Royal Caribbean pianist rescued after falling overboard, survives 9 hours at sea

Two fishermen rescued a Royal Caribbean cruise ship pianist from the Pacific Ocean after finding him struggling to stay afloat nearly 20 miles off the California coast.

The crew member, whose identity has not been released, was taken to hospital. The US Coast Guard is investigating how he fell overboard, according to The Guardian and CBS Los Angeles.

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Sean Norton and Grant Garrett were returning from a morning fishing trip near Catalina Island on Friday, November 6, when their boat captain spotted someone in the water.

The two men stopped fishing and moved towards the stranded man, who was later identified as a Royal Caribbean employee.

"I'm like, 'Yeah, it's a human being. Stop the boat; let's get all of our lines in,'" Garrett told CBS Los Angeles, recalling the moment the captain spotted him.

Norton and Garrett each grabbed one of the man's arms and pulled him aboard. Norton said the crew member was in shock.

"The only thing he said to me was, 'Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,'" Norton told CBS LA.

Pianist identified as cruise ship crew member

After the rescue, the man told the fishermen he worked as a pianist aboard Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas, a 14-deck cruise ship, The Guardian reported.

The fishing crew issued an emergency maritime call, bringing Newport Beach lifeguards to the scene.

Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda told CBS the man was found between 15 and 20 miles offshore, describing the location as "pretty much in the middle of the ocean".

Warm water may have helped crew member survive

Authorities believe the pianist may have spent approximately nine hours in the water before being found, The Guardian reported. Norton estimated the time at closer to 10 hours.

He suggested that unusually warm ocean temperatures may have helped the man survive, saying the water was around 76°F (24°C).

"A different year, no way he makes it," Norton told CBS, referring to the water conditions and what he described as strong El Niño conditions.

Royal Caribbean responds

A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson told PEOPLE that the company was supporting the rescued crew member.

"We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time. To respect the privacy of our employee, we have no additional details to share," the spokesperson said.

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation by the US Coast Guard.