A 30-year-old fisherman is counting his lucky stars this morning, after falling off rocks at Touril beach, Zambujeira do Mar (Odemira) on Sunday afternoon. Despite large waves, he managed to stay afloat for two hours as rescuers grappled to reach him.
The problem, explained news reports, was that the swell in the sea prevented maritime police from getting to him.
Nonetheless, the local resident from Boavista dos Pinheiros, remained alert to instructions being shouted to him by firemen on the rocks, warning him to keep away.
He managed to stay 150 metres from land – thus in no danger of being swept to certain death by the swell.
By the time he was rescued, he was classified as “seriously injured due to hypothermia”, and transported by ambulance to the Litoral Alentejano hospital.
