Surfer rescued: Missing surfer found alive after 32 hours in freezing water
- 7 years ago
CAMPBELTOWN, SCOTLAND — An “extremely lucky” surfer has been rescued after disappearing for more than a day in the frigid waters of the Irish Sea.
Matthew Bryce, 22, was last seen on his way to Westport beach near Campbeltown for a day of surfing at 9 a.m. Sunday morning, BBC radio reported.
An alarm was raised at lunchtime on Monday after Bryce failed to contact his family and friends. Local police dispatched a rescue team to search him, but after spending hours searching for Bryce, the rescue team feared the worst.
Then, at at 7:30 p.m. Monday, a coast guard helicopter found Bryce clinging to his surfboard about 13 miles off the coast. A member of the rescue team told BBC radio that Bryce did the right thing by staying with his surfboard. She said he was able to stay alive for so long at sea because of his wetsuit.
Bryce was hypothermic but conscious when the coast guard found him. He was flown to a hospital in Belfast.
“He was extremely lucky,” Coast guard officer Dawn Petrie told the BBC. “He was kitted out with all the right clothing including a thick neoprene suit, and this must have helped him to survive for so long at sea.”
Matthew Bryce, 22, was last seen on his way to Westport beach near Campbeltown for a day of surfing at 9 a.m. Sunday morning, BBC radio reported.
An alarm was raised at lunchtime on Monday after Bryce failed to contact his family and friends. Local police dispatched a rescue team to search him, but after spending hours searching for Bryce, the rescue team feared the worst.
Then, at at 7:30 p.m. Monday, a coast guard helicopter found Bryce clinging to his surfboard about 13 miles off the coast. A member of the rescue team told BBC radio that Bryce did the right thing by staying with his surfboard. She said he was able to stay alive for so long at sea because of his wetsuit.
Bryce was hypothermic but conscious when the coast guard found him. He was flown to a hospital in Belfast.
“He was extremely lucky,” Coast guard officer Dawn Petrie told the BBC. “He was kitted out with all the right clothing including a thick neoprene suit, and this must have helped him to survive for so long at sea.”