Fishermen Hans Baraka, Idd Mohammed and Fahad Mohammed with divers from the Kenya Coast Guard Services after being rescued from the Indian Ocean.
When four fishermen set off for the Indian Ocean on November 30, 2023, they thought it was just another fishing expedition, like the many before.
Unbeknownst to them, it was to be a horrific experience that they are now lucky to be alive to tell the tale.
Three of the survivors of the harrowing fishing expedition that began in Malindi have spoken of their ordeal after fully recovering from hospital, recounting how they survived 22 days at sea before being rescued.
Recalling the terrifying moments, Mr Idd Mohammed said they left Malindi on November 30 to fish in the Indian Ocean, unaware of the tragedy that awaited them.
By midnight they were in the sea, casting their nets and spending the night catching fish.
Fishermen Hans Baraka, Idd Mohammed and Fahad Mohammed after being rescued from the Indian Ocean.
But at around 10am the next day, as they were about to return to shore, their fishing boat, christened the Jodari, ran out of fuel.
"By 1pm we had to unload the boat by throwing out some of the fish, especially the small ones, and scaling and gutting our biggest catch," said Mr Idd.
At this point, the boat was still drifting out to sea, pushed by the heavy tides.
Fishermen Hans Baraka, Idd Mohammed and Fahad Mohammed board Ship Doria in the Indian Ocean.
"I remember a huge wave came and swept our boat away. All four of us were thrown into the water, all of us crying and shouting 'Allah' (God) please give us strength. That was the moment our friend disappeared. We had no choice but to continue clinging to the boat, which was already upside down," Mr Idd added.
Once the sea had calmed, they managed to flip the boat over and the three survivors boarded, their belongings and catch swept away by the raging waters of the Indian Ocean.
They survived at sea for 22 days before spotting a Chinese fishing vessel passing by.
Mr Idd says they had no food or drinking water and were getting weaker by the day.
But in a twist of fate, one of them managed to hand-pick a fish from the sea, which they shared for a few days before going hungry again.
"Two ships ignored us and went away, and we began to wonder why they were ignoring us. It was too hot during the day and very windy at night. We had no choice but to drink the seawater, which gave us diarrhoea and made us even more dehydrated," said Mr Idd.
Another survivor said one of the ships spotted them and headed their way.
“I say if it was not for God, we would have been dead by now. It is God who gave us another chance,” said Mr Hans Baraka, a survivor.
They used their clothes to wave at the Chinese fishermen, but due to a language barrier, they only shouted "help" and were hoisted aboard the foreign vessel with the registration number BCJD8.
Fishermen (in red uniforms), Hans Baraka, Idd Mohammed and Fahad Mohammed with Kenyan Coast Guard divers aboard the ship Doria in the Indian Ocean.
On board, they were given food, water, a change of clothes and a place to sleep.
On December 26, 2023, the captain of the fishing vessel informed them that he had received a signal from the Kenya Coast Guard Services (KCGS), three days after they had been on board the foreign vessel.
The KCGS had issued alerts to several vessels operating in Kenya's territorial waters, while at the same time conducting patrols at sea.
According to Susan Mtakai, head of search and rescue and diving at the KCGS, the survivors were affected both physically and mentally.
The Kenyan authorities sent the KCGS vessel Doria out on the high seas about 250 nautical miles off the Kenyan coast to the location of the Chinese vessel.
Survivors, Hans Baraka, Idd Mohammed and Fahad Mohammed after being rescued from the Indian Ocean.
“They were in bad shape. We took them on board and some were even crying because they knew they were finally going home. We had a team of experts on board who took care of them until we arrived at the port of Mombasa,” said Ms Mtakai.
After days in hospital and later being reunited with their families, the ordeal is still fresh in the minds of the three survivors, who are still mourning the death of their missing colleague, whose body has not been recovered.
"It's been three months and they have no desire to return to the sea. Their bodies are still not fit and some of them have even developed a fear of going near a boat," said Mr Yunus Aboud, chairman of the Shella Beach Management Unit in Malindi.
