A 68-year-old man who went surfing in Puerto Rico and didn’t return to his Airbnb was found alive more than 30 hours after he was last seen, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Officials said they received the missing-person report on Friday, Jan. 9 — after the man had already been unaccounted for more than 24 hours. After speaking with his daughter, responders confirmed he had gone surfing near Surfer’s Beach in Aguadilla around noon local time on Thursday, Jan. 8, and had not been heard from since.
With help from other agencies, the Coast Guard dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen to search the shoreline and waters north of Aguadilla.
During the shoreline sweep, the helicopter crew spotted a person matching the surfer’s description stranded on rocks outside Surfer’s Beach, next to a surfboard and trying to signal the aircraft. The Coast Guard noted the area was too dangerous to reach by foot or boat because of surrounding rocks, reefs, and the sea conditions.
The rescue team placed the man in a stretcher and hoisted him aboard the helicopter.
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“The aircrew conducted a flawless hoist operation and safely recovered the individual aboard the aircraft despite difficult nighttime conditions and low visibility,” the agency said.
Capt. Robert Stiles, deputy sector commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan, praised the coordinated response.
“We activated the inter-agency search and rescue effort as soon as we received the information, especially after realizing that it had been more than 24 hours,” Stiles said. “It was truly a team effort and I appreciate the responsiveness and professionalism of Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, the Sector San Juan Command Center and our local emergency responders.”
He also urged anyone heading into the water to plan ahead, wear appropriate life-saving equipment, and let someone know where they’re going and what they intend to do.
