Jose Iván, Lost At Sea For 16 Months, Floats From Mexico To Marshall Island Surviving On Turtle Blood

In what sounds like a chapter out of Yann Martel's 2001 novel "Life of Pi," a man has floated up in Marshall Islands in the remote Pacific, on his boat, claiming to have been lost in sea for 16 months. The man, dressed only in ragged underpants, was discovered by two locals on Thursday after his boat floated onto the Ebon Atoll reef. According to reports, the man, who said his name is Jose Iván, floated 8,000 miles (12,500 kilometers) from Mexico.

Iván, was found with a long beard and hair, only speaks Spanish and claims to have left Mexico in September 2012 for El Salvador on his 24-foot fibreglass boat with propellerless engines when he got lost at sea. He also states that he left with a companion who died several months ago at sea. As for survival tactics, Ivan recounts catching and eating turtles, birds and fish for sustainance, and resorting to drinking turtle blood when there was no rainfall for fresh water.

That said, the details of Ivan's 16 month journey are questionable. Ola Fjeldstad, a Norwegian anthropology student doing research on Ebon, told Agence France Presse by telephone that there was no fishing equipment on the boat. And while Ivan alleges he caught turtles and birds with his hands, there was no turtle on his boat, according to Fjeldstad. "The boat is really scratched up and looks like it has been in the water for a long time," said the researcher. "He has a long beard and hair."

As for Iván's recovery, Fjeldstad states that he is making progress and does not seem to be suffering from any life-threatening illness. "He's staying at the local council house and a family is feeding him," said Fjeldstad, according to the Telegraph. "We've been giving him a lot of water, and he's gaining strength." Getting Ivan off the island will be tricky, as officials at the Foreign Ministry need to get him to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Majuro. Currently the island's only plane that can land in Ebon to pick up the castaway is out for maintenance repair.