Over the years survivalists and skeptics have kept watching the incredible tale of one man’s fight against extreme natural conditions return to our attention through legal proceedings.
José Salvador Alvarenga made headlines as a renowned fisherman who shared his incredible survival experience from Mexico to El Salvador.
José Salvador Alvarenga and his 22-year-old crewmate Ezequiel Córdoba ventured out on a normal two-day fishing trip from Chiapas, Mexico in November 2012.
The beginning of his voyage transformed into a horrifying situation.
The boat owners endured a powerful storm that broken their boat engine and destroyed their radio systems while sailing in a small 25-foot vessel.
The tempest lasted days until the shipbreaker took their boat far into the Pacific while no one could rescue them.
They started eating raw fish turtles and seabirds while making rainwater or drinking turtle blood whenever fresh water was not available.
The experience became more exhausting each time a new day and weeks passed.
According to Alvarenga his shipmate Córdoba lost trust in survival after weeks before dying under the endless torture of their situation.
Alvarenga stayed with Córdoba’s remains during all that time and engaged in conversations with him before letting the corpse sink into the ocean.
“I was so desperate. According to his interview Alvarenga pretended there to be life in his body because he was so desperate for companionship.
Although his mind suffered while his body weakened he continued moving and drifting 438 days across thousands of miles until he spotted Ebon Atoll a small island in the Marshall Islands.
Alvarenga made landfall in January 2014 with his body badly weakened and his feet empty of shoes when the residents discovered him and contacted medical services.
His ability to survive fourteen months at sea brought worldwide media attention during that time period.
His life at sea became public again when journalist Jonathan Franklin created a book called 438 Days to share his survival story.
When Alvarenga’s tale sparked public admiration it faced countering skepticism from many people.
The fisherman’s family demanded $1 million damages because they believed Alvarenga used the young man for food during his survival.
The worldwide admiration for his feat turned to doubt following allegations that he had resorted to human consumption for survival.
Alvarenga persistently rejects the accusation because him and Córdoba agreed to reject cannibalism during their pact.
According to Ricardo Cucalón in his statement to Elsalvador.com he thinks this legal action stems from family pressure to claim royalties money. People think my client will make much money from his book when actually the profit will stay low.
To show he is not guilty Alvarenga agreed to take the polygraph test and passed it successfully.
Experts state the prosecution depends mainly on psychological factors making it hard for the judge to reach a definitive conclusion.
Although a lawsuit delayed the book’s success it became the bestselling survival story that also shows readers recovery from harsh truth.
Feature Image Credit: (José Salvador Alvarenga)
