Man rescued from waters near Egmont Key spotted by mother and son aboard cruise ship, Coast Guard says

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Photos provided by the Coast Guard show the moment rescue teams pulled a man from the water near Egmont Key on Saturday. 

The location was about three nautical miles from where the man fell into the water near the Skyway Bridge. 

"It is just a needle in the haystack honestly," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Swaim.

RELATED: Coast Guard rescues man who spent 8 hours in water off Egmont Key

The man was first spotted by a mother and son onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, and the son quickly called it in, according to Coast Guard crew members. 

But rescuers still had other issues – the pitch black darkness, and the fact that a passing barge's wake had dragged the man out for miles. 

The Coast Guard said he didn't have a life jacket on. 

"He’s incredibly lucky, number one that we found him and number two that we found him with little injury," Swaim said.  "It's a miracle honestly."

READ: Medium to high levels of red tide detected off of Florida's west coast

He had been in the water for some eight hours, according to the Coast Guard.  

Had it not been for the mother and son who spotted him from the cruise ship, this story may have ended much differently. 

"That son had no idea what was going on, but because he was so diligent and called 911 without any hesitation was the reason we saved a life," Swaim said.