A man who was thrown over the side of his motorboat by a rogue rope as he was trying to slip on his life jacket was saved thanks to his waterproof mobile phone.
He had been off the coast of Porthcawl when the incident happened on Monday afternoon at 1.15pm.
The man, who was stuck in the water for an hour, was rescued after Mumbles Lifeboat Roy Barker IV was called out.
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Both Porthcawl lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter were called to the scene.
Newly-qualified volunteer coxswain Josh Stewart said: “The fisherman was very well prepared for safety at sea. He carried a personal locator beacon in his life jacket but unfortunately was pulled over the side while dressing.
“Again, his quick thinking of carrying a waterproof mobile phone definitely saved him. His boat was still under power and came ashore on the beach at Porthcawl.
“He’d been in the water for nearly an hour when he was picked up. His body temperature was very low when he came to us and he was shaking considerably. He’s a very lucky guy.”
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The man managed to get hold of one of his own marker buoys after being thrown overboard and was spotted by the coastguard helicopter.
He was pulled from the water by the volunteer crew of Porthcawl’s Atlantic lifeboat. A coastguard paramedic was lowered from the helicopter to help the man and he was then transferred to the Mumbles all weather lifeboat, which brought him back to shore.
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