As a rescue boat carrying five divers set sail, one of three helicopters sent to help the search spotted the overturned vessel as the sun set. A diver crawled into the ship’s hull to look for signs of life, and the man inside, who has not been named, responded to his pounding on the hull by striking from within. With the sea too rough to attempt a rescue, they attached buoyancy balloons to the ship’s hull to prevent it from sinking further and waited until morning. Two divers swam under the boat to help the sailor, who was found wearing a neoprene survival suit and submerged up to his knees in water. Vicente Cobelo, a member of the coast guard’s special operations team, told a local station that the man voluntarily jumped into the icy water and swam under the boat to reach the surface. “On his own initiative, he entered the water and dived free, helped by the divers who had to pull him because it was difficult for him to get out in his suit,” he said. He was airlifted to safety and taken to the hospital for checks, but was released soon after without incident.
