Ivan, a 30-year-old North Macedonian tourist in Greece miraculously survived a near full day in the middle of the ocean off the coast of Kassandra thanks to lost deflated beach ball that floated to him.
Yes, Wilson may have separated from Tom Hanks in the end of Castaway, but he now saved Ivan. Did Castaway 2 just get its happy ending?
Ivan was carried out from sea shore by powerful currents while his friends rushed to call the coastguard but after many hours had passed, they had declared him to be lost at sea.
How a beach ball saved his life
Fortunately for Ivan, a half-deflated beach ball had drifted towards him, ironically also by strong ocean currents.
Acting instinctively, Ivan quickly clung on to the ball for dear life which allowed his legs to rest from keeping himself afloat for so long. At least long enough for rescuers to eventually spot him and pull him out of the water after a gruelling 18 hours at sea.
Apparently, the ball had been lost by young boys at a beach over 80 miles away. Tryphon, 11- and his six-year-old brother Thanos had lost their ball 10 days earlier on Evgatis beach, located on the island of Lemnos on June 30 when it was pulled in by the rough tides.
Perhaps most surprising, is the fact that young Thanos didn’t simply snap his fingers and bring the ball back or something. Surely it would be an easy task for one capable of wiping out half the universe.
However, he likely foresaw that the ball had a greater role to play in its future which is why he let it drift away so that it could be discovered and used by Ivan who was still clutching the ball tightly when he was reeled in by his rescuers.
By pure fluke, the mother of the two boys recognised her sons lost ball as Ivan was on Greek television.
The true hero of this story is the ball, which despite being half-deflated is what helped him stay alive said Ivan.
Mayor of Kassandra, Anastasia Chalkia, posed with the heroic ball alongside Ivan’s father outside a medical centre.
One of Ivan’s friends, Martin Jovanovski was also swept out to sea and still remains missing according to the latest news reports.