He didn’t have a pulse for more than 5 minutes but still survived near-drowning

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (WESH) - On the central east coast of Florida, a story of survival happened on New Smyrna Beach.

An unconscious man was rescued from the ocean last month, and it was caught on camera.

A visit to the beach almost ended a 21-year old’s life.

“The first thing he said is he’s never going to the beach again,” said Deputy Stan Manhart with Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Manhart was one of the first responders on the scene the day Felipe Ribeiro DeSouza got caught in a riptide.

Several people were rescued March 30, Ribeiro DeSouza was the only one who was unresponsive.

Two boogie boarders pulled him out of the water. They put him on their board until lifeguard Dalton Smith reached them.

“We just let him know that they needed to hold his head up above water. And we just swam them all in together.” Smith said.

Before they even reached the shore, Manhart began CPR, and while still on the board, deputies were trying to save the man’s life.

“With the patient being slippery, the board being wet, they were able to maintain the patient on the board and doing very effective CPR,” said Ty Tarnow of New Smyrna Fire Department.

Eventually, Ribeiro DeSouza was handed off to the fire department, and they still had the tough job of getting his pulse back.

“With saltwater drownings, what happens is when the saltwater enters the lungs, you have a major fluid shift in the body. So that creates pulmonary edema. So this patient needed advanced lifesaving airway procedures,” Tarnow said.

Tarnow said the victim didn’t have a pulse for six to seven minutes.

“It was just a miracle that this young man was able to pull through,” he said.

All three departments worked together seamlessly.

“You’re only as strong as your weakest link, and there was no weak links here,” Tarnow said.

According to officials, the man was swimming far from a lifeguard tower when he almost drowned. He has since made a full recovery.