He was a stand out on the gridiron as a fullback with the Miami Dolphins, but it's what he did in the water that's truly amazing. Les trent with the story of a former NFL player who fell off his boat and managed to swim nine miles to safety.
A former star on the Miami Dolphins swims as well as he runs. The retired fullback was nine miles out to sea trying to reel in a big fish when he fell off his boat.
Rob Konrad says his boat was on autopilot when he went overboard. He swam twelve hours in shark infested water in the pitch black. He finally made it to palm beach at 4:00 a.m.
The 38-year-old star was treated for hypothermia.
How does a man stay afloat for nine solid hours without a life jacket? There are techniques everyone can use to save their lives if they ever find themselves alone in open water.
Water survival expert David Rodriguez of Asphalt Green Recreational Center in Manhattan told us what to do.
Rule number one: Don't over-swim. Conserve your energy.
Rodriguez says, "We try to position ourselves on our back and do what we call a survival swim, where you're going to keep oxygen flowing for an extended period of time, and be able to be relaxed while you're trying to get yourself closer to the shore."
Rodriquez says most people don’t have the physical strength, like Rob Konrad did, to swim 9 miles. The secret of staying alive is to learn survival floating.
He continued, "If you can't see land and you're trying to conserve energy and just keep yourself conscious, this float actually, you keep yourself with your feet perpendicular to the bottom of the ocean, and you'll keep your hands stretched out and try to keep yourself relaxed."
Of course the best advice of all, always wear a life vest.
