Cruise ship musician survives nine hours in Pacific after falling overboard

A piano musician who accidentally fell from a cruise ship into the Pacific Ocean about 20 miles off the California coast has been rescued alive, after what officials believe may have been around nine hours in the water.

Two fishermen found him on Friday while fishing near Catalina Island. 'Yes, that's a person; stop the boat, get the ropes,' recalled fisherman Grant Garrett, who said he and his friend Sean Norton spotted the man in the water.

The man, whose identity has not been released, was taken to hospital in stable condition, the US Coast Guard said, and an investigation is under way. He reportedly told the fishermen he worked as a musician aboard the 14-deck cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. 'The only thing he said to me was thank you - I thought I was going to die,' Norton said.

He was handed over to the Newport Beach lifeguard team, who confirmed he was a crew member of the ship. Officials believe he fell from the ship around 2.30 am. 'He was about 15 to 20 miles offshore, almost in the middle of the sea,' said battalion chief Adam Yacenda. Norton said the warmer-than-usual water from this year's El Nino likely saved his life.