A “guardian angel” marine mechanic saved a man who was stranded for hours on Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway last month.
David Wright, whose kayak sank, was floating for nearly five hours before Tom Korinek came to the rescue at about 4 a.m. on June 28, according to WPBF.
The lost fisherman said he made peace with death before he spotted Korinek’s trawler bow.
Wright told WPBF he yelled out “mayday” to Korinek, who then pulled Wright onto his boat’s swimming deck with a life sling.
A TikTok taken by Korinek, which has now accumulated millions of views, shows how bad of a situation Wright was put in — with the lost kayaker looking disheveled as he was pulled up onto the deck.
“My f—ing kayak went down literally, probably, I don’t know… probably two and a half miles ago,” Wright was captured saying to Korinek. “Thank you very much for stopping, bro.”
The trawler captain said to SWNS that dragging Wright onto the deck was similar to pulling up a “dead fish” and that he’s certain the lost kayaker would’ve died without his help.
“He had about 10-30 minutes if I hadn’t found him,” Korinek told SWNS after the rescue.
Korinek eventually set up a GoFundMe for Wright, who said he lost thousands of dollars worth of fishing gear in his kayak. The fundraiser has already raised over $400.
The newfound friends also plan on creating a new business to teach people about sea safety, according to WPBF.
“You are my guardian angel,” Wright told Korinek on WPBF. “Thank God you were there.”
