Scott Thompson.Photo: GoFundMe
A lapse in judgment sent a California man tumbling overboard into the water while his boat was still in gear — and an unexpected encounter with a seal gave him the strength he needed to keep swimming to safety.
Last month, after making the decision to return home due to conditions at sea, urchin diver Scott Thompson ended up exactly where he didn’t want to be: stranded in the Santa Barbara Channel wearing only shorts and a t-shirt, according to aGoFundMe page.
At the time, Thompson had stopped for a quick bathroom break — but unfortunately, he didn’t take the boat out of gear first.
Despite being a strong swimmer, Thompson was unable to catch up with his boat, and panic began to creep in.
As he struggled to stay positive, Thompson ended up running into an unexpected buoy of hope: a friendly harbor seal.
“The seal would go under water and he came up and nudged me. Like a dog comes up and nudges your leg,” he told KABC. “Did it know, like, ‘Hey, this human is in trouble, hey, keep going dude’?”
Thompson said he felt more determined than ever to make it to land. After about five exhausting hours in the water, he was able to reach an oil platform and pull himself up to safety.
“The crew took it from there and got Scott the medical attention he desperately needed,” his family friend wrote on the GoFundMe page.
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Although his boat is in need of repairs, Thompson was fortunate to survive the ordeal without any major injuries.
“Amazingly, he is going to be just fine,” his friend wrote on the fundraising page, which has raised over $12,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
After his rescue, Thompson spent the night in the hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia and dehydration. Other than that, he walked away with only “cuts, slices and bruises.”
Now Thompson is back at home with his family, “sore, exhausted, humbled and grateful…and just so happy to be alive.”
source: people.com
