21-year-old survives eight-hour swim after falling from jet ski off Aruba
A 21-year-old man survived an eight-hour swim in the Caribbean Sea after he was separated from his jet ski off Aruba on Sunday afternoon, the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard reported.
The man, an Ecuadorian national living in Aruba, departed around 3:00 p.m. from Fisherman’s Hut on a jet ski. He did not return as expected, prompting an immediate search by the Maritime Operations Center of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard. A Metal Shark patrol vessel was deployed, supported by helicopters from both the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard and the Royal Netherlands Navy.
The Royal Netherlands Navy helicopter located the jet ski approximately 9 kilometers offshore, but the man was not on board. The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard Dash 8 aircraft continued the search into the evening.
No additional clues were found until shortly before 3:00 a.m. Monday, when local police received a report of an exhausted man found on the coast. The man told authorities he had swum for eight hours to reach land. He was taken to a hospital, where he remains in good condition.
A Coast Guard spokesperson said, “We only know that he made it safely and is now in the hospital. Swimming for eight hours in open sea is an extraordinary achievement.”
