Man on surfboard rescued after three days at sea; says he fell off cruise ship

MARBELLA, SPAIN—A bizarre rescue in the Mediterranean Sea by Salvamento Maritimo, a sea search and rescue agency that operates in Spain, has the internet wondering more about a man found floating fully-dressed on a surfboard about 10 miles off the coast of Spain. The 55-year-old man told authorities he had fallen off a cruise ship three days prior, but details about what exactly happened remain unclear.

 On Aug. 24, crew members aboard a yacht alerted rescuers after spotting the man, about 10 miles south-west of the coast of Marbella. Rescuers aboard a search-and-rescue vessel named Salvamar Vega came to the man’s rescue and took him to Estepona Port, where an ambulance was waiting to drive him to a local health center to be treated by hypothermia.

“Salvamar Vega yesterday rescued and took to Estepona a man discovered by a yacht 10 miles south-west of Marbella,” a tweet from Salvamento Maritimo translated into English read. “He was adrift on a surfboard. The man who was rescued said he had been at sea for three days after falling from a ship.”

In response to the tweet, one twitter user said, “Where did that life jacket come from? If it’s the cruise ship, did he fall from the boat with a life jacket on? Name of boat should be on jacket!”

The 55-year-old man has not been identified, but local news outlets reported he was British. According to The Sun, police were expected to question the man about what happened once he recovers.