A North Macedonian man was discovered to have survived for over 18 hours at sea, all thanks to him clutching to a toy ball lost by two boys on a beach over 130 kilometers away about 10 days prior which happened to float in his direction.
The story began when 30-year-old Ivan had been swept out to sea by powerful currents off the coast of Kassandra in Greece. And while his friends made attempts to alert the Greek coastguards, they were unable to locate him and eventually reported their friend as lost at sea.
Thankfully, this one small toy ball kept Ivan afloat until currents swept him towards the shores of Pilion, which is the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece.
A Greek Air Force chopper discovered Ivan 18 hours later and was successful in rescuing him. After worrying that he might never be discovered out at sea, a Greek reporter claims that Ivan was still able to use the ball to breathe and remain afloat despite it losing air and him being tossed in the choppy sea current.
The crew alerted the Gibraltar-flagged cargo “NORDEROOG” that was passing offshore of Nea Skioni after saving Ivan from the water. It was at that point that he was taken to safety by a patrol boat of the port authority.
A tourist has survived being swept out to sea thanks to just a small inflatable ball
Let’s get into it https://t.co/HWmTChvQDf
— Metro (@MetroUK) July 14, 2022
The Daily Mail reported that the mother of the two boys, Tryphon and Thanos, just happened to see the toy ball on the television as Ivan clung to it. She shared that the two brothers had lost the ball 10 days earlier when it had been carried away by tides at the Evgatis Beach.
A man survived 18 hours at sea by holding onto a small inflatable ball. Ivan, 30, was visiting a beach in Greece when a powerful current pulled him out to sea along with a friend on July 10. pic.twitter.com/baF8rn2YaN
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 15, 2022
He told local media the ball helped him float even though it was only partially inflated. First responders in helicopters ultimately found him after 18 hours in open water. pic.twitter.com/uKiWIn0F0n
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 15, 2022
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