The man identified himself as a pianist on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship (file photo)

BBC – A cruise ship pianist was found treading water around 20 miles (32km) off the Californian coast after falling overboard, according to US media reports.

Two fishermen discovered the Royal Caribbean employee near Catalina Island on Friday and officials believe he may have been in the Pacific Ocean for nine hours, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner.

“I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a human being. Stop the boat; let’s get all of our lines in,” Grant Garrett was quoted as saying, recalling the moment he and Sean Norton spotted him.

The man, who has not yet been identified, was taken to hospital in a stable condition, the US Coast Guard told the BBC, adding it was investigating the incident.

The fishermen say the man identified himself as a pianist on a 14-deck cruise ship called the Ovation of the Seas.

“The only thing he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,’” Norton said.

The Coast Guard said in a statement it had received a report from “a Good Samaritan who recovered a conscious individual from the water”.

The person was handed over to Newport Beach Lifeguards, who confirmed he was an employee of the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship, it said.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Cruise ship pianist rescued from sea after nine hours in Pacific Ocean.