Assuming his account of the story is accurate, the survival of Football player Nick Schuyler in Gulf of Mexico is remarkable.  3 other men were  also in the boat, as they went on a fishing trip.  Around 5:30p on that fateful day, the group ran into trouble as their anchor caught the coral causing the boat to fill with water, and eventually capsize. 

All 4 men were able to secure life jackets, and held onto the boat.  And yet 48 hours later only 1 survived.  Why was that?  Obviously being in the chilling water clouded their judgments.  According to Mr. Schuyer, 1 man freaked out, and disappeared into the night.  Another became violent, and threw punches before finally diving into sea, and never to be seen.  The third man, and perhaps the most tragic having survived for almost two days, and was just hours from the rescue thought that he saw land, and decided to swim towards it, also was never seen again.

Apparently Mr. Schuyler had a reputation for toughness and self discipline.  He was also able to cling onto a mental thought of not having his mom attend his funeral.  In the end, he survived and endured, while the other men didn’t.  The lesson if any that can be drawn is to stay calm and level headed however difficult the situation.  I know, easier said then done. 

The other lesson seems to be not to venture far from the scene of the accident, especially if the chance of a search is high.  A couple of years ago, a family of 4 was stuck in a snowstorm on a remote road.  The husband decided to go for help while his wife and 2 children waited.  The man ended up travelling in circles before stumbling to hypothermia and froze to death.  His wife and kids were later rescued by helicopter.  Had he stayed put, he most likely would have survived.