"Frostbit Boy" Ruairi McSorley - who was dramatically rescued off the coast of Kerry last week - has revealed he's moving to Texas to start a career as an auctioneer.
The 24-year-old, from Park in Co Derry, hit headlines last week after he was saved by the Fenit RNLI crew surrounded by a pod of dolphins after 12 hours in the water.
Ruairi, who had been staying at a campsite in Corca Dhuibhne in Kerry, revealed he hopes to put the ordeal behind him and move to the Lone Star State this month.
He said: "It's my intention to be an Irish auctioneer in Texas. I believe trade is a mix of entertainment and business and I think it will suit me. It's a big industry out there and there's not much of it happening at home.
"I think it will be a great place for me to go for a few years to sort my life out and I can do whatever I want after that. Texas is a great place due to the value they place on their freedom, and I really like that I have to say."
With plans to leave Ireland on September 15 to fly out to the States, Ruairi added: "I know plenty of people out there, that's the plan I have for now. I'm heading out on the 15th of September.
"I'm going to head out and get things sorted once I'm out there, but I don't think there'll be any trouble.
"As I said, sure that's the reason that I jumped into the sea in the first place, when you put a challenge of that size in front of you that makes the challenges that come after a lot easier in your eyes.
"That's how I feel. I don't think I'll have any bother succeeding in Texas."
Ruairi is lucky to be alive after he was found out at sea last Sunday after he made an impulsive decision to swim out to the lighthouse on Fenit Island.
He first found fame when a TV interview he did on his way to school during a cold snap went viral.
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