He later learned that the boys, aged between 13 and 16, were Sione Fataua, Fatai Latui (known as Stephen), Tevita Fifita Sioloa (known as David), Kolo Fekitoa, Mano Fotau and Luke Veikoso.

Their plan was to sail to Fiji, which was about 500 miles away. However, during their journey, a storm hit that left them stranded. They were not the most experienced of sailors, so when they hoisted the boat’s sail, it was quickly destroyed.

With no food and water (except a few bananas and coconuts they took with them), the boys had to get creative to survive. It’s said that they’d eat the meat off seabirds, and drank their blood when they couldn’t find fresh water (which they got by catching rain in empty coconut shells). All the while they were there, their families were holding funerals for them believing they were dead.

The story might sound eerily similar to the fictional tale of Lord of the Flies. However, in this story, no one fell to violence. In fact, the boys—now known as the Tongan Castaways—they were mostly in good spirits. That was, in part, thanks to a guitar they made fro a piece of driftwood, half a coconut shell and six steel wires that they salvaged from their boat. Each day, the boys would sing a song and a say a prayer.

There was even one incident where one of the boys broke their leg after falling off a cliff. However, the others went down to get him and then carried him back up before making a splint for his leg from sticks and leaves.

It’s truly a miraculous story—one of friendship and survival! You can hear the whole thing in the video below.

Can you believe these boys were able to survive after 15 months of being stranded? What do you think you would’ve done in their situation?