Cruise ship pianist rescued after falling overboard near California

A pianist employed on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas was rescued on Friday after spending nearly nine hours in the Pacific Ocean. The man fell from the 14-deck vessel and was adrift approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) off the coast of Catalina Island, California.

Two fishermen, Sean Norton and Grant Garrett, spotted the man while they were fishing for swordfish. Upon realizing they had found a person in the water, the men immediately ceased their operations and pulled the survivor onto their boat. Norton and Garrett described the man as being in a state of shock upon his rescue, noting that his first words were of gratitude for having been saved from what he believed would be certain death.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed they were alerted by the civilians who had successfully retrieved the man from the water while he was still conscious. Following the rescue, the individual was turned over to Newport Beach lifeguards for further medical attention. Authorities are currently managing the aftermath of the incident, though no further details regarding the cause of the fall have been released.