Watch | Florida man saved from partially sunken boat after 35 hours

A man was rescued Saturday after being stuck on a partially submerged boat in the Atlantic Ocean for around 35 hours, around 12 miles off Florida's coast.

On Friday (August 4), Charles Gregory left for an early morning fishing trip off the coast of St Augustine, Florida. However, the tide rose quicker than he estimated, as waves slammed his 12-foot jon boat – a flat-bottomed and lightweight vessel – and he was knocked into the water.

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After falling into the water, Gregory managed to get back on board.However, he was quickly taken out to sea. The 25-year-old man “struggled to stay alive” for almost two days under Florida's brutal sun as he clinched to his partially submerged boat. During his two-day struggle for survival, the man not only spotted sharks but also suffered jellyfish stings, said his father Raymond Gregory while speaking to CNN on Sunday (August 6).

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#FinalUpdate @USCG crews rescued 25YO Charles Gregory, Saturday, after he went missing on a 12-foot jon boat, 12 miles offshore of #StAugustine, #Florida.

Press release: https://t.co/OGaPL6S6nS#USCG #CoastGuard #SAR pic.twitter.com/WezyZHEXB8 — USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) August 5, 2023

“He was scared to death. He said he’s had more conversations with God in that 30 hours than he’s had his whole life,” Raymond stated.

Dramatic rescue

Charles was pulled by boat crews from the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning after he was spotted by an aircrew about 12 miles offshore, said the US Coast Guard, in a news release. In the footage of the dramatic rescue shared by the Coast Guard, Charles can be seen seated in the inundated boat as its bow dips beneath the water's surface, before he was rescued by the crew.

The Coast Guard stated that it all began on Friday (August 4) at around 4 am when Charles was last seen leaving from the Lighthouse Park Boat Ramp in the jon boat.

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The man's father said that as the tide took Charles out into the sea, he fought to hang on to the boat and remain alive while under the direct sunlight. He added that frantic efforts were being made by him to get help like he removed his swimming trunks and used it to flag down nearby boats and aircraft.

However, he said that the night was the worst. “At night being sunburnt, and the wind would be blowing, he said it was freezing cold out there in that water,” Raymond stated.

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