Dylan Gartenmayer, a resident of West Key, Florida, has been spearfishing and diving along the coast of Florida for 10 hours. His experience in surviving the ordeal has left him frightened, but it has also helped him tremendously.
The 21-year-old was free diving at Sambo Western Reef near West Key on Thursday afternoon when a strong current swept him away from his boat.
CNN informed his cousin Priscilla Gartenmayer that he swiftly vanished from sight, and when he reemerged, his two companions did not witness his return as the powerful current had carried him a considerable distance.
Thirty minutes later, his companions meticulously searched the turbulent waters, and subsequently contacted the Coast Guard for assistance in the quest. Although he recounted the incident to others afterwards, they were unable to catch a glimpse of him, yet Gartenmayer was still able to discern the presence of the vessel.
Gartenmayer came across a bamboo stick and used it to help him float until he was able to swim across the current back to his cousin’s reef.
His cousin stated that his friends had departed because their boat lacked any illumination, and it was approximately 5 p.M. When he had completed the approximately two-mile swim.
While his family and friends frantically focused on rescuing and finding him, his cousin worked tirelessly. Gartenmayer, exhausted, cut three buoys to create a hammock-like device that helped him stay afloat.
“I visited his grandfather’s residence to join his relatives and search for him,” his acquaintance Sean Caggiano informed CNN. “I received a phone call from an individual on the vessel that Dylan was diving from, informing me that he had been absent for a duration of two hours, so I requested them to forward me the precise location.”
Within 15 minutes, relatives and loved ones assembled and boarded their grandfather’s vessel to search for Dylan, according to Priscilla Gartenmayer.
She said, “I have been feeling the worst ever – it was absolutely horrible. The first thought that came to mind was that he was unconscious while diving and drowned.”
They didn’t have much time before darkness would make their rescue effort more difficult, and the light was fading. The family plugged in the coordinates of Dylan’s last seen location, where they dashed and saw it.
Gartenmayer Priscilla exclaimed, “Finally, he acknowledged that we were done. He raised his hands and struck him with the flashlight until everything on the boat was silent.”
In a video of the rescue shared on Facebook, his relatives leaped with joy when they saw Dylan alive.
Dylan’s cousin repeatedly requested his water, repeatedly saying his name and crying “Oh my God,” while squeezing and hugging his family members. He later shared videos on Facebook, showing moments of his family pulling him onto the boat, shivering.
CNN has contacted Dylan Gartenmayer to listen to his version of the difficult experience.
CNN has contacted the Coast Guard to seek their input. His relatives mentioned that they accompanied him to the facility for monitoring purposes, lasting approximately one hour, until his central body temperature returned to its usual level. The Coast Guard promptly arrived, assessed Gartenmayer’s condition, and determined that his central body temperature was slightly below average.
Dylan Gartenmayer has been consistently fishing and diving for 11 years, and his Instagram account is full of photos of him holding other fish like wahoo, red drum, grouper, and pompano.
Priscilla Gartenmayer stated, “The fact that he managed to survive is because he was aware of the direction towards land. He remained aware of his location; if he were someone else, I believe the result would have been different.”
The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., A Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.