Teenagers Survived in the Ocean for 7 Days: They Ate Jellyfish and Drank Rainwater.

According to ТСН: Two teenagers from South Carolina spent a week in open water after their boat was carried away by a current. They survived without food or fresh water by eating jellyfish and drinking rain droplets, huddling together for warmth until rescuers found them 111 miles from shore.

Unforeseen Circumstances

In 2005, 15-year-old Troy Driscoll and 17-year-old Josh Long from North Charleston set off for a regular Sunday fishing trip on a 15-foot boat. Initially, the weather was calm, but soon they were swept away by a powerful current. Josh recalled that they wanted to position themselves between the shore and a sandbar, but within minutes the boat began to drift. The boys tried to drop anchor, but it didn’t help, and the boat drifted further away from the shore.

Survival at Sea

Despite their efforts, they couldn’t attract the attention of people on the shore. Josh remembered, 'We could only pray.' There was no radio on the boat, and the mobile phone was left in the car, making it impossible to contact their parents. The families alerted the Coast Guard, but the search operation, monitored by boats, helicopters, and civilian vessels, yielded no results for three days.

The boys struggled for survival, feeling cold and hot. Troy recounted, 'During the day it got so hot that we tried to dip into the water, but seeing sharks, we no longer dared to jump in.' They drifted so far that the water looked inviting. Josh admitted, 'Troy begged me to let him drink a little, but I knew that could be fatal.' Finally, when it started to drizzle, the boys tried to collect the drops, but there was far too little of it.

In their exhaustion, the teenagers lost orientation and sometimes hallucinated. Troy recalled that at one point Josh shouted that they were in a store. Out of hunger, Troy dared to eat a jellyfish, catching them by hand and consuming about a hundred. 'They are slippery and disgusting, but it was the only thing we could find,' he admitted. Josh added that Troy was so exhausted he even wanted to cut off his finger.

Rescue

On the seventh day, two fishermen noticed their boat and people waving their hands. The boys were urgently taken to the hospital, where Josh lost about 13 kg, and Troy spent three days in the hospital due to burns. Troy's father compared meeting his son after the rescue to a new birth: 'It felt like he was born into the world a second time.'

During their drift, the friends dreamed about what they would do after recovery — meeting at a café to order the largest ice cream they had talked about while lying in the boat in the middle of the ocean.

This story of the teenagers' survival in the open sea once again emphasizes the importance of safety during water outings. It is essential to have communication devices with you and to be vigilant about changes in the weather. Competing with nature can end unexpectedly, and that is why preparation is the key to a safe holiday.