Cruise ship pianist rescued by fishermen after nine hours treading water in Pacific Ocean

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Two fishermen have rescued a man thought to have been treading water off the coast of California for nine hours after falling from a cruise ship.

Grant Garrett and Sean Norton told CNN affiliate KCBS/KCAL that they were around 20 miles from shore when they came across the man in the water on Friday morning.

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

Norton added that the episode was "surreal."

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

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

He later told them he was a pianist on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship named "Ovation of the Seas," and Newport County officials believe the man went overboard about nine hours before he was found, KCBS/KCAL reported.

The man is expected to survive, but Norton said he believes he might not have done so without the El Niño weather phenomenon, which is associated with higher water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.

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

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean told CNN: "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."

CNN has contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and Newport County lifeguards for comment.

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