Mike Diaz was fishing in his kayak on Saturday when the winds and waves began to pick up.
He said he was just offshore from Lloyd Neck, Long Island when he capsized.
The current carried him more than eight miles before he made it to a lighthouse.
"I was very much aware of the gravity of the situation. I was also aware that hypothermia and dehydration would be playing into it. There is a clock running," Diaz said.
The Coast Guard rescued him on Sunday after another boater spotted him.
Diaz is being treated in the hospital for exposure.
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