Man Survives Being Swept Out To Sea For 18 Hours By Holding Onto Soccer Ball

A Macedonian tourist had the worst beach trip of his life this past weekend when he was swept away by powerful currents at Myti Beach. Ivan, 30, went missing with his friend Martin Jovanovski, who has not yet been located.

Ivan’s life was miraculously saved when a small, multicolored beach soccer ball floated by him. He clung to the ball for 18 long hours at sea before his rescuers managed to locate him.

After his Sunday rescue, Ivan has since recovered and even posed for a photo with his father, the mayor of the Greek town of Kassandra he was vacationing in, and the heroic ball in question.

A woman who lives on the island of Lemnos has also come forward and claimed that she recognized that very ball, which was lost to the sea by her young sons Tryphon and Thanos. The ball then floated 80 miles for over ten days to eventually save Ivan’s life.