Lost at sea, far from home

In April 2013, South African was lost at sea for 28 hours off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, after he fell overboard during a surfing trip. He survived the elements, dehydration, shark attacks and jellyfish stings and was finally rescued by a charter boat. There’s a new book about his experience: Why this title? It was really tough choosing a title. The original one was One Green Bottle which then became The 29th Hour. A week before publishing, we felt that neither title truly captured the essence of my ordeal and then decided on Alone. That one word fundamentally highlights the terrifying time I endured in the ocean.

What was your main aim with the book? To tell the story in its entirety for my children, Zara (12) and Jamie (9), so they can one day fully comprehend how close our family came to tragedy. They were too young at the time to understand.

What was it like reliving the experience? It was incredibly emotional, so much so that after completing the book it took me nine months before I was able to read it through.

Did the experience change your outlook on life? There’s no way that someone can spend 28 hours knowing he is going to die, but not knowing how or when, and then surviving by the slimmest margin, without gaining a completely new perspective on life. I was a big proponent of chasing material things. Now I believe that faith, family and friends are the only things in life that truly matter. If I can achieve balance in these three things, everything else will fall into place. Which books are on your bedside table? The Monk who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma, Jeffrey Archer’s latest book Cometh the Hour, Open by André Agassi and The Road Less Travelled by M Scott Peck.

Alone – The Search for Brett Archibald is published by Burnett Media. Available in book stores for R240.