Since he was ten, Dylan Gartenmayer has been spearfishing and diving off the Florida coast. He was lost at sea for hours during a terrifying incident, yet he was able to live thanks to that experience.
On Thursday afternoon, the 21-year-old was free diving at the Western Sambo Reef close to Key West when a powerful current carried him away from his boat.
His two pals were not present when he surfaced because the current had carried him so far away. According to his cousin Priscilla Gartenmayer, he immediately vanished from sight.
After searching the turbulent waters for a half-hour, his buddies requested assistance from the Coast Guard. Gartenmayer later claimed that although the boat was invisible to them, he could still see it.
If you want to check more news, then you can check the links given below:
- Florida Woman Rescued Third Time in Two Years From Storm Drain
- Skier Rescued From Avalanche After Being Partially Buried and Carried Away
According to his cousin, Gartenmayer found a bamboo staff and used it to assist him in floating until he could swim against the current back to the reef.
It was after 5 p.m. by the time he completed the roughly two-mile swim, and his buddies had gone since their boat lacked lights, according to his cousin. To keep afloat, exhausted Gartenmayer cut three buoys into the shape of a hammock. His cousin added that while he was intent on surviving, his friends and family searched high and low for him.
Sean Caggiano, a friend of Dylan’s, told CNN, “I got a call from someone on the boat that Dylan was diving from that he was lost for two hours, and I had them email me the coordinates.” “I went to his grandfather’s house to meet his family and go look for him,” the speaker said.
Within 15 minutes, according to Priscilla Gartenmayer, relatives and friends arrived and boarded their grandfather’s boat to search for Dylan. “The initial hypothesis was that he lost consciousness while diving and drowned. She remarked the worst feeling I’ve ever experienced; it was awful.
The family entered the coordinates of the area where Dylan was last seen, and they sped off in that direction. They didn’t have much time before darkness made their rescue mission more challenging because the light was diminishing.
When the beam hit him, and he put his hands up, everything on the boat became silent, and that’s when we realized he was okay, according to Priscilla Gartenmayer. Later, his family dragged the trembling man onto the boat.
Videos posted on Facebook show his family members grabbing and holding him while exclaiming “Oh my God” and repeatedly saying his name. According to his relative, Dylan’s first request was for water. CNN has contacted Dylan Gartenmayer to get his perspective on the situation.
If you want to check more news, then you can check the links given below:
- Following Local Drownings Orange County Fire Rescue Promotes Water Safety
- 200 People Were Rescued From the Ice on Upper Red Lake
When the Coast Guard arrived and examined Gartenmayer, they found that his core temperature was only slightly low. According to his family, they transported him to the station for nearly an hour of observation before things returned to normal. CNN has contacted the Coast Guard for comment.
For 11 years, Dylan Gartenmayer has been regularly diving and fishing. Photos of him holding pompano, grouper, red drum, wahoo, and other fish he has caught are all over his Instagram account.
Priscilla Gartenmayer stated, “I don’t think it would have been the same outcome if he had been anyone else. He was still aware of his location and the direction of the ground. That is how he managed to live.
