ALL AT SEA
I was lost at sea for 11 days in a FREEZER with no food or water surrounded by man eating sharks after my boat sank
A FISHERMAN was lost at sea for 11 days with no food or water - but he managed to survive by floating in a FREEZER.
Unbelievable footage shows the miraculous moment Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues was pulled from the Atlantic ocean, after bobbing for 280 MILES in a kitchen appliance that he called "God" himself.
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The 44-year-old set out from Oiapoque in northern Brazil for a few days fishing in late July, according to Brazilian media - but only returned home four weeks later.
Not only did the fisherman face a gruelling 11 days at sea, but he was then reportedly thrown in prison for 16 more on reaching land.
Now Romualdo has told his astonishing story behind the breath-taking video, calling it "the most important day" of his life.
"I was born again," he told local news outlets when safely at home.
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Romualdo had been sailing a seven metre long, wooden boat to Ilet la Mere, an island off the coast of French Guiana, when it suddenly began taking on water and sank.
He didn't know how to swim.
By a stroke of luck, the Brazilian had a freezer on board the boat and made the snap decision to climb into it.
Little did he know, the empty ice-box would save his life.
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For the next long 11 days long Romualdo was stranded at sea without food or water, growing weaker by the day.
He believes he lost about five kilogrammes on board the cold-storage box as he battled with extreme thirst from the heat and salt.
The fisherman's body was wounded by the sun and he could hardly see his eyes were so damaged by the elements.
For over a week he lived in fear of being eaten by sharks as exotic fish swam around him.
Yet his life was at last saved by another vessel, 280 miles from where his boat sank, Brazilian media reported.
The fishing ship had spotted a white box floating in waters off the coast of Suriname, which borders French Guiana to the west.
As the crew neared the fridge-freezer, they started filming shocking clips of the frail fisherman inside.
After being pulled aboard, Romualdo collapsed onto the floor of the fishing vessel in torn clothes, dehydrated and disorientated.
This fridge, for me, was God. A miracle.
Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues
He desperately asked for a drink and his rescuers reportedly rushed to give him water and porridge.
Speaking to local media weeks later, Romualdo said: "I heard a noise and there was a boat above the freezer. Except they thought there was no one there.
"Then they slowly got closer, my vision was fading, and then I said, 'My God, the boat'. I raised my arms and asked for help."
He recalled the horrific 11 day ordeal: "I thought I was going to be attacked by sharks because there are lots of curious fish on the high seas."
But added: "What troubled me most was the thirst."
Most of all, Romualdo wanted to pay homage to the freezer that saved his life.
He said: "This fridge, for me, was God. A miracle."
Yet amazingly, the fisherman's fascinating tale did not end with his rescue - as he was then put in prison for 16 days.
When the fishing vessel reached shore, Romualdo was given first aid before police arrested him.
Because he was undocumented in Suriname, he was kept in custody in Paramaribo for the extra two weeks.
Police officer Luis Carlos Porto said: "He was very thin, debilitated, but in very good spirits.
"The wounds he had on his body, which were related to the sun, were already much better.
"He says he had vision problems due to the excessive heat, salt, and light, but he was very calm and in good health."
Romualdo was finally returned to his home country on a flight that landed in Belem, Para state, also in northern Brazil.
In a similarly bizarre story to Romualdo's, another man lost at sea claimed one unusual item saved his life three years ago.
The German tourist claimed a pair of jeans saved him after he was stranded for three hours.
Arne Murke managed to turn the jeans into a makeshift life jacket after he was knocked into the water off the coast of New Zealand.
Even more miraculously, a stranded swimmer from Northern Ireland claimed dolphins kept him alive.
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Ruairí McSorley who was lost at sea last year has since revealed the moment he thought he was surrounded by sharks - before realising they were dolphins there to save him.
The 24-year-old was half an hour from death after getting into trouble as he swam miles off the coast of Tralee Bay, Kerry, Ireland.
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