80-year-old man survives more than 18 hours in Atlantic before rescue
MIAMI An 80-year-old man who survived 18 hours in the Atlantic Ocean credits his wetsuit and his diver's instincts. Ignacio Siberio says he clung to a buoy in the cold, rough waters off the Florida Keys after his diving boat drifted away Saturday.
As temperatures dropped into the 50's on Saturday night, he kept his body moving so hypothermia wouldn't set in. He battled until daybreak, when he began to swim for shore.
A relative who had been searching for him after the Coast Guard gave up found him about four miles offshore and brought him in.
Siberio says he feels "pretty beaten up," but he didn't have to go to the hospital and is recovering at home.
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