‘A MIRACLE’

Castaway Survives 11 Days at Sea on Floating Freezer

The fisherman said sharks circled his makeshift survival vessel.

A Brazilian fisherman whose boat started sinking in the Atlantic Ocean survived for 11 days by floating in a freezer until he was rescued off the coast of Suriname. Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues, 44, told Record TV that he had no food or water with him, and sharks circled the cooler. “I was born again. I thought I wouldn't be telling this story, but I’m back here,” he said. “I was desperate. I thought my end was coming. But thanks God, God gave me one more chance.” He said he sustained himself by thinking of his wife and kids until he heard a nearby boat. “My vision was already fading, then I said, ‘My God, the boat.’ I raised my arms and asked for help,” he said. “It was a miracle.”