Whistle Bouy.Photo: Getty Images
A Brazilian fisherman has been found desperately clinging to a signal buoy after falling from his boat on Christmas Day.
Soares thenswam for four hoursuntil he reached the relative safety of the signal buoy around five miles from where the incident took place, he told local outlet G1 Globo.
“For me, the first 10 minutes were the most difficult because I wanted to get to the boat at all costs. But it’s really an enormous weight of water, I couldn’t swim against it”, Soares told G1 Globo, adding that he removed his shirt and trousers mid-swim to stop them from weighing him down.
“There was swell, wind… I decided to let the waters take me to use less strength and ‘walk’ faster,” he added. “It took me about four hours swimming to reach Porto do Açu, on the buoys.”
Soares' family became concerned for his safety when he didn’t return from his Christmas Day voyage and asked the local fishing community for help in searching for him. They later also contacted the Brazilian Navy for assistance.
It wasn’t until two days later that one of the local fishermen discovered Soares clinging to the signal buoy and brought him safely onboard.
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Atafona beach.Alamy Stock Photo
“Many times I thought I was going to die of cold until help arrived,” Soares told G1 Globo.
Amazingly, after being treated for dehydration Soares returned to fishing on Monday.
“I had a second opportunity to face life with different eyes and to be a better man”, he told G1 Globo.
source: people.com
