New Zealand fisherman rescued after floating in ocean for 23 hours, surviving close encounter with shark

A New Zealand man survived nearly 24 hours floating in the ocean after falling off a fishing boat and surviving a close encounter with a shark, authorties said. Police said he was finally rescued by fishermen on another boat noticed the sun reflecting on the man's watch.

The man was not identified, but Whangamatā Police sergeant Will Hamilton said in a news release that the fisherman had set off on a solo fishing trip on Jan. 2. The man was in a 40-foot boat and planned to return on Jan. 3, but near the Alderman Islands off New Zealand's northern coastline, he hooked a large fish and fell overboard. 

The man attempted to catch up with his boat, but it "meandered further out of reach," Hamilton said. The man then tried to swim to the Alderman Islands, but currents pulled him away.