By: Jack Nevins

Two minutes – the average time the a human being can hold their breath underwater. Maybe the people from New Zealand know something that us Americans do not. In early January, a New Zealand man survived nearly 24 hours underwater. You may ask, how is this even possible? He was found floating in the ocean after falling off of a fishing boat. Not only did the man stay alive without losing breath, but the man encountered a shark, and survived without losing his head. Watches may be the new hot commodity on the market, as the man was wearing one, which led to him being saved. The sun reflected on the man’s watch which got the attention of a fisherman nearby who noticed the sun’s rays.

The man found floating was not identified, but Whangamatā Police sergeant, Will Hamilton, concluded that the man set out on his fishing trip on January 2nd, and planned to return a day later. The boat never returned. On January 4, the man fell out of the boat near the Alderman Islands, just off the northern coast of New Zealand. The man clearly needed to hit the gym and do some more bicep curls, because he was unable to grab a hold of the hooked fish, causing him to fall overboard. The current was too strong, claimed Hamilton. The man tried swimming to his boat, but the current pulled him back eventually leaving no sight of the boat to be found.

Around 2:00p.m. the following day, three fishermen on a nearby boat found the man, using the reflection of the sun bouncing off the man’s watch. The fisherman brought him to Whangamatā Marina, immediately notifying the police. When the man finally reached dry land, the emergency responders described him as “hypothermic and exhausted.” The man’s boat has not been found, but the Rescue Coordination Center did research on the posed vessel, sharing information to the public. This will allow the public to provide any information to the police if the vessel is found.