The men had been missing for three days after a wave overtook the skiff they were travelling in, were found waving their orange life jackets on the tiny Micronesian island of Fanadik, several hundred miles north of Papua New Guinea, officials said Saturday.
Stranded in the dark and their ship lost far from ground, the men could only swim.
Two hours later, a small local boat picked them up and took them to hospital.
For three days, the men remained stranded on the uninhabited island, hoping for help. In the end, their own ingenuity would facilitate their rescue.
Once found, their families were notified and, in the end, they were put on a small local boat back to Pulap, from where they initially set out to sea. No injuries were reported.
In the last two weeks, 15 people have been rescued in the Pacific with the help of 10 AMVER vessels and six aircrews, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
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