Tourist Survives 7 Days Lost at Sea by Eating Raw Crabs While Clinging to Buoy: Reports

Qin Jianping reportedly fell into the ocean while walking along a cliff in South China on Wednesday, May 27

NEED TO KNOW

• A Chinese tourist reportedly survived seven days lost at sea by eating raw crabs while clinging to a nautical buoy
• Qin Jianping fell into the ocean near Hainan Province while taking a stroll on some cliffs
• Jianping was barely conscious when he was rescued on Tuesday, June 2

A missing Chinese tourist reportedly survived seven days lost at sea by eating raw crabs.

On Wednesday, May 27, Qin Jianping, 39, was walking along a cliff in Hainan Province, southern China, when he stepped on a fruit peel and slipped into the water at around 11:00 p.m. local time, reported China Daily.

Before his rescue on Tuesday, June 2, Jianping, who had little swimming experience, was stranded for approximately one week as he drifted in the Qiongzhou Strait without a life jacket or phone, the Global Times cited Chinese outlet Southern Daily as reporting.

While he was able to climb onto a floating maritime buoy on the second day, passenger ferries failed to see him as they sailed past his location, the Global Times reported.

Jianping's attempts to swim back to shore also failed, as waves pulled him back, the outlet added.

"For every meter I swam toward the land, the waves pushed me three or four meters back," he told state media outlet China Xinhua News.

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“The sea is nothing like a swimming pool," he added to China Daily. "I couldn't touch the bottom, and huge waves kept pushing me farther out."

"There was no way I could return," he said.

The severely weakened tourist was only able to survive by catching small crabs with his bare hands and eating them, China Daily, the Global Times and U.K. newspaper The Times reported.

"I didn't start eating crabs until the fifth day," he told China Xinhua News. "The crabs were only about the size of a little finger. I'd grab two or three at a time, rinse them in the sea water and toss them straight into my mouth."

He added to the state media that he most likely ate "60, 70, maybe even 80 crabs" during his time at sea. His only source of liquid came from small amounts of seawater and his own urine, per China Daily.

"Urine is a stream of warm heat," he told the outlet about his need to stay warm in the water — particularly at night when the temperature dropped. "I curled into a ball and tried to preserve every bit of warmth."

Eventually, Jianping became so weak that he began suffering from hallucinations, per the Global Times. By the time he was rescued by two fishermen, who held out a wooden pole for him to grab, the stranded tourist thought his friends were taking him out for food, according to the outlet.

"When we found him, he told us, 'I think I'm dying,' " fisherman Fu Tingsan told the Global Times. "I told him, 'You're not going to die. You've run into fishermen. We'll get you home.' "

Tingsan added that Jianping was around six miles from land and was barely conscious when he and fellow fisherman Zheng Shizhong found him at around 9:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, June 2.

After bringing Jianping onto their boat, the fisherman sailed towards shore so he could receive medical treatment.

Medical professionals told the Global Times that Jianping sustained severe sunburn, skin damage and infections during his ordeal. He also lost around 22 lbs. in weight, China Daily reported.

Despite also having an increased heart rate and metabolic disorders, physician Chen Boyi told the Global Times that Jianping's health appeared to now be improving.

"I had already accepted that my husband was gone," Jianping's wife told China Daily. "I filled three bottles with seawater to take home as a memento."

She was also about to return home when she was informed that he had been found alive, the outlet added.

Jianping is expected to remain in the hospital for around a week and plans to visit the fishermen who saved his life as soon as he is able, per China Daily.

"No matter how dangerous or hopeless things get, if you keep a steady mind, you can get through it," he told the outlet about his survival.

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