited that they share with the black space holes the same chaos and the same force.We are sure that you want to know more on the subject... Are you with us? Oceanic black holes Yes, there are! Scientists li...

Did you know that Abdominal Migrana exists?

You probably have already forgotten, because they are not memories that someone wants to keep from their childhood, those abdominal pains that bent you in the bed of your room and sometimes your parents did not believe, because They thought you wanted to avoid going to school.They were pains of an intensity and duration, sometimes several hours, which luckily you did not feel again when you reach youth and that today begin to be known as abdominal migraine. Did you know that Abdominal Migrana exists? Have you heard about the abdominal migraine? Probably not, but you should not feel guilty about it, because it is a term of recent use that does not fully enjoy the approval of the medical union .Strictly speaking, a migrant is a strong and prolonged pain head, which can be total or partial and almost completely rendered useless to the affected person; but some doctors, especially pediatricians, consider that the term could be extended from the neurological condition to other pains...

The oldest beers and wines that have been discovered

Did you know that beers and wines have been the oldest alcoholic beverages of which we have news? And that there is a theory rolling around that ensures that both writing and agriculture-perhaps two of the most important technologies of humanity-were born, or invented, thanks to these drinks? It seems joke, but the truth is that alcohol has been present in human life since prehistoric times, so we will talk about the oldest beers and wines that have been found. The oldest beers and wines that have been discovered China, ancient Egypt, the Vikings, pre-Inca cultures, Sumeria, ancient Greece or the Canaanites are some of the towns where traces of manufacturing both beer have been found as of wine, as well as special sites for storage. In China, in 2004, a group of archaeologists found a site today considered as the oldest brewery , in the province of Shannxi , north of the country; they found traces of an alcoholic concoction whose base was honey, some type of fruits and ric...

Why are we born with clear eyes?

At birth, it is common for babies to have a different eye color than they will later have.Many breasts, many potatoes and, above all, many grandmother, go crazy at the idea of ​​having a small blue eyes -as if the dark eyes that everyone in the family has were something bad-What a shame they take after, when they see that they have finally inherited the familiar eye color!

5 things that your voice "says" about you

Our voice reflects data about our personality, our mood and our health.Our interlocutors infer many things of tone or musicality.Let's know 5 things that your voice «says» of you . 5 things that your voice «says» about you 1.If you are in love in a recent relationship. Our tone of voice changes when we are in love and our relationship is less than one year old.In a study at Albright College, Pennsylvania, volunteers were presented with several telephone conversations to identify who had a relationship of friendship and those of a recent couple .Everyone clearly identified it.Apparently the women lower the tone and the men raise it . 2.If you have a low tone, you will seem more reliable and have more power. The most serious tones seem to be almost a guarantee of success .According to a study by Duke University, managers with the tone of More serious voice had better positions and earned more money than those of higher tones.In the political field candidates with mo...