Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues, a 44-year-old uncle from Brazil, is a fisherman.
In late July, he set off from Oyaporki in the northern Brazilian state of Amapá on a wooden boat about 7 meters long to an island called Ilet la Mere.
Originally, he planned to spend a few days fishing in meimei, but an accident occurred in the middle of the way - his wooden boat suddenly leaked.
Romualdo panicked because he couldn't swim at all.
In order to survive, he made a clever move and slipped into a freezer placed on the ship. Fortunately, the space inside is just enough to cram the next adult.
After the wooden ship sank completely, Romualdo could only curl up in the freezer and embark on his indefinite "middle-aged fantasy drift" on the Atlantic Ocean.
The strong sea breeze blew so hard he could not open his eyes, and the scorching sun almost cracked his skin.
There were so many fish swimming around him that he began to fear that he would be eaten by sharks.
But the trickiest thing about that was that he didn't have any food or fresh water.
Romualdo could only endure hunger and thirst, challenge his own endurance limits, and feel that his body was getting weaker and weaker day by day.
Finally, on the 11th day of his drift, a miracle occurred.
"I heard a voice. Above the freezer appeared a boat. ”
They slowly approached, and my vision gradually blurred. I raised my arms and asked them for help. ”
It was August 11, and Romualdo was fortunate enough to be spotted by a fishing boat from Suriname.
The crew thought the freezer was empty, but when they got closer, they found that there was someone inside.
They immediately rescued Romualdo from the ship.
By this time he was exhausted and could not even sit on his own.
He was severely dehydrated, his clothes were torn, his skin was sunburned, and he suffered from heat stroke.
Because he hadn't eaten for so long, he lost almost 10 pounds of weight.
Romualdo begged the crew to give him a drink, and they gave him water and porridge.
Everyone later learned that Romualdo had drifted more than 450 kilometers from the place where the wooden ship sank.
Police officer Luis Carlos Porto then reported on Romualdo's status:
"He was very thin and physically weak. But the mental state is good. The injuries on his body were related to the sun, but he had recovered a lot. ”
Affected by the brightness and temperature at sea, Romualdo's vision has also been problematic. But he was very calm.
However, the ordeal did not stop there.
As soon as the ship docked, Romualdo was treated.
Unexpectedly, he was subsequently arrested for not having local documents in Suriname.
The hapless uncle had to spend another 16 days in a prison in Paramaribo.
By the time this series of nightmares was over, he was sent back to Brazil, almost a month after he had set out.
But that's nothing compared to retrieving a life.
Looking back on this thrilling sea rafting trip again, Romualdo is full of gratitude for this freezer.
"This freezer is God to me, a miracle!"
Netizens are also lamenting his incredible experience:
"Real life is always more bizarre than fiction."
"What brand of refrigerator?" How much? ”
"This is the real-life version of "The Fantasy Drift of the Young Pi."" Haha (not...) No animals, less time), but still feel... Wow...... If I am trapped at sea alone, there is nothing, I will definitely be afraid of death. Oh my goodness. ”
"This story tells us that we should build ships with refrigerators, not wood."
"This man's will to survive is stunning. This experience will definitely change him. ”
In fact, this "near-death" experience did make Romeldo have a lot of different feelings.
He said it was the "most important day" of his life and said he was "born again."
It seems that after escaping death, his attitude towards life has also undergone some positive changes, which is also a blessing in misfortune.