The Greeks of antiquity were famed for their seafaring prowess, and it's good to see that they've still got it (kinda):

The holidaymaker known only as Ivan, 30, found himself in difficulty on Saturday when he became caught up in powerful currents off the coast of Myti Beach in Kassandra, Greece.

Actually, Ivan was swimming with a friend and both were swept away by the current.

Friends worried about him going missing alerted the coastguard – but Ivan, from North Macedonia, was declared lost at sea.

But miraculously his life was saved when a child's ball floated towards him in the ocean in a tale reminiscent of the film Cast Away, which stars Tom Hanks.

He clung onto the ball to help him float – until rescuers spotted him some 18 hours later.

Seriously, imagine the sheer and unmitigated joy he must have felt when those rescuers came over the horizon.

The odd serendipity of the story doesn't end there:

And by coincidence, a mum who saw his story came forward to fill in the blanks about how Ivan survived.

She recognised the ball when she saw it on TV as the toy her sons had lost 10 days before the tourist was rescued.

I would imagine this man is going to buy those boys a few new toy balls in exchange for, you know, saving his life.

Sadly, Ivan's friend still remains lost at sea—please pray for him and his family.

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