Oliver Žuvela works as a professional fisherman in Mehamn in Finnmark, and had lent the leisure boat to the neighbor to fish for him some cod on Wednesday afternoon last week. Suddenly, when Žuvela was a nautical mile east of Kinnarodden, the wind changed. The Croatian tried to drive back to Mehamn, but it was not possible. He then changed course to get ashore. – When I got there I tried to jump on a rock so I could fasten the boat until the weather cleared. It was low tide, so I slipped and fell into the sea. I tried to hold the boat, but the wind was too strong and the waves so big, so I had to let the boat go, says Žuvela. All Žuvela had with him of equipment and clothes was on board the boat which slowly but surely disappeared farther and farther from him. Thus, Žuvela’s struggle to survive began. The leisure boat Oliver Žuvela used has got a big hole after the shipwreck. Photo: Trond Odin Myhre Johansen / news – You should not die under this rock After the fall in the sea, Oliver Žuvela was cold and soaked, so the first hours were spent trying to stay warm to avoid hypothermia. Under a rock, he worked to keep warm for eight to nine hours before the weather and visibility improved, he says. – I found some shells that I ate the contents of to get food in me. I’m from Croatia, so I’m used to fresh seafood. The fisherman then tried to hang up a green container of five liters so that the rescue crew would see him, but to no avail. – I climbed a mountain top and looked around. I saw where it was possible to go on, but it had rained for two days and was slippery, so it was very dangerous. But I said to myself: Oliver, you are not going to die here under this rock. You have to do something, says Žuvela. Oliver Žuvela thinks he came ashore at Magkeilspira, 17 kilometers from Mehamn. The mosquito kept Žuvela going Friday morning began the march towards Mehamn. The Croat had an idea of the direction of Mehamn and civilization, but between them were slippery mountains and mountains. – There were many places where I had to walk all the way around or down to the sea to get past the mountain. I risked my life all the way back, he says. It was not just the surface that was challenging. – I wanted to lie down many times as I had little energy, but there were so many mosquitoes around me when I sat still. If I tried to relax for five minutes, they would kill me, I think. So the mosquitoes helped me keep going, says Žuvela. Oliver Žuvela has been at sea all his life, just like his father and grandfather. Photo: Oliver Žuvela Reported missing after three days On Saturday afternoon, the police and Mehamn HRS launched the search operation for a man in his 30s who was missing. This man was Oliver Žuvela. One of those who helped in the search was commercial fisherman Leif Erik Johansen. He says that they were first four fishing boats that went out to search before a couple more eventually arrived. – When we came out, we were told by the Coast Guard about where to look. Then we drove to our positions and performed a beach search. But he was on the mountain, so it was difficult to see him from the sea, says Johansen. Leif Erik Johansen helped in the search for Oliver Žuvela. As the Croat was on the mountain, he was difficult to see from the sea. Photo: Trond Odin Myhre Johansen / news – Are you Oliver? Oh my God! When the news that he was missing came out, the Croatian began to approach the end of the 17 kilometer long return to Mehamn. – Then I was very happy. My energy level was very low, but I did not give up, he says. Around 10.30 pm on Saturday night, the fisherman arrived at the police station, much to the surprise of the search crew. – When I got there, they were standing outside and I said: Hi, I’m Oliver. I’ve been in a boat wreck, can you help me? Then they said: Are you Oliver? My God, come with us! Then they called for the ambulance to examine me, even though I felt fine, says Žuvela. The fisherman Oliver Žuvela is well used to both sea and storm, but since he used a leisure boat that day, it became difficult for him to maneuver. Photo: PRIVATE Thus, the search crew was able to end the search and tell that Oliver Žuvela had been found – to the great joy of colleague Leif Erik Johansen. – Where did he come from? Is he found on the shore? Is he safe? When we heard that he was coming walking, it was just “wow!” It’s a hard terrain. Getting from the shore and up the mountain is not just-just, says Johansen. Several thought he was dead According to the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, 15 people died in 14 accidents using a recreational boat in the first half of 2022. – We see that most people who die in connection with the use of recreational craft die by falling overboard, capsizing, or falling between boat and pier when the boat is moored, says Randi Linløkken, senior advisor section for recreational vessels. Randi Linløkken in the Norwegian Maritime Directorate says that in collaboration with several actors, they have prepared a National Action Plan against Recreational Boat Accidents. Photo: Torbein Kvil Gamst / Torbein Kvil Gamst She says that many of the accidents could have had a different outcome. – If the people had worn buoyancy aids, had a good ladder that was possible to reach from the water, and something to warn that they were in need. Number of fatalities in connection with recreational craft in the last 5 years. Photo: The Norwegian Maritime Directorate Žuvela says he never panicked. – I did not think much. I’m a diver, so I can turn off my brain. I concentrated on getting home. I even sang a little now and then, he says. But the Croatian knows full well that things could have gone much worse. – I have received a lot of support. People have called and sent messages. Many of the other experienced fishermen have said that it is realistically difficult to survive a boat wreck. Most people had thought I was dead, he says. The recreational boat Oliver Žuvela sank with is now ashore in Mehamn. Unfortunately, there was no cod next door, but Žuvela is happy to go fishing again. Photo: Trond Odin Myhre Johansen / news Vocational colleague Leif Erik Johansen has good advice for everyone who is going out to sea. – Tell us where you are going and wear a life jacket, then you are quite saved, he says.
ttn-69
Oliver Žuvela survived three days in the wild in Mehamn when the storm took his boat – news Troms and Finnmark
