Rescuers plucked a man from freezing seas in the dark, 15 hours after he fell overboard from a cruise ship.
The 28-year-old had been enjoying a few drinks with his sister at an onboard bar, but did not return after going to the toilet. A tanker then spotted him flailing in the water.
Footage of the rescue in the Gulf of Mexico was released by the US Coast Guard.
It shows the stricken man trying, but often failing to keep his head above the choppy water off the coast of Louisiana. Rescuers eventually hauled him out using a basket suspended from a helicopter.
The Coast Guard said the man, who fell from Carnival Valorcruise ship, was treated for shock, hypothermia and dehydration.
He was flown to hospital in New Orleans.
Lt Seth Gross, of the US Coast Guard, said it “shows the will to live is something you need to account for in every search-and-rescue”.
