Indonesian teen Aldi Novel Adilang was set adrift in the Pacific Ocean while working as a lamp keeper on a floating fish trap some 80 miles off of the coast of Indonesia. Adilang had worked as a lamp keeper for three years, continuously lighting the traps lamps to attract fish. Once a week his company would come out to the floating trap to collect the fish and restock Adilang’s hut with food, water and fuel.

In Mid-July, however, everything changed. Heavy winds shook the fish trap, known locally as a rompong, and snapped the moorings that held it stationary, casting him adrift. Over the next 49 days, Adilang would drift thousands of miles from home headed toward Guam, with no paddle or engine. ...