By A 61-year-old fisherman from Peru, Máximo Napa Castro—better known as “Gatón”—recently survived an astonishing three-month ordeal lost at sea, a tale marked by desperation, endurance, and deep spiritual conviction. Adrift in the Pacific Ocean for 95 days after his boat’s motor failed, Napa was forced to survive on whatever he could find. His diet became a raw, grim selection: cockroaches, fish that jumped into the boat, birds he captured at night, and, in one of his most desperate moments, turtle blood when no fresh water remained.
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He was eventually rescued by a helicopter and brought to shore by the Peruvian Navy, receiving immediate medical care in the port city of Paita, according to CNN. Reflecting on the experience, Napa described immense physical hardship and severe psychological strain. After his supplies ran out, he had no choice but to adapt. He hunted birds while they rested on the boat at night and took advantage of any sea life that came within reach. Drinking turtle blood, though horrifying to him, became necessary for survival.
“There was no other way,” he explained. “I didn’t want to do it, but it was either that or die.”
The emotional toll was just as brutal. Napa confessed that, more than once, he came close to giving up. He considered ending his life but resisted. “Three times I picked up a knife,” he admitted. “But I told myself, ‘Calm down, Gatón. You can do it.’”
His faith and love for his family became lifelines. He prayed regularly and thought constantly of his mother, brother, and children. That inner strength gave him the will to keep going.
Salvation arrived unexpectedly. As he was falling asleep one evening, he heard someone shouting his name from above. A helicopter had spotted him, and shortly after, a boat came to retrieve him.
“That’s when I said to God: ‘You did it!’” Napa recalled, overwhelmed with emotion.
Now safe and recovering on land, he feels profoundly changed by what he endured. He hopes to share his story widely as a testament to human resilience. “I want the world to understand,” he said. “It’s love and faith that truly keep us alive.”
