How realistic are the natural wonders that Pi encounters when he is in a time of need? Is this just fiction to keep the story going or is there some realistic appeal?

In Pi’s greatest times of need on the life boat, he always seems to stumble upon natural wonders that save his life. When Pi’s food is running low and he can’t catch any fish, a swarm of flying fish jump around his boat, some of them landing inside and some of them being used to feed Richard Parker. Later in the novel, when there had been no rain, Pi’s water supplies were running low and he needed food, he drifted up to an island of algae. The algae were edible and produced fresh water. The reason that Yann Martel included these wonders in the story was to both add some realistic appeal and to cast some doubt. They add realistic appeal to the story because, without some type of aid it would be hard to believe that Pi was able to survive so long in the pacific. Without the flying fish for bait, he would never have been able to catch fish and without the algae island he would have died of thirst and hunger. The religious reader would see these events as acts of God as he helps Pi to survive. An atheist reader would see these events as impossibilities, especially the algae island, and would think that the wonders cast doubt on Pi's original story, making the second story involving humans more realistic in comparison.