A 63-year-old New York man was swept out into the Atlantic Ocean during a morning swim and forced to tread water for 5 hours before being rescued.
Long Island swimmer swept out to sea treads water for 5 hours before boaters rescue him https://t.co/XFbp7yI8Kv pic.twitter.com/SV7Ks9bLBL
— New York Post (@nypost) August 1, 2023
Dan Ho had gone out for a 5 a.m. swim at Cedar Beach in Babylon, but according to Fox News, police said that he was “pulled out by the current into open water” Monday morning.
“After treading water with no flotation for approximately five hours, Ho found a broken fishing pole in the water, tied his shirt to it and waved the shirt in the air in an attempt to notify passing vessels of his presence,” police went on.
A pair of fishermen then spotted Ho’s flag and discovered him about 2.5 miles south of where he had been swimming, via abc7NY.
The fishermen, Jim Hohorst and Michael Ross, flung a life ring into the water and reeled Ho in to rescue him aboard their boat.
Ross said, “He was just treading water, praying some boat would come by.”
“I can tell you, no boats in the area, not for miles,” he added.
Ross also noted how Ho “was blue,” and he looked to be hypothermic as his skin turned gray.
He said, “He was shaking, totally hyperthermic. (We) wrapped him in towels.”
They were met by responding officers and Ho was taken to the Fire Island Coast Guard Station where a medic treated him before he was transported to the local hospital in West Islip, via Newsday.
Hohorst said, “He was in shock and pretty incoherent at the time.”
“We figured he had maybe an hour left,” noting how dire the situation was.
“He was very hypothermic and said he had been drinking a lot of salt water,” he added.
The Associated Press reported there has been no update on Ho’s condition.