A man believed to be a 37-year-old shark and shrimp fisherman of El Salvadorian nationality, Jose Salvador Alvarenga, washed ashore in the Marshall Islands.

He says he set off for a one day trip to catch sharks with fishing partner Ezekiel on Dec. 21, 2012. The motor on their 24-foot boat stopped working on the first day and they spent some days drifting near land before drifting into the Pacific Ocean.

The only tools the men had were a knife and a covering to shield from the sun. Alvarenga said he survived on birds, turtles, fish and small sharks, sometimes drinking his own urine when there wasn't rain. Ezekiel died four months into the ordeal after he refused to eat any more raw food. Alvarenga contemplated suicide in the days following his partner's death: "For four days I wanted to kill myself. But I couldn't feel the desire -- I didn't want to feel the pain. I couldn't do it."

"I didn't know the hour, nor the day, nor the date," the man said. "I only knew the sun and the night... I never saw land. Pure ocean, pure ocean. It was very placid -- only two days with big waves."

"I had just killed a bird to eat and saw some trees," he said about washing ashore in the Marshall Islands. "I cried, 'Oh God.' I got to land and had a mountain of sleep. In the morning I woke up and heard a rooster and saw chickens and saw a small house. I saw two native women screaming and yelling. I didn't have any clothes -- I was only in my underwear and they were ripped and torn."

He said he constantly prayed to God: "I had my mind on God. If I was going to die, I would be with God. So I wasn't scared... I imagine this is an incredible story for people."

Marshall Islands immigration authorities are gathering information for his repatriation.