Dylan Gartenmayer, a 22-year-old diver and spearfisherman, was on a boat with two friends when he decided to make one last dive near West Sambo Reef.
Unfortunately, he was swept away by the Gulf Stream, finding himself five miles from the Florida Keys, only to be unexpectedly rescued by his grandfather, NBC reports.
As he watched the sun set, he suddenly heard an engine approaching to pull him out of the shark-infested waters.
#KeyWest local Dylan Gartenmayer, 22, went missing at sea for several hours after getting caught in a powerful Gulf Stream current. But with the help of his family's determination & quick thinking, they were able to rescue him.
Link: https://t.co/XQuj6QXxjV #Family #Rescue pic.twitter.com/DMUCdY7pFD
— Ryan Nelson (@RyanNelsonTV) January 23, 2023
The young man is a deep snorkeling fanatic, and loves to dive more than “30 meters in one breath”, but this time he was swept much further away by the current.
The two friends became concerned because Gartenmayer did not come to the surface, so they immediately thought that the diver had run out of oxygen.
In short, his two friends immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard as well as his family in order to start the search quickly, since the sun was giving way to darkness.
Remember that it was Grandpa’s boat (with his family) that spotted Dylan and was able to rescue him and bring him back on board… away from the hungry sharks.