PONCE INLET -- A father and son fishing in the Atlantic Ocean were swept out to sea and survived overnight cold and potential shark attacks by floating, even as they were separated for most of the time before they were rescued from the rolling waves eight miles from shore in early September.
Walter Marino, 47, of Winter Park, and his 12-year-old son, Chris, got separated after the tide dragged them out while fishing in near waist-deep waters. Both were rescued -- first, the father, 12 hours later, then the son two hours after that.
"The Coast Guard rocks!" the elder Marino yelled to reporters when he was brought ashore, after his son was rescued. "God bless the Coast Guard."
The boy, described by his father as autistic and unable to speak, learned to swim and float at an early age, which helped him survive, even as the waves pulled him away from his father.
The boy was initially drawn into the open waters and his father swam in his direction to try and avert him being carried out further, but the rolling waves and the current were too much. Marino's 14-year-old daughter saw what was unraveling from shore and called 9-1-1, leading to a search that Saturday night, Sept. 6. Before midnight, father and son were separated and because the son wasn't able to speak, there was no communication -- just instinct to survive.
The father was first spotted by fishermen, about 7:30 a.m. who alerted the Coast Guard. The son was found two hours later.