NPR

19-Year-Old Survives 49 Days At Sea, After Floating Hut Drifts To Guam

After he ran out of cooking gas, Aldi Novel Adilang started using wood from his craft to cook fish. He drifted from Indonesia to waters around Guam.
Aldi Novel Adilang's floating fishing hut was spotted by a passing cargo ship, the MV Arpeggio, after drifting at sea for more than a month.

One of the biggest challenges of Aldi Novel Adilang's job was supposed to be boredom, as the sole caretaker of a wooden fishing hut miles out at sea. Instead, he was forced to survive more than a month on the ocean, after his hut lost its mooring and drifted from Indonesia to waters around Guam.

For 49 days, Aldi survived by stretching out his meager supplies, reportedly subsisting on fish more than 77 miles off Indonesia's coast. But the line anchoring the hut snapped in high winds on July 14, turning Aldi into a castaway.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
From Pandemic To Protests, The Class Of 2024 Has Been Through A Lot
Pomp and circumstance again fall victim to circumstance for some students in the graduating class of 2024, as protests over the war in Gaza threaten to disrupt commencement ceremonies.
NPR2 min read
Short-term Loss For Long-term Gain? The Ethical Dilemma At The Heart Of EVs
As mines meet mineral demands for electric vehicles, they put communities and ecosystems at risk. Sustainability researcher Elsa Dominish says the EV industry cannot repeat fossil fuel's mistakes.
NPR4 min read
Yes, Apple's New IPad Ad Is Ugly And Crushing, But Art Can't Be Flattened
The newest iPad ad depicts instruments, books and art supplies flattened into Apple's thinnest product ever. But anyone who owns and loves art in any form knows: The practicality isn't the point.

Related Books & Audiobooks