A pianist employed by Royal Caribbean is recovering after being rescued from the Pacific Ocean on Friday. The man, who worked on the 14-deck cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, spent approximately nine hours in the water before being spotted by two fishermen nearly 20 miles offshore, The Guardian reports. Sean Norton and Grant Garrett were returning from a fishing trip near Catalina Island when they encountered the crew member. The pair had spent their morning hunting for marlin, but their plans changed when they noticed someone struggling in the water. Garrett described the moment of discovery, saying, “I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a human being. Stop the boat; let’s get all of our lines in,” according to his account. The two men worked fast to pull the pianist onto their vessel. Once he was safely onboard and had regained his composure, he confirmed his identity and his role on the cruise ship. Norton noted that the man was understandably shaken by the event. Regarding their interaction, Norton said, “The only thing he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was gonna die.’” The rescue occurred around noon, and the fishing crew quickly placed an emergency maritime call This action brought Newport Beach lifeguards to the scene to assist. Battalion chief Adam Yacenda described the location where the man was discovered as being about 15 to 20 miles from the coast, or “pretty much in the middle of the ocean”. Two fishermen rescued a 37-year-old cruise ship pianist who was found treading water nearly 20 miles off the California coast. He had reportedly fallen overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas and may have been in the Pacific for about nine hours.The man was taken… pic.twitter.com/rjsaU2DjMd— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 9, 2026 It is fortunate that the man survived such a long time in the open water. Norton believes that the current environmental conditions in the Pacific were a major factor in his survival. He pointed to the unusually high water temperatures, noting, “You have this crazy super El Niño year. This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water’s 76 degrees. A different year, no way he makes it.” The US Coast Guard is currently investigating the incident to determine how the man went overboard. The situation is clearly complex, and authorities are working to understand the sequence of events that led to the pianist ending up in the water. Royal Caribbean Group has acknowledged that the incident involved one of their staff members. In a statement provided to the media, a company spokesperson said: “We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time. To respect the privacy of our employee, we have no additional details to share.”