Though various details remain sketchy and he sometimes appeared to contradict himself, Alvarenga said he set off for just a one-day trip to catch sharks with Ezekiel on December 21, 2012. The motor on their 24-foot boat stopped working on their first day and they spent some days drifting near land. But they soon drifted into the Pacific Ocean and realised they needed to fend for themselves. Ezekiel died four months later.