The act that saved freediver lost at sea as sharks threatened from below

As the setting solar slips under the horizon three phrases ring out over the churning ocean: “There he’s”.

The shrieks of pleasure, immortalised in a now-viral TikTok video, had been uttered by a Florida household desperately looking for their son, who had been misplaced at sea.

Dylan Gartenmayer, 21, was free-diving close to Key West on Thursday with two associates, when the highly effective Gulf Stream present swept him out into the deep.

Dylan Gartenmayer was free-diving off Florida when the powerful Gulf Stream current swept him far out to sea. — Dylan Gartenmayer was free-diving off Florida when the highly effective Gulf Stream present swept him far out to sea. (Facebook)

Gartenmayer later revealed he needed “one last dive” as his associates watched on the boat above; that is when catastrophe struck.

He was diving to a depth of 10-metres when the present briefly dragged him to about 45-metres, forcing him to carry his breath for 2 minutes.

When he surfaced, he was greater than a kilometre from the boat.

Bobbing within the ocean, the 21-year-old was left to fend for himself for a number of hours.

Gartenmayer stated as soon as he surfaced, he swam a few kilometre-and-a-half, aided by bamboo he discovered drifting within the water.

He discovered a channel marker and will see the Coast Guard within the distance, looking for him by land and sea.

Thinking quick he tied two of the mooring buoys collectively to type a makeshift raft, however that fashioned one other danger.

It began attracting bait, which in flip attracted the eye of reef sharks.

“I just seen a reef shark swam past me,” Gartenmayer stated on video uploaded to social media.

“I had a bunch of bait start blowing up around, I could see mackerel skyrocketing.

“I used to be watching the solar drop fairly shortly”.

He didn’t know it then, but his family had mobilised their own search, using the boat he had been swept away from.

“We had the coordinates that got to us, however he clearly wasn’t on these,” his mom Tabitha instructed NBC 6.

“Joel (a pal) appears to be like to the precise and he sees the buoys.”

The family conducted their own search, and traced Gartenmayer's path from his last known co-ordinates. — The family conducted their own search, and managed to traced Gartenmayer’s path from his last known co-ordinates. (Priscilla Gartenmayer)

Gartenmayer was so focused on the Coast Guard, who was conducting grid searches in the distance, he didn’t realise his family and friends had come to the rescue.

“I used to be dealing with to the west wanting on the Coast Guard, and I might hear a ship buzzing up behind me,” Gartenmayer said.

“My mum took my dive gear. She simply began hugging, crying.”

Gartenmayer was dragged from the water, into his mother's arms. — Gartenmayer was dragged from the water, into his mother’s arms. (Priscilla Gartenmayer)

The Coast Guard credited Gartenmayer’s act of tying the mooring balls together with saving his life.

“Sunset, climate situations and Dylan’s outfit had been taking part in in opposition to us on this case, however his foresight to lash mooring balls collectively to make him an even bigger goal within the water was sensible,” Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Tatum said.

As for Gartenmayer the incident hasn’t turned him off the ocean, and he’s planning a dive in the near future.