2 fishermen detail ocean rescue of 63-year-old Copiague man
Police say Dan Ho was able to find a broken fishing rod floating in the water, tied his shirt to it and made a makeshift flag to wave down help.
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Two Long Island fishermen spoke with News 12 about the rescue of a Copiague man who treaded waters for five hours.
Dan Ho, 63 of Copiague, went swimming near Cedar Beach in Babylon around 5 a.m. when police say a strong current carried him over 2 miles into the Atlantic Ocean.
Police say he was able to find a broken fishing rod floating in the water, tied his shirt to it and made a makeshift flag to wave down help.
The flag caught the attention of retired FDNY firefighter Jim Hohorst, of West Islip, and Michael Ross, of Syosset.
“All he kept saying that whole time was, ‘I didn’t think I was gonna make it, I thought I was a goner,’” Ross says.
Hohorst says it was a miracle that they found him and there were no other boats around to get to him.
Ho was released from the hospital Tuesday and is recovering at home.
The two fishermen say they hope to one day meet him again in person when he is feeling better.
