• A powerful current sweeps a tourist out to sea in Kassandra, Greece.
• While at sea, a soccer ball finds its way to the tourist and he clings to it for 18 hours before he is spotted by the Greek Air Force.
• The sports equipment became his flotation device and savior.

While enjoying the beach in Kassandra, Greece, 30-year-old tourist Ivan, was swept out to sea by a powerful current. He was adrift in the turbulent water and while the coast guard was already alerted by his friends, they could not find him anymore.

But an unlikely floating device was sent out seemingly out of nowhere, saving his life. Ivan clung to a soccer ball for 18 hours before he was rescued out of the water by the Greek Air Force who spotted him.

Who would have thought that 10 days earlier, two Greek kids were playing with a soccer ball on the Greek island of Lemnos. The ball was also swept away by the tides and ended up in the ocean.

When it reached Ivan, it had already bobbed in the ocean for almost 130 kilometers!

The ball was already half-deflated but it pulled through for Ivan.

The amazing rescue story was posted by the mayor of Kassandra, Anastasia Chalkia, when she shared a photo of Ivan and his father, posing with the ball outside a hospital.

She paid the recovering Ivan a visit and said, “I had constant information on the course of the rescue and am very happy about the smooth ending of the young man’s adventure.”

Let us hope that Ivan’s friend who was also swept out to sea would have a happy ending as local volunteers, land vehicles, the Greek Coast and a helicopter are still searching for him.

Source: Global News