Ex-NFL player falls off boat and swims nine miles to shore

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...rad-swims-nine-miles-after-falling-from-boat/

Ex-NFL player Rob Konrad swims nine miles after falling from boat
Posted by Michael David Smith on January 8, 2015

AP

Some NFL players let themselves go in retirement. Rob Konrad has apparently stayed in good shape. Because he just swam nine miles.

Konrad, who played fullback for the Dolphins from 1999 to 2004, was in a fishing boat in the ocean near Palm Beach on Wednesday when he fell out and swam to shore, according to Local 10 News.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Konrad was fishing alone and remained in the Atlantic Ocean for about nine hours, which is how long it took him to swim nine miles to safety. Konrad’s boat was on autopilot and drifted off and away from him after he fell.

Konrad made it all the way to the shore and is OK.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...d-on-nine-mile-swim-i-wasnt-dying-that-night/

Rob Konrad on nine mile swim: I wasn’t dying that night
Posted by Josh Alper on January 12, 2015

Getty Images

Former Dolphins fullback Rob Konrad popped into the news last week when he swam nine miles to shore in Florida after falling off his boat, which continued on without him while on autopilot to the Bahamas.

Konrad held a press conference Monday, a day after being released from the hospital where he was being treated for dehydration, hypothermia and a breakdown of muscle tissue known as rhabdomyolysis. Konrad said the trouble started when a large wave hit the boat, washing him off the deck and starting a 16-hour journey.

“I shouldn’t be here. Sixteen hours in water, think I ended up traveling 27 miles,” Konrad said, via Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. “After some time I just said look, I’m not dying tonight and I’m going to make it to shore.”

The whole story reads like a peacetime version of Unbroken, with Konrad recounting jellyfish bites and sharks circling underneath him and the requisite near misses with nearby crafts that never saw him. Eventually Konrad made it to the shore, which he called “bittersweet” because he couldn’t walk once he finally made it to land.

We’d imagine that shifted to just sweet pretty quickly as Konrad is now home with his wife and daughters after a harrowing journey.

 

[Selassie I]

This is why I never put autopilot on my boat. Fishing alone with autopilot on is just asking for trouble. The damn autopilot with make course corrections without taking the seas into consideration... resulting in jarring waves and turns.

A friend of mine has autopilot and I warn him about this sort of thing all the time.

I know it's not practical to use while fishing, but offshore boats almost always have a kill switch lanyard that you should wear when you are boating alone. If you fall out, the engines will be instantly turned off so that your boat doesn't leave you like this. What a disaster.

When I saw this story last Friday I immediately called my buddy with the autopilot. Scary stuff.

Always wear you kill switch when going offshore alone. No exceptions.

 

[Selassie I]

Oh I've seen some very stupid stuff happen out on the open ocean @Prime Time

The ocean always wins. This guy was extremely lucky not to have lost his life due to hypothermia. I saw one of his doctors on TV yesterday saying that he survived by swimming constantly once he feel off... keeping his core temperature high enough to prevent hypothermia. Lucky this guy is a beast,,, being able to swim for that amount of time without resting is really something.

 

[Dodgersrf]

They also make some pretty comfortable life jackets these days.
It would seem to be a must with nobody behind the controls.

I'm glad he's ok.

 

[RamFan503]

The first thing I thought of was that there was NO WAY he fell of a boat in the Pacific NW and swam that far. I'd give him about 200 yards.

 

[JoeBo21]

stories like this give me the heebie jeebies.. out there in the middle of the ocean miles from shore with no idea what's lurking underneath you.. or behind you.. or in front of you.. or next to you..

 

[Boffo97]

stories like this give me the heebie jeebies.. out there in the middle of the ocean miles from shore with no idea what's lurking underneath you.. or behind you.. or in front of you.. or next to you..

I wonder if he could see the shore... otherwise the thought had to enter his mind... "Am I going the right way?"

 

[Selassie I]

I wonder if he could see the shore... otherwise the thought had to enter his mind... "Am I going the right way?"

Depending on the visibility, normally you lose sight of shore about 3 miles out. That's from a vantage point IN a boat. Your line of sight from the water would make it more difficult to see the shore.

When you're fishing off the East Coast of Florida, you always know which way the land is... Follow the setting sun. It's weird, but once you spend a lot of time fishing far offshore you develop a pretty good internal compass.

He definitely knew he was swimming in the right direction.

 

[Warner4Prez]

Corey Smith (Lions) and Marquis Cooper (Raiders) weren't so lucky. Immediately thought of them when I saw this. I don't know that they or their boat were ever found when they got lost in the Gulf a few years back. Lucky dude right there.

 

[Rynie]

There's no way he swam for 9 miles without stopping. The only way that could happen is if he constantly changes strokes. For example...the scissor kick is way less taxing than the American crawl. Either way, that's a damn impressive feat. Good for him.

 

[RamFan503]

There's no way he swam for 9 miles without stopping. The only way that could happen is if he constantly changes strokes. For example...the scissor kick is way less taxing than the American crawl. Either way, that's a damn impressive feat. Good for him.

Know a lot about scissoring - do yuh there Rynie?

Seriously though, does anyone know if he was wearing a life vest? In any case, a mile an hour on the ocean? He wasn't exactly just floating along unless he caught a real good current.

 

[Prime Time]

There's no way he swam for 9 miles without stopping.

I bet Jerruh could do it if you tossed him from the boat.

 

[Selassie I]

I watched an interview with his Doc on TV Sunday morning. The Doc said that he pretty much swam the entire time resulting in his core body temp staying high enough to prevent hypothermia.

He did NOT have a life vest on. The boat left his ass because it was on autopilot.

This dude was very determined. When he reached the beach he was unable to walk.

 

[Rynie]

I bet Jerruh could do it if you tossed him from the boat.

Jerry would just float from all the plastic until his private helicopter finds him.

 

[Prime Time]

Jerry would just float from all the plastic until his private helicopter finds him.

 

[RamFan503]

Nothing creepier than a clown.

 

[RamFan503]

I watched an interview with his Doc on TV Sunday morning. The Doc said that he pretty much swam the entire time resulting in his core body temp staying high enough to prevent hypothermia.

He did NOT have a life vest on. The boat left his ass because it was on autopilot.

This dude was very determined. When he reached the beach he was unable to walk.

Freaking amazing.

 

[Corbin]

wow that's an amazing story... sharks and lmost getting hit by craft? wow...

 

[Faceplant]

So...umm...did his boat ever make it to the Bahamas? GHOST BOAT INCOMING!!!!

 

[Stranger]

offshore boats almost always have a kill switch lanyard that you should wear when you are boating alon

a lanyard saved my life. otherwise I would have been over the side at 3AM in the middle of the Pacific during 45' swells & 65k gusts. almost done dear broke my back, but at least I wasn't fish food on top of 5miles of water.