The Brief
John Gsell was boating off Morro Bay last Friday when his vessel struck a large object.
Gsell was thrown overboard into 55-degree water.
He swam to a buoy and clung on it for seven hours until a local fisherman rescued him.
MORRO BAY, Calif. - A California man clung to a buoy for seven hours after being thrown from his boat along the central coast, authorities said.
Victim went overboard after boat struck object
What we know
John Gsell, 29, was boating off Morro Bay last Friday when, around 10 p.m., his vessel struck a large object, according to the Morro Bay Police Department. The impact threw him overboard into 55-degree water.
Gsell tried to swim back to his boat, but it circled farther away and became unreachable, police said. He later told authorities he saw Morro Rock in the distance and began swimming toward shore before spotting a buoy. It took him nearly an hour to reach it, and he clung to it for seven hours among a group of seals.
Local fisherman spotted victim cling to buoy
Dig deeper
Around 4:45 a.m., the U.S. Coast Guard found Gsell’s unoccupied boat still running in circles. Two hours later, a local fisherman spotted Gsell holding onto the buoy and rescued him. Police said the fisherman likely saved his life.
Gsell, a former U.S. Marine, told authorities he thought about giving up but refused.
"We are grateful for his mental mindset in this life-changing incident to not give up and save his own life. Welcome home John!" the department said.
Gsell was reunited with his family.
The Source
Morro Bay Police Department
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