Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos was flown off the Galapagos Islands on an Ecuadorian navy helicopter , authorities there said , an evacuation that happened after the entrepreneur was struck by kidney stones . Asked about the ordeal , Bezos -- in a comment relayed via Amazon -- responded : `` Galapagos : five stars . Kidney stones : zero stars . '' A Galapagos-based navy unit said in a press release that Bezos developed renal colic while he was on a tourist cruise near Santa Cruz Island . Daniel Ginez Villacis , a regional coast guard official , ordered that a helicopter fly him from there to Baltra Island . Lt. Pablo Abarca , a spokesman with the Ecuadorian navy , told CNN that Bezos was transported on a Bell 430 helicopter on New Year 's Day . The force has an operative unit on the Galapagos Islands , according to Abarca . According to the official press release , Bezos , 49 , was then to fly to the United States . While the Ecuador navy said the businessman was being flown back home for surgery , that did n't turn out to be the case . Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener said Saturday about Bezos : `` He got a good outcome . No surgery was required , and he 's feeling well . '' Renal colic is marked by severe pain associated with kidney stones . According to a National Institutes of Health website , kidney stones can pass naturally -- with those suffering with them encouraged to consume lots of fluids and sometimes taking pain medication to help move the obstructions along . In more severe cases ( with particularly big stones , ) people can be treated with procedures like shock wave lithotripsy , ureteroscopy ( a long tubelike instrument that 's inserted through a person 's urethra to break stones with lasers ) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy ( a thin instrument is inserted through a person 's back directly into the kidney ) . Bezos is one of the world 's most renowned and wealthy businessmen : In 2012 , Fortune magazine named the Amazon CEO its Businessperson of the Year , citing its Amazon Web services , Kindle creation in addition to its wildly successfully core business as an online retailer . More recently , he 's ventured into other fields -- including buying the Washington Post Co. 's newspaper business last year .
Spokesman : Bezos had a `` good outcome , '' did n't need surgery and is `` feeling well '' Jeff Bezos was on a tourist expedition near the Galapagos Islands off South America . He has been in contact with his family members who are all safe. Bezos on the ordeal : `` Galapagos : five stars . Kidney stones : zero stars ''