Japanese Surfer Spends 16 Hours At Sea After Getting Caught In A Rip

A little while back we brought you the story of a South African that fell overboard whilst on holiday in the Mentawais and spent 28 hours drifting in the Indian Ocean, which you can read here. Well you wouldn’t believe it, but its only gone and bloody happened again.

This time the fate befell a poor Japanese man, who got caught in a rip whilst surfing Bulli Beach, south of Sydney, and ended up 6km out to sea.

“He was attempting to paddle back in for six hours before he ran out of energy and drifted at sea,” Inspector Darren Wood from the Marine Area Command of NSW Police said.

He ended up spending the night clinging to his surfboard and 16 hours passed before he was spotted by the crew of a passing ship. The crew hauled him in, fed and clothed him and called a boat out to take him back to shore. He was then taken to hospital and checked over and reportedly seemed to be in remarkably good health and high spirits. So much so, in fact, that he was discharged from hospital the following day.

Fortunately the temperature had only dropped to 21 degrees over night (a balmy summers day in Britain) which saved the man from the risk of hyperthermia, however it was extremely lucky he was spotted as soon as he was, as he had been surfing and travelling alone, so no one raised the alarm that he was missing. Another close call, but thankfully, another happy ending.

Be safe out there folks, and remember to always tell someone when you’re going surfing.