An Indonesian fisherman from a small village had spotted some metal objects in the Java Sea before he heard the news of the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 on Sunday.
The fisherman, Mohammed Taha, thought the debris was just ocean junk while he was spending the day on his boat in the sea.
According to Stuff.co.nz, the 38 year old called a local police officer the following evening when he heard about the missing aircraft. The police officer then contacted the search authority.
The fisherman recalled some of the floating debris had been red in colour, same as AirAsia's logo.
Many fishermen have assisted the search for the missing flight along the Indonesian coast after they were contacted by authorities to keep an eye out.
Taha did not have any clue about the international search for the aircraft but later volunteered to help during Tuesday's operations.
