Oliver Žuvela works as a professional fisherman in Mehamn, Finnmark, and gave him a leisure boat to fish on Wednesday afternoon last week.
Jewela was about nautical miles east of Kinneret when the wind suddenly changed. The Croatian tried to drive back to Mehman, but couldn’t.
He then changed course to land.
– When I got there I tried to jump onto a rock so I could tie up the boat until the weather cleared. At that time the tide was low so I slipped and fell into the sea. I tried to hold on to the boat, but the wind was too strong and the waves too big, so I had to let go. jewelry
All the equipment and clothes Juwela had were on the boat, which slowly but surely disappeared away from him.
Thus, Juwela’s struggle for survival began.
The leisure boat used by Oliver Žuvela has a large hole after the shipwreck.
Photo: Trond Odin Myhre Johansson / NRK
– You will not die under this stone
After falling into the sea, Oliver Juella was cold and wet, so the first hours were spent trying to stay warm. Hypothermia.
Under a rock, he worked hot for eight to nine hours before the weather and visibility improved, he says.
– I found a few shells that I consumed to add to my diet. I’m from Croatia, so I’m used to fresh seafood.
The fisherman tried to hang a five liter green container so that the rescue team could see him, but to no avail.
– I climbed a mountain top and looked around. I looked where we could go, but it had been raining for two days and it 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, he says jewelry
Oliver thinks the Jewela came ashore at Mackeelspira, 17 kilometers from Mehman.
The mosquito followed Jewela
The rally started towards Mehamn on Friday morning. The Croats had an idea of Mayham and the direction of civilization, but there were slippery hills and mountains between them.
– There were many places where I had to walk around or down to the sea to get over the mountain. I risked my life, he says.
It’s not just a challenging surface.
– JMany times I wanted to lie down because I was low on energy, but when I sat still there were a lot of mosquitoes around me. If I try to rest for five minutes, I think they will kill me. So the mosquitoes helped me keep going, he says jewelry
Like his father and grandfather, Oliver Juella has been at sea all his life.
Photo: Oliver Juella
He was reported missing three days later
On Saturday afternoon, police and Mehman HRS launched a search operation for the missing 30-year-old man. This man is Oliver Juella.
One of those helping in the search was commercial fisherman Leif Erik Johansson.
He says they were originally four fishing boats, and a couple went to search before eventually arriving.
– When we got out, the Coast Guard told us where to look. Then we went back to our positions and searched the beach. But because he was on the mountain, it was difficult to see him from the sea, says Johansson.
Leif Erik Johansson assisted in the search for Oliver Zuela. Being on a Croatian mountain, it was difficult to see from the sea.
Photo: Trond Odin Myhre Johansson / NRK
– Are you Oliver? God!
When word got out that he was missing, the Croatian began to approach the finish line, returning to Mehman with 17 kilometers to go.
– I was very happy then. My energy level was very low, but I didn’t give up, he says.
At around 10.30pm on Saturday, the Fisherman Police Station arrived, taking the search team by surprise.
– When I got there, they were standing outside and I said, Hi, I’m Oliver. I’m in a boating accident, can you help me? Then they said: Are you Oliver? My God, come with us! Then they called an ambulance to check on me, even though I felt fine, he says jewelry
Fisherman Oliver Juella was well-versed in both seas and storms, but as he was using a leisure boat that day, it became difficult for him to maneuver.
Photo: PRIVATE
Thus, the search team was able to call off the search and say that Oliver Zuela had been found – much to the delight of colleague Leif Erik Johansson.
– Where did he come from? Did he get on shore? Is he safe? When I heard he was walking, it was like, “Damn!” It’s tough terrain. Johansson says it’s not just about climbing the mountain from the shore.
Many 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.
– Most of the people who die in recreational craft use fall between the boat and the ship while the boat is anchored, capsize, or die between the boat and the boat. says Randy Linlocken, senior consultant division of entertainment.
Randy Linnlogken at the Norwegian Maritime Directorate says, “We have prepared a national action plan against recreational boating accidents in collaboration with several actors.”
Photo: Dorbeen Quill Gamest / Dorbeen Quill Gamest
He says that many accidents can happen A different result was obtained.
– If People He used flotation aidshatt en A good ladder to reach from the water, And something to warn them that they need it.
Number of deaths related to recreational crafts in the last 5 years.
Photo: Norwegian Maritime Directorate
Jewela says she never panicked.
– I didn’t think much of it. I’m a diver, so I can turn my brain off. I focused on going home. He says that I also sang a little from time to time.
But as the Croatian knows all too well, things could have gone a lot worse.
– I have received a lot of support. People have called and sent messages. Many other experienced fishermen have said that surviving a boating accident is realistically difficult. Most people thought I was dead, he says.
The recreational boat Oliver Jewela has sunk and is now washed ashore in Mehamn. Unfortunately, there are no cod next door, but Juella is happy to go fishing again.
Photo: Trond Odin Myhre Johansson / NRK
Professional colleague Leif Erik Johansson has good advice for all seafarers.
– He says tell where you are going and wear a life jacket and then you are very much saved.
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