Man avoids drowning by turning jeans into flotation device
Arne Murke says he got the idea from a US Navy Seals video.
A 30-year-old German tourist who was thrown into the sea while sailing through New Zealand with his brother managed to survive for hours in the water by turning his jeans into a flotation device.
Arne Murke and his brother Helge were sailing in rough conditions when the boom took an unexpected swing and knocked Arne overboard.
He found himself floating in the water without a lifejacket, clothed in a t-shirt and jeans.
His brother threw him a lifejacket, Arne was unable to reach it due to the weather conditions.
So he did the next best thing: He tied knots at the end of the legs of his jeans and inflated them. The "jacket" was then placed over his shoulders.
Murke told the New Zealand Herald he got the idea from a US Navy Seals video he had previously watched.
"I saw it many years ago and I always thought if I ever go overboard without a life jacket I'm going to do that," he told the publication, adding he wouldn't have survived without the makeshift device.
After spending about 2.5 hours in the water, he was rescued via helicopter. The lifeguards who retreived him say he's "very lucky" to be alive.