A fisherman was found floating in the sea while clinging to an ice chest after his boat sank in the Philippines.

Footage shows seafarers throwing a lifebuoy the fisherman before they pulling him aboard the vessel off the coast of Marinduque province on January 6.

The man said his name was Carlo and he was about to return home from fishing when strong currents capsized his boat earlier that day.

He had been drifting in the water on an ice chest cover for two or three hours when a ship passed by.

Seafarer Kiel Delos Santos said they thought the fisherman was a dolphin but when they saw wrecked boat a few metres away from him they realised he was a human.

He said: ‘At first we thought he was just a dolphin. When we were near him, we saw him waving at us.

‘We immediately stopped and informed the other crew to help us rescue him immediately.’

The MV Maria Gloria crew gave the fisherman a towel to dry before he was helped to a meal.

Kiel added: ‘It feels good to help especially when it’s my first time to experience something like that.’

The ship crew informed the Philippine Coast Guard about the fisherman and took him to the nearest port in Marinduque province.

The coast guard officers helped the man travel back home to nearby Lucena City.