"I thought I was gone": Grandfather reunited with rescuers after pier fall
John Mirabelli, 88, has been reunited with the three men who saved his life after he accidentally fell into the ocean.
The great-grandfather was fishing off Portsea Pier in Victoria last month, when he lost his footing and fell off the pier and into the bay.
"I thought I was gone, because when I fell in, I went straight down," Mirabelli told 9News.
Dressed in just a raincoat and a pair of gumboots, the 88-year-old was drenched and holding on to a slippery pylon for almost an hour, and just when he thought all hope was lost, local surfer Ben Buxton luckily walked by.
"I looked over and I saw John holding onto a little wire and the look on his face, it was kinda terrifying, because he appeared to only have a few moments left until he had to let go of the wire," he said.
"I just thought if I can get a board to where John is then he's possibly got a chance."
As he paddled over to Mirabelli, police officers Oliver Waters and Adam Gardner arrived, after a call to triple zero.
Between them Buxton and Waters took turns reassuring the great-grandfather and convinced him to hold on to the board, as they floated him around the pier for almost 20 minutes to get him back on dry land.
"In that time, we were talking to John to try and get him relaxed," Buxton said.
"And he kept talking about the calamari that he'd had to let go when he'd fallen into the pier."
After a stint in hospital, Mirabelli was reunited with his rescuers.
"It's special for us, we really appreciate the chance to catch up with John again," Waters said.
"He's a lovely man."
Mirabelli embraced the three men and expressed his gratitude: "If it was not for you, I would not be alive."
The 88-year-old has fished at the same spot for decades and said that he won't be scared away anytime soon.
He even joked about how he will search for the calamari that got away.
"Next time I'll fix him up - if it's the same one," he said.
Images: Nine