Couple Survived 66 Days at Sea on a Rubber Raft by Eating ‘Almost 2 Lbs. of Raw Fish a Day’ After Whales Sank Their Yacht

It’s a story that echoes many modern accounts of orca encounters at sea: a sailing couple’s yacht was surrounded and destroyed by whales off the coast of Costa Rica. But what followed set this ordeal apart. William and Simone Butler survived an astonishing 66 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean, relying on little more than determination, raw fish — and a small, hand-powered device aptly named Survivor.

The couple had been three weeks into an ambitious attempt to sail around the world aboard their 40-foot yacht when disaster struck on June 15, 1989. Roughly 1,200 miles from shore, their vessel was attacked and ultimately sunk by whales.

With little time to spare, William and Simone grabbed whatever they could: food supplies, fishing gear, and a crucial 7-pound manual pump known as the Survivor-35. The compact device converted seawater into drinkable fresh water — a tool that would prove vital to their survival. They then climbed into a rubber life raft as their yacht disappeared beneath the waves.

That quick thinking kept them alive for more than two months. For 66 days, the couple drifted across the Pacific, subsisting mainly on raw fish they caught daily. Each day, William — who was 60 at the time — painstakingly pumped out about three liters of fresh water using the Survivor, carefully rationing every drop.

When they were finally rescued by the Costa Rican Coast Guard and brought ashore in the coastal city of Golfito, both were severely dehydrated and badly sunburned, but otherwise alive and coherent. From his hospital bed, William later recalled forcing himself to eat nearly two pounds of raw fish a day — and insisting his wife do the same — just to maintain enough strength to survive.

Despite their efforts, both William and Simone reportedly lost around 50 pounds during the ordeal.

After returning to the United States, William reflected on the experience with disbelief. Just a week earlier, he said, they had still been drifting at sea, desperately trying to reach land. The reality of what they endured was difficult for him to even put into words.

During their time adrift, the couple also faced repeated dangers beyond hunger and thirst, including sharks and aggressive fish feeding frenzies. Their incredible survival story soon attracted interest from publishers and filmmakers.

Still, after everything they had been through, their immediate plans were far simpler. William said they wanted to rest — and to stay away from the ocean for a while, choosing mountains and open land instead.

William Butler died in June 2024; Simone had passed away several years earlier.

His obituary highlighted a lifetime defined by sailing. He first ventured into blue-water sailing as a teenager, captaining a small boat from Havana to Varadero at just 14 years old. Over decades at sea, he logged more than 74,000 nautical miles, sailing with children, grandchildren, and countless crewmates. His voyages included treasure hunting, fishing expeditions, multiple transatlantic crossings, rounding Cape Horn, and the ill-fated attempt to circumnavigate the globe — an effort that ended when his yacht was sunk by whales.

Even in death, his legacy remained tied to the ocean, shaped by adventure, endurance, and one of the most remarkable survival stories in modern maritime history.