Man adrift in Pacific Ocean survives for hours by inflating his jeans

‘Without the jeans I wouldn’t be here today,’ says German sailor

A man stranded 20 miles off the coast of New Zealand survived after inflating his jeans with a series of knots – helping him stay afloat in the Pacific Ocean for more than three hours.

German sailor Arne Murke, 30, was sailing a 12-metre yacht from Auckland to Brazil with his brother when he was knocked overboard by the boat’s swinging boom.

After failing to reach a lifejacket thrown by his brother, Mr Murke found himself cast adrift in rough conditions, 20 miles off Tolaga Bay on New Zealand’s east coast.

But he managed to withstand the waves long enough for rescuers to arrive by turning his trousers into a floatation device.

The sailor told The New Zealand Herald he had remembered a survivalist “trick” used by US Navy Seals.

“Luckily, I knew the trick with the jeans,” he said. “Without the jeans I wouldn’t be here today - they were really the thing that saved me.”

He added: “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.

“I took a deep breath, took out my jeans, made knots at the end of the legs and inflated the jeans, pull it over water and get air inside and then push it underwater - I had an improvised life vest.”

Tolaga Bay, on New Zealand's east coast (Ulrich Lange / Creative Commons)

A rescue helicopter managed to locate the German sailor three-and-a-half-hours after he was knocked overboard on 6 March.

“Two times it was really close to me but they didn't see me and flew away,” Mr Murke said. Fortunately it returned 20 minutes later and spotted him in the water.

Mr Murke said he spent much of his time lost at sea thinking about his 10-month-old daughter, who lives with his girlfriend in the Philippines.

“While I was in the water I was just thinking, I can’t leave my daughter behind without a father. That was the biggest motivation,” he said.

The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter Trust shared footage of the rescue on its Facebook page.

The trust wrote: “Imagine being stuck in the middle of the ocean for two hours without any idea if you will be saved, with 2.5 metre swells pushing you from side to side… that is what our Rescue Crew attended yesterday.

“A man had gone overboard from a yacht and through the quick response from our team and other rescue services, we were able to find him. He is so incredibly lucky to be alive.”