Angler Who Survived 438 Days at Sea Accused of Cannibalism
OutdoorHub Reporters 12.16.15
Early last year, 47-year-old José Salvador Alvarenga shocked the world when he washed ashore in the Marshall Islands. The Mexican fisherman is believed to have drifted 6,700 miles in a fiberglass boat after being blown off course by a storm in late 2012.
Alvarenga claimed that he spent 438 days lost at sea. If true, it would mean that Alvarenga survived the longest time ever spent lost at sea in all of recorded history—and he didn’t do it alone. The fisherman said he was accompanied by 22-year-old Ezequiel Córdoba, who he claims died early on in the incident. Córdoba’s family is now accusing Alvarenga of eating his shipmate’s body to stay alive, and, according to reports, have filed a lawsuit against him seeking one million dollars in compensation.
Alvarenga’s lawyer, Ricardo Cucalon, calls the lawsuit nothing more than a money grab. A book recounting the fisherman’s story of survival was published just before the lawsuit was filed.
“I believe that this demand is part of the pressure from this family to divide the proceeds of royalties. Many believe the book is making my client a rich man, but what he will earn is much less than people think,” Cucalon told El Salvador’s El Diario de Hoy.
This is not the first time that Alvarenga has courted controversy. When his story broke in 2014, a number of experts questioned whether he really did survive 438 days at sea, mostly alone and living on a diet of jellyfish, sea turtles, and whatever else he could capture with his bare hands. Skeptics pointed to his surprisingly good health and the difficulty of surviving such a long time at sea.
You can see an interview with Alvarenga and survival experts below:
In a series of interviews with journalist Jonathan Franklin, who would go on to pen 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea, Alvarenga said the trip went bad right from the start. The motor on his 25-foot fishing vessel failed as the two men were headed back to shore, trapping the boat right in the path of a storm. Alvarenga stated that the ship nearly sunk and crashing waves swept nearly all of their fishing gear and other supplies overboard.
“I was so hungry that I was eating my own fingernails, swallowing all the little pieces,” he told Franklin.
Eventually, the two men began catching fish by hand. Córdoba would slice the meat into narrow strips and leave them in the sun to dry, but Alvarenga would occasionally eat the fish raw. The pair would also drink their own urine to stay hydrated. This went on for two months until Alvarenga said Córdoba lost hope and began to shut down. He later died of unknown causes, but Alvarenga claimed that he never resorted to eating his shipmate. Instead, he said he was in a delusional state himself and kept talking to Córdoba’s body for six days before pushing him overboard.
Córdoba’s family says otherwise, but have not yet come forward with evidence that Alvarenga did commit cannibalism. Mexican officials have also not made any comments on whether a criminal investigation is underway.
