The Brief

Long Beach resident Paul Carbullido is recovering from hypothermia at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center after surviving more than 12 hours stranded in the Pacific Ocean when a wave knocked him off a rented jet ski on Sunday night.

His friend swam over an hour back to shore to alert authorities, triggering an overnight 12-hour search operation that ended Monday morning when a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted Carbullido miles off the coast and hoisted him from the water.

Carbullido recalled losing hope as he drifted in the dark, while the Coast Guard emphasized that wearing a life jacket was the deciding factor that saved his life.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – A Long Beach man is recovering in the hospital after surviving more than 12 hours stranded in the Pacific Ocean.

Paul Carbullido was knocked off his rented jet ski by a wave on Sunday night, triggering an overnight rescue operation that ended successfully Monday morning.

What we know

Carbullido and a friend rented jet skis in Long Beach on Sunday night when a wave threw him into the water.

His friend swam for more than an hour back to shore to get help, initiating a search effort that lasted 12 hours.

Video from the U.S. Coast Guard shows the moment Carbullido was hoisted out of the water on Monday morning after he drifted miles off the coast.

He was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center to recover from hypothermia.

What they’re saying

Recounting the experience from his hospital room, Carbullido described his changing emotions as he drifted farther out in the dark.

“It was just getting darker and darker. I didn’t think nobody was coming for me and all that,” Carbullido said. “It’s so big out there, you can’t see nothing. A million emotions running through my mind.”

As the hours passed, Carbullido said the conditions grew worse. “I was getting weaker and weaker. I saw the Coast Guard one time, the helicopter came by but it was so far out,” he recalled. “I was just laying on my back like ‘this is it.'”

The Coast Guard said wearing a life jacket saved his life, making all the difference in his survival and rescue.

The Source

This report is based directly on statements from jet skier Paul Carbullido.