[imagesource: TikTok / @kwmermaidp]

“I don’t think anybody understands, this is basically like winning lottery odds that they found him,” someone commented on the now-viral video of a diver who was momentarily lost at sea.

21-year-old Dylan Gartenmayer was out free diving off the coast of Florida on Thursday when the strong currents pushed him further out than anticipated, causing him to lose sight of his people and their boat.

As soon as his loved ones realised that he hadn’t surfaced from the water, a critical rescue mission from his family and the Coast Guard was put into effect, reported Yahoo! News.

After hours of searching for him, a loved one finally spotted an oddly large buoy floating in the water and screamed with pure relief when they realised it was indeed their boy Dyl:

Dylan took to TikTok to tell his side of the story, recalling that as soon as he noticed that the boat was no longer nearby, he realised “things were starting to get serious”.

He said he immediately dropped the diving weights from his belt so he “wouldn’t have to fight those” from pulling him down as he started to feel himself shiver from the cold.

A few miracles happened for Dylan that day, the first being a piece of bamboo that came drifting by for him to use as a floatation device.

But his survival was also largely down to his experience and resourcefulness as a skilled diver:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dylan Gartenmayer (@capt.dyl)

After swimming an estimated two kilometres to the closest reef, Dylan fashioned himself a raft after cutting loose three buoys from the reef and tying them together:

@kwmermaidp Replying to @yallmustydustycrusty ♬ original sound – Priscilla Gartenmayer

At some point, he was even greeted by a sea turtle amidst all the “marine activity going on”.

2023’s lesson from Dylan: stay calm and do what you can with what you have and what you know.

[source:yah00&cnn]