"All I had was the seat to hold on to. Thank goodness that seat floated. It helped keep me alive."
The rest of Jonathon Joseph's snowmobile sank to the bottom of Stuart Lake on that warm winter's day last month as the 33-year-old Yekooche man bobbed to the surface.
The sun was shining when Joseph had set out from Portage to Tachie with family and friends on Feb. 15.
The trip from Portage to Tachie was a first for Joseph and one that should have normally taken about two hours.
Joseph set out ahead of his fellow snowmobilers and they agreed to meet at the water tower in Tachie on arrival.
But on the way there, Joseph noticed the colour of the ice change.
"I should have turned around but I just wasn't aware of the situation. I was so excited and it was such a nice day. It all happened so fast," Joseph said. "I was so excited. I just didn't notice what was ahead of me."
Joseph was suddenly submerged in the freezing water, watching his snowmobile disappear in the icy blackness.
"I didn't know if I would make it. And I knew I didn't have much time," Joseph said.
Then Joseph noticed his uncle's snowmobile coming towards him.
"I could see my uncle Jason coming up. I yelled at him to turn around to get help and he did," Joseph recalled. "I'm glad the others weren't right behind me or we might have all ended up in the water."
All Joseph could hear was his cousin's voice.
"The whole time I was in the water, my cousin kept talking to me. No one could reach me but he kept talking to me and assuring me that everything would be alright," Joseph said.
"I didn't know how much time I had. I tried to stay positive and think about all of the good things in my life, the good times and especially my two boys."
After 45 minutes in the frigid water, friends from Tachie came to the rescue.
Bringing their boats from nearby Thomas Point and Robert's Point, the men were able to pull Joseph from the water.
"These men risked their lives to save me," Joseph said. "Thank God they were there when they were or I might not be here today."
His friends, Chad Roberts, Allan Roberts, Darcy Isadore and Ron Winsor, all from Tachie, helped with the rescue and later received certificates of appreciation from Tachie Village.
In hospital, Joseph will never forget how cold and shaken he was after the rescue.
"I was scared. I didn't think I would make it," Joseph said.
Rob Pritchard, an advanced care paramedic with B.C. Ambulance in Prince George, says that situations such as this can be very complicated.
"The safety of all rescuers must be considered. This would be a multi-agency response," Pritchard said.
"We always have high hopes for cases involving cold water submersion. Often, it's not the hypothermia that gets you. It's drowning."
According to Pritchard, the snowmobile survival suits that are available today can be life saving.
And for Joseph, being alive is something he does not take for granted. After the incident, he could not wait to reunite with his wife, Katelon, and their two boys, Braedon, 5 and Grayson, 2.
"I couldn't wait to see them," Joseph said. "My mom said she aged 20 years in five minutes."
"I'm so thankful to everyone who helped that day, to the men who helped save me, the police, the fire department., the nurses and doctors at the hospital and everyone that came to see me. I'm so thankful for their prayers and wishes. Although, after that, I'm not sure if they wanted to punch me or hug me," Joseph said with a chuckle.
After the incident, Joseph was made aware that people have lost their lives snowmobiling in that very area.
"It still scares me, even now," Joseph said.
"You never know when something like this is going to happen. I'm so thankful to everyone. I'm so thankful I'm here."
