Updated: May 2, 2013 - 9:50 AM

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - A south Florida man who nearly drowned in a storm drain trying to retrieve a woman's keys is in critical condition Thursday.

Miami Beach police said Richard Brandenberg, 49, told the woman that he had experience working in sewer systems.

Witnesses said Brandenberg drank a half-pint of rum and smoked a cigarette before going in, saying it would keep him warm in the cold water.

"He had surfaced twice and he was OK, and on his third time going down, he did not come back up. He was underwater approximately 10 minutes," said Capt. Addonis Garcia of Miami Beach Fire Rescue.

Firefighters were able to find him by opening a nearby manhole cover. They performed CPR to revive him, and transported him to a hospital.