Teen Survives 49 Days Adrift at Sea

Imagine it’s mid-July and your hiding out in your fishing hut, seeking shelter from a belting storm when disaster strikes. The moorings keeping your floating water house from drifting off to the high seas snap sending you on a voyage straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. Well, that’s exactly what happened to 19-year-old Aldi Novel Adilang from Sulawesi, Indonesia.  The young man who works as a lamp keeper on a floating fish trap, known locally as rompong, found himself isolated and alone 125km out at sea. The gods it seems were at least somewhat forgiving as the ‘vessel’ he was stuck on was equipped with a small living space and food. But, as this trip was involuntary Aldi quickly ran out of food and water just days into the trip.  Luckily the young man was resourceful and was able to catch fish and cook’em up, that is until the gas onboard ran dry. Following this, he carefully and selectively began stripping his boat for parts to burn for fuel. Another obstacle he was forced to tackle was that of staying hydrated. A cruel irony he was faced with, surrounded by water and unable to quench a hellish thirst. In the days to […]