Oceanside, California – Earlier on Saturday, a rescue team put down a man’s scuba tank and kept him alive. Even though the waves rushed over the boulders, he was trapped in Oceanside shore.

The extraordinary rescue took place at the southern end of Pirate Beach, where large boulders lined up on the beach, and high tide hits every day.

The Oceanside Fire Department received a call from a person who said they heard a man’s scream from a boulder at around 3 am and tried to help him before calling the authorities. The victim said he slipped and fell between the big rocks and was eventually trapped when the tide started to rise.

The fire department’s technical rescue team tried to rescue the man from the rock, but the waves had hit overhead and the victim was submerged in the water.

OFD said rescuers put a scuba tank and regulator on the man so that he could continue breathing, but eventually he passed out and was unable to keep the regulator in his mouth.

However, just when the victim lost consciousness, the staff managed to open an opening large enough to pull him out and use a safety belt to pull him off the rock. Medical staff rescued the man and he was rushed to the hospital. He is expected to survive Saturday morning.

The entire rescue process was completed in about 45 minutes.

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“To put it bluntly, the Oceanside Fire Department saved this person’s life,” a department spokesperson said at a news conference. “The firefighters are completely immersed in the turbulent waves. With the influx of the tide, time is running out. Excellent teamwork and reliance on training help produce successful results.”

The agency urges people to avoid walking or playing on the rock walls of beaches in the area.