SAN DIEGO -- A Navy seaman caught in the backdraft of a jet aboard the USS Constellation was swept into the ocean off the California coast early Saturday, surviving seven hours in 62-degree water before being rescued, authorities said.

Michael Harris of Dillsburg, Pa., was walking onto the flight deck of when he got caught in jet engine backdraft and was blown overboard, said Cmdr. Jacquie Yost, a spokeswoman for the Navy's Third Fleet.

"He was definitely in the water a good seven hours and he was very, very lucky because the estimated survival time is roughly 4 1/2 hours," said Yost. "He spoke to his mother once he got back to the ship."