Overview

• He left around midnight to check nets on foot near Plage des Sablons in the Baie de l'Aiguillon.
• Trapped in a mud hole as the tide rose, he kept only his face above water by holding a wooden post.
• A Marine nationale helicopter located him after extensive searches by SNSM crews from Île de Ré.
• Rescuers reported water at 15–19°C and a core body temperature not exceeding 30°C when he was recovered.
• He does not know how to swim, was dressed in jeans and a thin cotton polo, and was hospitalized in La Rochelle in critical condition.