Man survives by clinging to ocean buoy for two days

A man who had fallen from his boat off the coast of Brazil survived by clinging to a signal buoy for two days.

A navigation pole is commonly called a buoy. They are anchored floating object that serves as a mark to show reefs or other hazards in the sea.

David Soares, 43, was rescued by a fellow local fisherman two days after his boat had been found adrift in the Atlantic Ocean.

A clip shared on Twitter by Diego Sangermano shows Soares hanging from the top of the buoy. The video was filmed by the fisherman who spotted him.

MILAGRE: Um pescador foi encontrado à deriva pendurado em uma boia de sinalização no mar em São João da Barra, no Norte Rio de Janeiro. Deivid Soares, de 43 anos, ficou desparecido por dois dias e foi encontrado por um amigo, que também é pescador @sbtrio pic.twitter.com/w330pEyQ6t

— Diego Sangermano (@disangermano) December 27, 2022

Soares told local media he had fallen from his fishing vessel and swam for four hours before he came across the buoy, which he managed to scale.

“For me, the first 10 minutes were the most difficult because I wanted to get to the vessel at all costs. But it’s really an enormous weight of water, there was no way to swim against it,” he said.

He has been treated for dehydration and has returned to fishing.

Mr Soares had set off on his own from Atafona beach in the north of Rio de Janeiro state on 25 December to fish when he slipped off the boat.

Man survives by clinging to ocean buoy for two days after falling off his boat