Fish are not the only bounty from the sea. Romblon fisherman Jaypie Fortes made an unusual “catch” in July on the beach of Concepcion town.

Fortes stumbled on a plastic water bottle in the sand that contained a note and a P500 bill. The note showed the sender was Earth Erica Trocio from Toledo City, Cebu, and the money was to help anyone who found it, KMJS reported. Trocio also wrote that she wished to finish her studies and become a businesswoman someday.

The poor fisherman and father of two was touched by the note but decided not to spend the money but return it to the sender. The message in the bottle also served as Fortes’ inspiration to work harder to provide for his family.

Fortes sought the help of KMJS, which eventually located the schoolgirl. The TV show then arranged a meeting between the two, along with their families.

During the emotional reunion outside Fortes’ house in Romblon, the fisherman tried to return the P500 he had kept in his empty wallet, but the girl’s father, Ricardo, refused. The Trocios even brought groceries for the Fortes family. Fortes gave the Trocios fish he had caught in return.

The message in a bottle showed how the sea can yield cash, goodies, friendship and inspiration.

Meanwhile, surprises can also spring from lakes.

On 1 February, a Tesla car sank in a chilly fjord or lake in Oslo, Norway. A video taken by witnesses and obtained by Agence France-Presse showed the occupants sitting on the car’s roof.

Then, a floating sauna pulled up next to it. Sauna boats are popular in Scandinavia.

“One of the guests came running and told me a car had landed in the water. I accelerated to full speed in the direction of the people,” the sauna boat’s skipper, Nicholay Nordahl, told Norwegian daily Verdens Gang, according to AFP.

“With the help of two guests, we pulled them up. They were able to warm up in the sauna,” he added.

“They saved our lives,” the owner of the car, who was not identified, told VG.

He said he thought the car was in park when he hit the accelerator. “It drove out into the water. It was a terrible feeling,” he said.

The car itself was also retrieved from the water — by a tow truck.