A Peruvian fisherman is sharing his amazing tale of survival after being lost at sea for 95 days before finally being rescued. Maximo Napa Castro left the Peruvian town of Marcona on December 7 for a fishing trip, packing enough food for 14 days. However, 10 days into his trip, his boat was thrown off course by stormy weather and he found himself lost in the Pacific Ocean. During his desperate time of survival, Castro rationed his few remaining supplies and lived off rainwater and whatever additional sustenance he could find, including eating roaches, birds, and turtles. He eventually ran out of supplies and hadn’t eaten anything the last 15 days before he was found by an Ecuadorian fishing patrol some 680 miles from the coast. He was extremely dehydrated.

After his rescue, Castro shared what kept him going. “I said I didn’t want to die for my mother,” he said. “I thought about my mother every day. I’m thankful to God for giving me a second chance.” Castro also had a young granddaughter that helped him survive. “I had a granddaughter who is a few months old, I held on to her,” he said. Images show a very emotional Castro being reunited with his family. Castro’s mother, Elena Castro, shared that despite the optimism of other family members, she had begun to lose hope. “I told the Lord, whether he’s alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it’s just to see him. But my daughters never lost faith. They kept telling me: Mom, he’ll come back, he’ll come back,” she said. His family had reported him missing to officials after he didn’t return and spent weeks scanning the waters for him. “Every day is anguish for the whole family and I understand my grandmother’s pain because as a mother I understand her (…) We never thought we would go through this situation, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, we will not lose hope, Dad, of finding you,” his daughter Ines Napa Torress wrote on Facebook.

Despite going without food for so long, Peruvian navy port captain Jorge Gonzalez reported that Castro was able to walk and wash himself. Napa Torres wrote a Facebook post thanking the Ecuadorian crew for rescuing her father. “Thank you Ecuadorian brothers for rescuing my [sic] Dad God bless you.” She thanked especially “the pilot Wilson.” She has been, however, critical of the actions of the captaincy of San Juan de Marcona, sharing there had been a February 6^th report of little action from them in the search for Castro. “What a disappointment, as always trying to cover up their bad actions,” she wrote. “The CAPITANIA DE SAN JUAN DE MARCONA, since the complaint on February 6, didn’t carry out any search, and now they say they received a call from a vessel from Ecuador, which is a lie. Yes, an Ecuadorian ship found him and notified our family. I have been a witness and was the one who handled all the documentation process for the search of my DAD [sic]. It’s a shame to see how they wash their hands of it, but I hope that after all this, they speed up every complaint that comes to each captaincy because there are many lost boats.”  Castro was scheduled for a few more health checks in Paita before heading to Lima.