Ivan, 30, was lost in the ocean, but a half-inflated balloon helped save him (Image: Newsflash)

This is an incredible story of how tourists survived after falling into the sea, thanks to a small inflatable ball.

A tourist known only as Ivan, 30, was in trouble on Saturday when a strong tide hit Miti beach in Cassandra, Greece.

A friend worried about his disappearance alerted the Coast Guard, but Ivan from North Macedonia was reported missing at sea.

But in a story reminiscent of Tom Hanks’ shaker shot, his life was miraculously saved when the baby’s ball floated towards him in the sea.

He held on to the ball to help it float until the rescue team found him six hours later.

Ivan was removed from the water on Sunday and later recovered from testing.

But unfortunately, his friend Martin Jovanovsky, who also fell into the sea, is still missing since yesterday.

Ivan, a Macedonian citizen, was rescued in Greece after losing the ball and going out to sea for 18 hours.

Ivan helped latch onto the ball and swim, and was discovered by the rescue team some 18 hours later (Image: News Flash)

Mayor Cassandra de Anastasia Chalkeia poses with an unidentified man with a ball who helped Ivan in the Greek waters.

Originally from North Macedonia, Ivan poses with a ball and poses with his father, Mayor Cassandra, Anastasia Chalkeia (Image: News Flash)

A detailed map of how a man survived for 18 hours when children were chasing a soccer ball they lost 10 days ago.

The map shows an amazing journey for Ivan’s survival (Image :)

Miti beach in Posidi, Greece. The waves rush towards the shore.

Ivan and his friend Martin Jovanovsky were swept up in the Cassandra waters off the coast of the city of Mitte, Greece (Image: News Flash)

Ivan’s amazing story was widely reported by the Greek media. Photos of her posing with a ball, her father, and the mayor of Cassandra, Anastasia Calchia, are widely distributed.

And by chance, the mother who saw his story came forward to fill the void about how Ivan survived.

He saw the ball on television and recognized it as a toy his children lost 10 days before rescuing the tourists.

Brothers Triphon (11 years old) and Thanos (6 years old) played their favorite balls in the sea on June 30 at Yugatis Beach on the island of Lemnos, Greece.

But somehow the ocean current carried him 80 miles from the island to Ivan’s Path.

After being rescued, Ivan told local media that he survived even though the balloon was only half inflated.

Get in touch with the news team by sending an email to.

For other stories like this, Please see the news page ..