Fisherman Stranded at Sea for 438 Days Says He Prayed to God for Forgiveness

A fisherman who was reportedly stranded at sea for 438 days before being rescued reportedly prayed to God for forgiveness during his harrowing experience.

36-year-old José Salvador Alvarenga of Mexico was reportedly stranded at sea with fellow fishing partner Ezequiel Cordoba in 2012 when heavy surf caused their modest fishing vessel to take on water.

After the fishermen's radio broke and the storm carried their boat farther out to sea, Cordoba and Alvarenga had to rely on eating raw fish and drinking their own urine to survive.

Eventually, Cordoba passed away after getting food poisoning from raw meat. Alvarenga was eventually discovered after his boat passed near the Marshall Islands and he paddled ashore.

After being rescued, Alvarenga recounted how he and Cordoba would pray to God and ask for forgiveness, especially for being ill-tempered children growing up.

"We would talk about our mothers and how badly we had behaved," Alvarenga told The Guardian in a recent interview. "We asked God to forgive us for being such bad sons. We imagined if we could hug them, give them a kiss. We promised to work harder so they would not have to work any more. But it was too late."

The fisherman, who is releasing a book detailing his harrowing experience, added in his interview with The Guardian that despite his suffering, he never took his own life while abandoned at sea, saying he cherished life too much to do so.

Alvarenga's story comes after South Carolina fisherman Louis Jordan was rescued off of the coast of North Carolina after going missing at sea for 66 days earlier this year. 

Although Jordan said he was "utterly thankful and grateful to the people who rescued me," some have accused the fisherman of lying about his disappearance, as the man was rescued in a better-than-expected health condition for being stranded at sea for 66 days.