A man who survived for  106 days floating at sea is crediting a shark for helping to save his life. Toakai Teitoi, 41, says he had been traveling with his brother-in-law on what was supposed to be a short between islands cost him his brother in law, but he escaped with his life.

As the story goes, he says he was traveling with his brother in law, during the short trip, and it was a nice day. They thought they would fish, and that they did all day. They were tired so they fell asleep. The next day they awoke to being in the Pacific ocean and not a bit of land in sight. Having nothing to use to navigate, they were forced to use up the rest of their fuel for their motor. They eventually ate all their food and had nothing to drink.

On July 4th, the brother in law died. Teitoi said he slept next to him to mourn his death, then buried him at sea. That night it rained and he was able to get 5 gallons of fresh water. He credits his brother in law with making it rain to help him.

He ate fish, and huddled in a corner of the boat with shade to escape the sun.

According to Grindtv.com It was on the afternoon of Sept. 11 that he awoke to the sound of scratching against his boat. A six-foot shark was circling the boat and, Teitoi said, bumping against its hull.
"He was guiding me to a fishing boat," Teitoi said. "I looked up and there was the stern of a ship and I could see crew with binoculars looking at me."
The first thing he asked for after he was plucked from the water was a cigarette, or "a smoke." He was given food and juice and his rescuers continued to fish for several days before delivering him to Majuro.

Teitoi, who seemed in good health, said he booked flights back to his home island, adding, "I'll never go by boat again."
The record for drifting at sea is believed to be held by two fishermen, also from Kiribati, who were at sea for 177 days before coming ashore in Samoa in 1992.

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