KEY WEST, Fla. — New details are emerging about how an experienced diver who became adrift for two hours off Key West managed to stay alive until family members rescued him.
Dylan Gartenmayer, 21, began diving when he was just 11.
Family members said that experience helped him survive a frightening ordeal.
Gartenmayer was free diving by a reef in Key West on Thursday when a strong current took him under the water.
When he resurfaced he had drifted away from his boat.
His friends searched for him but eventually called the Coast Guard for help.
@kwmermaidp So thankful 💙 #lostatsea #rescue #keywest #freedive #drifting #florida ♬ original sound - Priscilla Gartenmayer
But Gartenmayer was resourceful, finding a bamboo stick he used to keep himself afloat. He then swam 2 miles to get back to the reef.
Eventually, family members began their own search efforts and spotted Gartenmayer, bringing him back to shore.
His family documented the rescue on TikTok and told NBC 6 in Miami that finding Gartenmayer was a miracle.
Coast Guard members determined this his body temperature was low but once it was stabilized, he was free to go.
@kwmermaidp Replying to @yari43770 ♬ original sound - Priscilla Gartenmayer