A 68-year-old Melbourne fisherman who spent seven hours struggling to maintain his head above water after falling overboard has stated he thought he was going to die.
An emotional Bart Karlovic has known as the group who pulled from out of the water in Indented Head in Victoria about 1.20pm on Monday legends.
Karlovic was fishing on his tinnie off the shore of Indented Head close to Geelong early on Monday when a wave knocked him overboard.
Police have stated he solely survived as a result of he was carrying a life jacket.
"Undoubtedly he's alive as a result of truth he was carrying a life jacket," Inspector James Dalton has stated.
However the present and the wind was too sturdy for him to swim to shore.
For nearly seven hours the Altona man struggled within the water, bleeding from the mouth.
His tinnie was discovered doing circles about 9.30am, alerting police to his disappearance.
Nearly 4 hours later police discovered him within the water, nearly 1.5km from his boat.
Karlovic suffered hypothermia, together with his lungs filled with salt water.
He then spent 4 days in hospital.
Inspector Dalton stated it was very fortunate police had been capable of finding the person.
"To find him so distant from his tinnie and up to now off shore is like discovering a needle in a haystack," he stated.
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