Overview

• He set out shortly before midnight to check nets in the Anse de l’Aiguillon and was caught by the rising tide after becoming stuck in a mud hole.
• His companion raised the alarm at 3:50 a.m. when he failed to return after several hours.
• The search mobilized the SNSM vedette 458 from Île de Ré, a Marine nationale Dauphin helicopter based in La Rochelle, firefighters, and gendarmes along the shore.
• Rescuers located him around 7:15 a.m., finding that he could not swim and had kept himself alive by holding to a bouchot for roughly seven hours with only his head above water.
• He was recovered in severe hypothermia with a reported core temperature near 30°C and was transported to La Rochelle hospital, as SNSM officials praised his resilience and presence of mind.