Now, deeper in the sea than any other anglers from his village he sits and waits trying not to allow his mind to wander and concentrates on his lines. At noon, he feels a bite and before the great fish even strikes Santiago knows it is a large fish. The fish took the bait and quickly begins to drag Santiago deeper to sea until the fish exhausts itself. Santiago had no choice but to just hold on and wait, he had no chance of over powering the fish. Despite being a weak old man, Santiago's heart and determination makes up for his lack of physical strength. Ironically, Santiago was ready to put his life on the line to defend his honor and prove his self worth. The morning of the second day the fish showed itself and leaped just once out of the water and showed Santiago his what exactly he was up against. Santiago's mind wandered during the day. Tired, weakened, and hungry he ate and drank sparingly. The third day of the fight, Santiago drained and dizzy, managed to bring the great fish near his small skiff where it dwarfed the boat. On one pass by the boat Santiago drove his harpoon deep in it's side. And after one more thrash for life, the battle comes to an end. After resting and tying the marlin up to the side of the skiff he begins his journey home. Santiago knows that the fish will bring him fame and fortune when he arrives in Havana Harbor. He also knows the blood in the water will bring sharks, and he hopes the sail home to be a swift one. Then tragedy strikes with one bite from a lone shark. This bite drew in a frenzy of sharks, which devoured Santiago's catch. Even after his three-day ordeal, bruised and beat, Santiago attempts with all of his strength to fend off the sharks as if they were attacking him and it was his life at stake. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated." And on this day, though returning home with nothing but the mangled carcass of his great fish Santiago won.
