A Speck in the Sea
A Story of Survival and Rescue
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Robert Fass
-
Fred Berman
About this listen
The harrowing adventure-at-sea memoir recounting the heroic search-and-rescue mission for lost Montauk fisherman John Aldridge, which Daniel James Brown calls "A terrific read".
I am floating in the middle of the night, and nobody in the world even knows I am missing. Nobody is looking for me. You can't get more alone than that. You can't be more lost. I've got too many people who love me. There's no way I'm dying like this.
In the dead of night on July 24, 2013, John Aldridge was thrown off the back of the Anna Mary while his fishing partner, Anthony Sosinski, slept below. As desperate hours ticked by, Sosinski, the families, the local fishing community, and the US Coast Guard in three states mobilized in an unprecedented search effort that culminated in a rare and exhilarating success. A tale of survival, perseverance, and community, A Speck in the Sea tells of one man's struggle to survive as friends and strangers work to bring him home.
Aldridge's wrenching first-person account intertwines with the narrative of the massive, constantly evolving rescue operation designed to save him.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 John Aldridge and Anthony Sosinski (P)2017 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
438 Days
- An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea
- By: Jonathan Franklin
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
438 Days is the miraculous account of the man who survived alone and adrift at sea longer than anyone in recorded history - as told to journalist Jonathan Franklin in dozens of exclusive interviews.
-
-
Excellent use of my credit!
- By SGL on 12-13-15
-
Coming Back Alive
- The True Story of the Most Harrowing Search and Rescue Mission Ever Attempted on Alaska's High Seas
- By: Spike Walker
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the fishing vessel La Conte sinks suddenly at night in 100-mile-per-hour winds and record 90-foot seas during a savage storm in January 1998, her five crewmen are left to drift without a life raft in the freezing Alaskan waters and survive as best they can. One hundred fifty miles away, in Sitka, Alaska, an H-60 Jayhawk helicopter lifts off from America's most remote Coast Guard base in the hopes of tracking down an anonymous Mayday signal. A fisherman's worst nightmare has become a Coast Guard crew's desperate mission.
-
-
Outstanding Story and Performance
- By Stephen Bowlby on 05-22-18
By: Spike Walker
-
81 Days Below Zero
- The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness
- By: Brian Murphy, Toula Vlahou
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The untold story of Leon Crane, the only surviving crew member of a World War II B-24 crash on a remote mountain near the Arctic Circle, who managed to stay alive 81 days in sub-zero temperature by making peace with nature, and end his ordeal by walking along a river to safety. Part World War II story, part Alaskan adventure story, part survival story, and even part inspirational story, this is what we call " a good listen".
-
-
Diluted and Distracted
- By C. Howe on 09-27-15
By: Brian Murphy, and others
-
Island of the Lost
- Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World
- By: Joan Druett
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death. In 1864, Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave inspires his men to take action.
-
-
One of the Best Stories Ever Told!
- By Tiffany on 04-10-16
By: Joan Druett
-
Deadliest Sea
- The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History
- By: Kalee Thompson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deadliest Sea by Kalee Thompson is the spellbinding true story of the greatest rescue in US Coast Guard history. Recounting the tragic sinking of the fishing trawler, Alaska Ranger, in the Bering Sea and its remarkable aftermath in March 2008, Deadliest Sea is real-life action and adventure at its finest. The full story of an amazing rescue - where extraordinary courage, ingenuity, will, and technology combined in one of the most remarkable maritime feats ever recorded - has never been told before now. It’s The Perfect Storm meets Deadliest Catch.
-
-
Good story line
- By Jayson on 03-31-20
By: Kalee Thompson
-
The Boys in the Boat
- Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
- By: Daniel James Brown
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The number one New York Times best-selling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany, the inspiration for the PBS documentary The Boys of '36, broadcast to coincide with the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 80th anniversary of the boys' gold medal race. Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times - the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
-
-
Dear Publishers of Audio Books
- By Lynn on 08-04-14
-
438 Days
- An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea
- By: Jonathan Franklin
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
438 Days is the miraculous account of the man who survived alone and adrift at sea longer than anyone in recorded history - as told to journalist Jonathan Franklin in dozens of exclusive interviews.
-
-
Excellent use of my credit!
- By SGL on 12-13-15
-
Coming Back Alive
- The True Story of the Most Harrowing Search and Rescue Mission Ever Attempted on Alaska's High Seas
- By: Spike Walker
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the fishing vessel La Conte sinks suddenly at night in 100-mile-per-hour winds and record 90-foot seas during a savage storm in January 1998, her five crewmen are left to drift without a life raft in the freezing Alaskan waters and survive as best they can. One hundred fifty miles away, in Sitka, Alaska, an H-60 Jayhawk helicopter lifts off from America's most remote Coast Guard base in the hopes of tracking down an anonymous Mayday signal. A fisherman's worst nightmare has become a Coast Guard crew's desperate mission.
-
-
Outstanding Story and Performance
- By Stephen Bowlby on 05-22-18
By: Spike Walker
-
81 Days Below Zero
- The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness
- By: Brian Murphy, Toula Vlahou
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The untold story of Leon Crane, the only surviving crew member of a World War II B-24 crash on a remote mountain near the Arctic Circle, who managed to stay alive 81 days in sub-zero temperature by making peace with nature, and end his ordeal by walking along a river to safety. Part World War II story, part Alaskan adventure story, part survival story, and even part inspirational story, this is what we call " a good listen".
-
-
Diluted and Distracted
- By C. Howe on 09-27-15
By: Brian Murphy, and others
-
Island of the Lost
- Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World
- By: Joan Druett
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death. In 1864, Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave inspires his men to take action.
-
-
One of the Best Stories Ever Told!
- By Tiffany on 04-10-16
By: Joan Druett
-
Deadliest Sea
- The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History
- By: Kalee Thompson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deadliest Sea by Kalee Thompson is the spellbinding true story of the greatest rescue in US Coast Guard history. Recounting the tragic sinking of the fishing trawler, Alaska Ranger, in the Bering Sea and its remarkable aftermath in March 2008, Deadliest Sea is real-life action and adventure at its finest. The full story of an amazing rescue - where extraordinary courage, ingenuity, will, and technology combined in one of the most remarkable maritime feats ever recorded - has never been told before now. It’s The Perfect Storm meets Deadliest Catch.
-
-
Good story line
- By Jayson on 03-31-20
By: Kalee Thompson
-
The Boys in the Boat
- Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
- By: Daniel James Brown
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The number one New York Times best-selling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany, the inspiration for the PBS documentary The Boys of '36, broadcast to coincide with the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 80th anniversary of the boys' gold medal race. Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times - the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
-
-
Dear Publishers of Audio Books
- By Lynn on 08-04-14
-
Lost in the Wild
- Danger and Survival in the North Woods
- By: Cary J. Griffith
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a beautiful summer afternoon in 1998, Dan Stephens, a 22-year-old canoeist, was leading a trip deep into Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park. He stepped into a gap among cedar trees to look for the next portage - and did not return. More than four hours later, Dan awakened from a fall with a lump on his head and stumbled deeper into the woods, confused. Three years later, Jason Rasmussen, a third-year medical student who loved the forest's solitude, walked alone into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on a crisp fall day.
-
-
Great book, but should be organized differently
- By Don Lance on 09-20-19
By: Cary J. Griffith
-
MeatEater's Campfire Stories: Close Calls
- By: Steven Rinella
- Narrated by: Steven Rinella, the Contributors
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Campfire Stories: Close Calls, Steven Rinella invites seasoned hunters, anglers, adventurers, and outdoor professionals to share their tales of perilous adventures in the natural world, from run-ins with black bears and grizzlies to bad falls and severe hypothermia.
-
-
Incredible
- By Jay Sellmer on 07-20-21
By: Steven Rinella
-
Time Bandit
- Two Brothers, the Bering Sea, and One of the World's Deadliest Jobs
- By: Andy Hillstrand, Johnathan Hillstrand, Malcolm MacPherson
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Time Bandit is the fishing vessel that Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand use to hook the "deadliest catch", Alaskan king crabs and opilio crabs, in the Bering Sea, a dangerous body of water that can steal years from a fisherman's life. In pursuit of their daily catch, the brothers brave ice floes and heaving 60-foot waves, gusting winds of 80 miles per hour, unwieldy and unpredictable half-ton steel crab traps, and an injury rate of almost 100-percent.
There are fewer than 400 fishermen of this kind in the U.S., and early death is a common fate. But the Hillstrand brothers are drawn to the drama and adventure of life on the high seas - this is their world.
-
-
Much Better Then I Had Expected
- By Andrew H. Hochheimer on 09-04-08
By: Andy Hillstrand, and others
-
Into the Storm
- Two Ships, a Deadly Hurricane, and an Epic Battle for Survival
- By: Tristram Korten
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In late September 2015, Hurricane Joaquin swept past the Bahamas and swallowed a pair of cargo vessels in its destructive path: El Faro, a 790-foot American behemoth with a crew of 33, and the Minouche, a 230-foot freighter with a dozen sailors aboard. From the parallel stories of these ships and their final journeys, Tristram Korten weaves a remarkable tale of two veteran sea captains from very different worlds, the harrowing ordeals of their desperate crews, and the Coast Guard’s extraordinary battle against a storm that defied prediction.
-
-
Just average
- By Rickmeister on 03-13-20
By: Tristram Korten
-
The Wager
- A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
- By: David Grann
- Narrated by: Dion Graham, David Grann
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans,” it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia.
-
-
Gasping for Air
- By Jean Engle on 04-19-23
By: David Grann
-
Ten Hours Until Dawn
- The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do
- By: Michael J. Tougias
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During the height of the blizzard of 1978, the tanker Global Hope floundered on the shoals off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat, but was soon in as much trouble as the tanker. Then pilot boat captain Frank Quirk, hearing of the Coast Guard's troubles on his radio, decided to act.
-
-
A riveting story
- By Christopher on 11-30-07
-
Shadow Divers
- The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew.
-
-
GRIPPING!
- By Douglas on 07-03-04
By: Robert Kurson
-
Adrift
- 76 Days Lost at Sea
- By: Steven Callahan
- Narrated by: Steven Callahan
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before The Perfect Storm, before In the Heart of the Sea, Steven Callahan's Adrift chronicled one of the most astounding voyages of the century and one of the great sea adventures of all time. In some ways the model for the new wave of adventure books, Adrift is now an undeniable seafaring classic, a riveting firsthand account by the only man known to have survived for more than a month alone at sea, fighting for his life in an inflatable raft after his small sloop capsized.
-
-
I listened all the way through
- By Christopher on 12-01-08
By: Steven Callahan
-
The Perfect Storm
- A True Story of Men Against the Sea
- By: Sebastian Junger
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Man’s struggle against the sea is a theme that has created some of the world’s most exciting stories. Now, in the tradition of Moby Dick comes a New York Times best seller destined to become a modern classic. Written by journalist Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm combines an intimate portrait of a small fishing crew with fascinating scientific data about boats and weather systems.
-
-
Best as a Listen
- By Cynthia on 01-28-15
By: Sebastian Junger
-
In Harm's Way
- The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors
- By: Doug Stanton
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated 300 men were killed upon impact; close to 900 sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they remained undetected by the navy for nearly four days and nights. Battered by a savage sea, they struggled to stay alive, fighting off sharks, hypothermia, and dementia. By the time rescue arrived, all but 317 men had died. The captain's subsequent court-martial left many questions unanswered
-
-
Captivating
- By Clarence Sparks on 10-22-16
By: Doug Stanton
-
Empire of Ice and Stone
- The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk
- By: Buddy Levy
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1913, the wooden-hulled brigantine Karluk departed Canada for the Arctic Ocean. At the helm was Captain Bob Bartlett, considered the world’s greatest living ice navigator. The expedition’s visionary leader was a flamboyant impresario named Vilhjalmur Stefansson hungry for fame. Just six weeks after the Karluk departed, giant ice floes closed in around her. As the ship became icebound, Stefansson disembarked with five companions and struck out on what he claimed was a 10-day caribou hunting trip. Most on board would never see him again.
-
-
Great adventure story
- By Elaine McCollough on 01-06-23
By: Buddy Levy
-
Indianapolis
- By: Lynn Vincent, Sara Vladic
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just after midnight on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis is sailing alone in the Philippine Sea when she is sunk by two Japanese torpedoes. For the next five nights and four days, almost 300 miles from the nearest land, nearly 900 men battle injuries, sharks, dehydration, insanity, and eventually each other. Only 316 will survive. Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic tell the complete story of the ship, her crew, and their final mission to save one of their own.
-
-
As good as In Harm's Way but different
- By tru britty on 07-13-18
By: Lynn Vincent, and others
Related to this topic
-
Time Bandit
- Two Brothers, the Bering Sea, and One of the World's Deadliest Jobs
- By: Andy Hillstrand, Johnathan Hillstrand, Malcolm MacPherson
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Time Bandit is the fishing vessel that Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand use to hook the "deadliest catch", Alaskan king crabs and opilio crabs, in the Bering Sea, a dangerous body of water that can steal years from a fisherman's life. In pursuit of their daily catch, the brothers brave ice floes and heaving 60-foot waves, gusting winds of 80 miles per hour, unwieldy and unpredictable half-ton steel crab traps, and an injury rate of almost 100-percent.
There are fewer than 400 fishermen of this kind in the U.S., and early death is a common fate. But the Hillstrand brothers are drawn to the drama and adventure of life on the high seas - this is their world.
-
-
Much Better Then I Had Expected
- By Andrew H. Hochheimer on 09-04-08
By: Andy Hillstrand, and others
-
Ten Hours Until Dawn
- The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do
- By: Michael J. Tougias
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During the height of the blizzard of 1978, the tanker Global Hope floundered on the shoals off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat, but was soon in as much trouble as the tanker. Then pilot boat captain Frank Quirk, hearing of the Coast Guard's troubles on his radio, decided to act.
-
-
A riveting story
- By Christopher on 11-30-07
-
Shadow Divers
- The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew.
-
-
GRIPPING!
- By Douglas on 07-03-04
By: Robert Kurson
-
Wreck of the Carl D.
- A True Story of Loss, Survival, and Rescue at Sea
- By: Michael Schumacher
- Narrated by: Gary D. MacFadden
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On November 18, 1958, a 623-foot limestone carrier - caught in one of the most violent storms in Lake Michigan history - broke in two and sank in less than five minutes. Four of the 35-person crew escaped to a small raft, to which they clung in total darkness, braving 30-foot waves and frigid temperatures. As the storm raged on, a search-and-rescue mission hunted for survivors, while the frantic citizens of nearby Rogers City, Michigan, anxiously awaited word of their loved ones' fates.
-
-
A harrowing story of survival and loss
- By Ron T on 03-25-16
-
Captain Phil Harris
- The Legendary Crab Fisherman, Our Hero, Our Dad
- By: Josh Harris, Jake Harris, Steve Springer, and others
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prior to his untimely death, in 2010, Captain Phil Harris was a star of Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, the hit show that follows the exhilarating lives of Alaskan crab fishermen as they brave the vicious Bering Sea. He led his crew through hurricane-force winds and four-story-high waves, hauling in millions of pounds of crab and raking in millions of dollars. Phil worked hard, but he played even harder....
-
-
Almost cried again!
- By The Girls on 09-12-16
By: Josh Harris, and others
-
Until the Sea Shall Free Them
- By: Robert Frump
- Narrated by: Luke Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The men on the SS Marine Electric sailed into a storm in February 1983 not knowing that they would make history - at a great cost in lives. Just three men survived the wreck of the Marine Electric off the shores of Virginia and they found that their struggle had just begun once they got back to shore. Blamed for the wreck, they fought back and broke a code of silence that had covered up sloppy ship inspections for decades and revealed the flaws in old World War II rust buckets that were still at sea long past their functional lifetime.
-
-
Interesting, but not a great listen
- By Eric on 02-22-13
By: Robert Frump
-
Time Bandit
- Two Brothers, the Bering Sea, and One of the World's Deadliest Jobs
- By: Andy Hillstrand, Johnathan Hillstrand, Malcolm MacPherson
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Time Bandit is the fishing vessel that Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand use to hook the "deadliest catch", Alaskan king crabs and opilio crabs, in the Bering Sea, a dangerous body of water that can steal years from a fisherman's life. In pursuit of their daily catch, the brothers brave ice floes and heaving 60-foot waves, gusting winds of 80 miles per hour, unwieldy and unpredictable half-ton steel crab traps, and an injury rate of almost 100-percent.
There are fewer than 400 fishermen of this kind in the U.S., and early death is a common fate. But the Hillstrand brothers are drawn to the drama and adventure of life on the high seas - this is their world.
-
-
Much Better Then I Had Expected
- By Andrew H. Hochheimer on 09-04-08
By: Andy Hillstrand, and others
-
Ten Hours Until Dawn
- The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do
- By: Michael J. Tougias
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During the height of the blizzard of 1978, the tanker Global Hope floundered on the shoals off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat, but was soon in as much trouble as the tanker. Then pilot boat captain Frank Quirk, hearing of the Coast Guard's troubles on his radio, decided to act.
-
-
A riveting story
- By Christopher on 11-30-07
-
Shadow Divers
- The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew.
-
-
GRIPPING!
- By Douglas on 07-03-04
By: Robert Kurson
-
Wreck of the Carl D.
- A True Story of Loss, Survival, and Rescue at Sea
- By: Michael Schumacher
- Narrated by: Gary D. MacFadden
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On November 18, 1958, a 623-foot limestone carrier - caught in one of the most violent storms in Lake Michigan history - broke in two and sank in less than five minutes. Four of the 35-person crew escaped to a small raft, to which they clung in total darkness, braving 30-foot waves and frigid temperatures. As the storm raged on, a search-and-rescue mission hunted for survivors, while the frantic citizens of nearby Rogers City, Michigan, anxiously awaited word of their loved ones' fates.
-
-
A harrowing story of survival and loss
- By Ron T on 03-25-16
-
Captain Phil Harris
- The Legendary Crab Fisherman, Our Hero, Our Dad
- By: Josh Harris, Jake Harris, Steve Springer, and others
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prior to his untimely death, in 2010, Captain Phil Harris was a star of Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, the hit show that follows the exhilarating lives of Alaskan crab fishermen as they brave the vicious Bering Sea. He led his crew through hurricane-force winds and four-story-high waves, hauling in millions of pounds of crab and raking in millions of dollars. Phil worked hard, but he played even harder....
-
-
Almost cried again!
- By The Girls on 09-12-16
By: Josh Harris, and others
-
Until the Sea Shall Free Them
- By: Robert Frump
- Narrated by: Luke Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The men on the SS Marine Electric sailed into a storm in February 1983 not knowing that they would make history - at a great cost in lives. Just three men survived the wreck of the Marine Electric off the shores of Virginia and they found that their struggle had just begun once they got back to shore. Blamed for the wreck, they fought back and broke a code of silence that had covered up sloppy ship inspections for decades and revealed the flaws in old World War II rust buckets that were still at sea long past their functional lifetime.
-
-
Interesting, but not a great listen
- By Eric on 02-22-13
By: Robert Frump
-
The Finest Hours (Young Readers Edition)
- The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue (The True Rescue Series, Book 1)
- By: Michael J. Tougias, Casey Sherman
- Narrated by: Alex Boyles
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the night of February 18, 1952, during one of the worst winter storms that New England has ever seen, two oil tankers just off the shore of Cape Cod were torn in half by the force of the storm. This middle-grade adaptation of an adult nonfiction book tells the story of the shipwreck and a harrowing Coast Guard rescue when four men in a tiny lifeboat overcame insurmountable odds and saved more than thirty stranded sailors.
By: Michael J. Tougias, and others
-
Black Wave
- A Family's Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them
- By: John Silverwood, Jean Silverwood
- Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie, Joe Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When John and Jean Silverwood, both experienced sailors, decided to give their four children a taste of life on the high seas, they hoped the trip would offer important learning experiences - not only about the natural world but about the beauty of human life stripped down to its essence, far from civilization. But the adventure that awaited them would surpass anything they could have imagined.
-
-
What Wave
- By James on 09-03-08
By: John Silverwood, and others
-
One Breath
- Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits
- By: Adam Skolnick
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One Breath is a gripping and powerful exploration of the strange and fascinating sport of freediving, and of the tragic, untimely death of America's greatest freediver Competitive freediving - a sport built on diving as deep as possible on a single breath - tests the limits of human ability in the most hostile environment on earth.
-
-
It just drags
- By curls_in_the_rack on 06-17-16
By: Adam Skolnick
-
Coming Back Alive
- The True Story of the Most Harrowing Search and Rescue Mission Ever Attempted on Alaska's High Seas
- By: Spike Walker
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the fishing vessel La Conte sinks suddenly at night in 100-mile-per-hour winds and record 90-foot seas during a savage storm in January 1998, her five crewmen are left to drift without a life raft in the freezing Alaskan waters and survive as best they can. One hundred fifty miles away, in Sitka, Alaska, an H-60 Jayhawk helicopter lifts off from America's most remote Coast Guard base in the hopes of tracking down an anonymous Mayday signal. A fisherman's worst nightmare has become a Coast Guard crew's desperate mission.
-
-
Outstanding Story and Performance
- By Stephen Bowlby on 05-22-18
By: Spike Walker
-
Ghost Wave
- The Discovery of Cortes Bank and the Biggest Wave on Earth
- By: Chris Dixon
- Narrated by: Chris Dixon
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rising from the depths of the North Pacific lies a fabled island, now submerged just 15 feet below the surface of the ocean. Rumors and warnings about Cortes Bank abound, but among big wave surfers, this legendary rock is famous for one simple (and massive) reason: this is the home of the biggest rideable wave on the face of the earth.
-
-
A Surfing Classic of Monster Waves
- By Susie on 01-03-13
By: Chris Dixon
-
Deep Descent
- Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria
- By: Kevin F. McMurray
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a foggy July evening in 1956, the Italian cruise liner Andrea Doria, bound for New York, was struck broadside by another vessel. In eleven hours, she would sink nearly 250 feet to the murky Atlantic Ocean floor. Thanks to a daring rescue operation, only 51 of more than 1,700 people died in the tragedy. But the Andrea Doria is still taking lives. Considered the Mt. Everest of diving, the Andrea Doria is the ultimate deepwater wreck challenge.
-
-
A must read for every deep diver
- By DocYinYang on 10-20-19
-
The Lobster Chronicles
- Life on a Very Small Island
- By: Linda Greenlaw
- Narrated by: Linda Greenlaw
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After 17 years at sea, Linda Greenlaw figured it was time to take a break from her career as a swordboat captain. She felt she needed to return to Isle au Haut - a tiny island seven miles from the Maine coast with a population of 70 year-round residents, 30 of whom were her relatives. She would pursue a simpler life; move back in with her parents and get to know them again; become a professional lobsterman; and find a guy, build a house, have kids, and settle down. But all doesn't go as planned.
-
-
Was this narration sped up?
- By Linda Vanaman on 10-12-15
By: Linda Greenlaw
-
The Gathering Wind
- Hurricane Sandy, the Sailing Ship Bounty, and a Courageous Rescue at Sea
- By: Gregory A. Freeman
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In October 2012, a replica of the famous HMS Bounty, an eighteenth-century tall sailing ship, was on a collision course with a storm that would become the largest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic - a clash that would prove dramatic, tragic, perplexing, and ultimately one of the most unforgettable stories of Superstorm Sandy. Crewed by an eclectic team of seafarers, the Bounty was led by Robin Walbridge, their highly respected captain with decades at the helm, whose actions - sometimes questionable - decided the fate of his ship and crew.
-
-
Good.
- By Dan on 08-06-15
-
Stop Drifting, Start Rowing
- One Woman's Search for Happiness and Meaning Alone on the Pacific
- By: Roz Savage
- Narrated by: Roz Savage
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2007, Roz Savage set out to row 8,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean—alone. Despite having successfully rowed across the Atlantic the previous year, the Pacific presented the former office worker with unprecedented challenges and overpowering currents—both in the water and within herself. Crossing Earth’s largest ocean alone might seem a long way removed from everyday life, yet the lessons Roz learned about the inner journey, the ocean, and the world are relevant to all of us.
-
-
I only listened to 1/3, so maybe it gets better?
- By Brandin on 05-14-14
By: Roz Savage
-
Not Without Hope
- By: Nick Schuyler, Jere Longman
- Narrated by: Ramon De Ocampo
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A witness to incredible heroism and unspeakable tragedy, Nick remained at sea for more than 40 hours, holding on, hoping against hope and clinging to the thought that he couldn’t bear to have his mother attend his funeral. Not Without Hope is much more than a story of survival. It is an inspiring story of friendship, resolve, and courage.
-
-
Gripping
- By Barb on 03-06-10
By: Nick Schuyler, and others
-
Into the Raging Sea
- Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of the El Faro
- By: Rachel Slade
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin barreled into the Bermuda Triangle and swallowed the container ship El Faro whole, resulting in the worst American shipping disaster in 35 years. No one could fathom how a vessel equipped with satellite communications and a sophisticated navigation system could suddenly vanish - until now. Relying on hundreds of exclusive interviews with family members and maritime experts, as well as the words of the crew members themselves - whose conversations were captured by the ship’s data recorder - journalist Rachel Slade unravels the mystery.
-
-
This Book is Tragic for More Than Just its Story
- By John A. Tucker on 10-23-19
By: Rachel Slade
-
The Last Dive
- A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths
- By: Bernie Chowdhury
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chris and Chrissy Rouse, an experienced father-and-son scuba diving team, hoped to achieve widespread recognition for their outstanding but controversial diving skills. Obsessed and ambitious, they sought to solve the secrets of a mysterious, undocumented World War II German U-boat that lay under 230 feet of water, only a half day's mission from New York Harbor. In doing so they paid the ultimate price in their quest for fame.
-
-
This book is terrible
- By Will O. on 08-21-18
By: Bernie Chowdhury
What listeners say about A Speck in the Sea
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chris
- 12-17-22
Amazing read
Great book. As someone who grew up in montauk as a kid and jumped on commercial fishing boats every chance I found this book to be an amazing read!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jean
- 09-01-17
A Fascinating Survival Story
On July 24, 2013, John Aldridge of Montauk, New York fell overboard from the back of the lobster boat, Anna Mary. His partner Anthony Sosinski and a crew member were asleep below. In the morning, they discovered Aldridge missing and called the Coast Guard. A large sea rescue search and rescue began.
Part of the story is told by John Aldridge about his ordeal of survival. The other part of the story is told by Anthony Sosinski or third person narrator and covers the search and rescue. It was amazing to read about the support of the fishing community (Montauk, New York) for both of the men.
This is a well written memoir about survival in the North Atlantic. The book is highly readable. Aldridge was in good physical shape when he went overboard. The story clearly demonstrates that he survived because of his skill as a seaman and the rescue was successful because of the seamanship of fellow fishermen and the excellent knowledge and skills of the Coast Guard. This is a remarkable uplifting story about beating the odds of survival.
The book is six and a half hours long. There are two narrators for this book. Robert Fass does an excellent job narrating his section of the book. The two narrators had different styles of reading which turned out appropriate for the story. Fass is an Audie-winning narrator. Fred Berman also does a great job narrating the book. Berman is a voice-over artist and award-winning audiobook narrator.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Arabella
- 05-24-20
Extraordinary courage and resilience of man in sea
True story; riveting parts are of the fisherman's recollections of how to save himself when lost overboard in The Atlantic.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jer361
- 05-29-17
A great story with an even greater ending.
A Speck in the Sea is well written and suspenseful. The multiple narrators do an amazing job of pulling you into the story. It's amazing to see how the two communities that John was apart of rallied when they heard that he was missing. Both his fellow fishermen and the people of the small town where he grew up were they to offer any assistance they could. A big thanks to the men and women of the USCG for coordinating such a valiant effort to bring John home.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- maxine cappel mayreis
- 06-19-23
There is a God!
Miraculous story of perseverance, survival and of rescue. Shed tears of doom and joy listening. I’m deeply touched.
- MCM Glen Cove LI
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lauren C.
- 06-07-21
Beautiful story and look into the life of Montauk Locals
Really love this book, beautiful written and amazing story of the real heart of the Montauk community often overlooked.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sha_ir
- 10-01-21
Short but intense
Starts out with a wide breadth but the story focuses quickly and reels you in well
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Susan McKenna
- 06-07-17
Montauk
If you could sum up A Speck in the Sea in three words, what would they be?
Will to live
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Found! Chapter 13
Any additional comments?
Anyone interested in Montauk should read this book. It describes the unique commercial fishing industry of Montauk and the community surrounding it. A Spec in the Sea goes deeply into the love for the fishing industry, the love of a tight-knit community, and the sharp coordination and professionalism of the US Coast Guard. The cooperative effort of everyone involved, and John Aldridge’s will to live, shows how miracles can happen. A nice summer read while visiting Montauk for sure.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JoshHeath
- 06-09-17
just a speck
loved it great survival story!! well written. i would read the book again for sure!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rob From Bellport
- 04-26-23
Long Island native enjoys heartwarming story
Great ending to an unbelievable story. I can totally see how this could happen on any type of boat. Thank God for the fast response from all the volunteers and US Coast Guard bravo Zulu.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!