In 2018, the extraordinary survival story of 19-year-old Aldi Novel Adilang captured the world's attention after he was found 1,200 miles away from his home in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Adilang was working as a lamp keeper on a "rompong"—a floating fishing hut anchored 75 miles offshore—when a powerful storm snapped the vessel's mooring lines. Without an engine or paddles, he was swept into the Pacific Ocean, beginning a harrowing 49-day journey during which he drifted thousands of miles toward the waters of Guam. As his initial supplies of rice and fresh water were exhausted within the first week, Adilang demonstrated remarkable ingenuity to survive. He began catching fish and used wood from the wooden fences of his hut to build small fires for cooking. To combat dehydration when rain was scarce, he developed a technique of soaking his clothes in seawater and wringing them out to sip the liquid, hoping the fabric would filter out some of the salt. Despite seeing more than ten large ships pass him by in the distance, it wasn't until the 49th day that he successfully signaled a Panamanian tanker using a handheld radio. Throughout his ordeal, Adilang later shared that his mental and spiritual resilience were sustained by his faith. When the isolation led him to the brink of despair, he turned to a Bible he had kept on board and remembered his parents' advice to pray during times of distress. His rescue by the MV Arpeggio and subsequent return to his family remains a landmark testament to the human spirit's ability to endure against all odds. Today, his story is frequently cited as one of the most remarkable accounts of maritime survival in modern history. #AldiNovelAdilang #SurvivalStory #FaithAndResilience

In 2018, the extraordinary survival story of 19-year-old Aldi Novel Adilang captured the world's attention after he was found 1,200 miles away from his home in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Adilang was working as a lamp keeper on a "rompong"—a floating fishing hut anchored 75 miles offshore—when a powerful storm snapped the vessel's mooring lines. Without an engine or paddles, he was swept into the Pacific Ocean, beginning a harrowing 49-day journey during which he drifted thousands of miles toward the waters of Guam. As his initial supplies of rice and fresh water were exhausted within the first week, Adilang demonstrated remarkable ingenuity to survive. He began catching fish and used wood from the wooden fences of his hut to build small fires for cooking. To combat dehydration when rain was scarce, he developed a technique of soaking his clothes in seawater and wringing them out to sip the liquid, hoping the fabric would filter out some of the salt. Despite seeing more than ten large ships pass him by in the distance, it wasn't until the 49th day that he successfully signaled a Panamanian tanker using a handheld radio. Throughout his ordeal, Adilang later shared that his mental and spiritual resilience were sustained by his faith. When the isolation led him to the brink of despair, he turned to a Bible he had kept on board and remembered his parents' advice to pray during times of distress. His rescue by the MV Arpeggio and subsequent return to his family remains a landmark testament to the human spirit's ability to endure against all odds. Today, his story is frequently cited as one of the most remarkable accounts of maritime survival in modern history. #AldiNovelAdilang #SurvivalStory #FaithAndResilience