A Florida family is rejoicing after reuniting with their son, who they believed was lost at sea. Dylan Gartenmayer was free diving with friends in Key West on January 19 when conditions in the water became rough. He wanted to fit in just one more dive, and it nearly ended in disaster. Thankfully, a rescue team found him hours later.
Priscilla Gartenmayer, Dylan's cousin, posted a video on TikTok of the moment the family found him floating in the ocean, and let's just say, it will give you goosebumps. The scene is foreboding, with the sky getting dark and the rescue boat speeding through the water, looking for any signs of Dylan. The family finally spots him, and the crying and cheering begins. The video has racked up 32 million views and is sure to bring everyone who watches it joy and maybe even some tears.
The Gartenmayers love the ocean.
Tabitha Gartenmayer told NBC 6 that the family has been in Key West forever, and diving and spearfishing are in their blood.
"As natives of Key West, we love the ocean. I was spearfishing with Dylan in my belly," she said.
Dylan has been in the water since he was young, and free diving is one of his favorite activities. His skills are impressive.
He told the news outlet, "And I do a lot of deep free diving, so I like to go over 100-plus feet on a single breath."
January 19 started as a typical diving day.
Dylan and his friends took off on a boat for a free-diving excursion that day. The friends on the boat took care of one another and kept a mindful eye on each other while they dove. The group noticed that the waters were changing, but Dylan evidently wanted to get in a final dive before heading back to shore.
He explained that he was about 35 feet deep when the ocean's current picked up and dragged him down to depths of at least 150 feet. He suspects he was underwater for around two minutes, and his friends thought he had blacked out in the water. Suddenly, he seemed to disappear.
Dylan was drifting while his family was searching.
Tabitha contacted the US Coast Guard, which began a search. When the Coast Guard couldn't locate Dylan, the Gartenmayer family took off in a rescue boat, trying to find him. Dylan explained that he ended up about a mile away from the original diving spot. He created a makeshift raft from mooring balls or buoys and floated for nearly three hours.
The family had his last known location, but they couldn't find him. The Coast Guard searched by air and boat. "We had the coordinates that were given to us, but he obviously wasn't on those," Tabitha said.
The family finally spotted the buoys in the water.
Dylan's family eventually noticed the buoys and spotted him. "I was facing to the west looking at the Coast Guard, and I could hear a boat humming up behind me," Dylan said.
Priscilla's video captures the moment his family rescued Dylan, and their excitement and relief are palpable. "That was really emotional for me. So, you know, we know how lucky we are [to still have] Dylan here," Priscilla told NBC 6.
Dylan's rescue went viral on TikTok.
People can't get enough of Dylan and his family. They are cheering right along with the family and loving the happy ending.
"I don't think anybody understands this is basically like winning lottery odds that they found him … incredibly lucky," reads one comment.
"When you guys started jumping because you noticed him my heart melted ," another person wrote.
"I can't imagine the relief of a boat going straight for you and then to see it's your family. Thank you God!" someone else commented.
Dylan took to TikTok to update everyone in a series of videos telling his side of the incredible rescue story. Despite his adventure, he has no plans to give up diving.
"Too often missing diver cases don't have positive outcomes, and the circumstances of this case didn't forecast for one," Lt. Cmdr. Elizabeth Tatum, US Coast Guard Search and Rescue mission coordinator, told NBC 6. "Sunset, weather conditions and Dylan's outfit were playing against us in this case, but his foresight to lash mooring balls together to make him a bigger target in the water was smart."
Had Dylan not been an experienced diver and such a strong swimmer — and his family lucky enough to spot him before dark — the outcome could have been devastating.
