A 19-year-old surfer was found safe Thursday after having disappeared during an outing at sea, the day before, in New South Wales (Australia). The young man had gone by bike to Wooli beach in the early afternoon on Wednesday but had not returned home, relates The Guardian. His parents quickly gave the alert and launched a call for help on social networks.
“It’s a survivor”
Darcy Deefholts had taken neither his phone or his connected watch. His clothes and shoes were found on the beach. After several hours of research, the surfer was finally located on an island 14 km from the coast. He had managed to swim to North Solitary, a small rocky natural reserve completely uninhabited, and therefore spent the night there.
“He had visibly went too far with his longboard and he could not go back,” said a close to the young surfer at ABC News. “It’s a survivor, a strong boy, he knew it was a safe place I guess,” she continued. Luckily, the water temperature at the time of the events was approximately 20 ° C.
A strong mobilization
Maritime aid as well as several private boats and many volunteers participated in research. On Facebook, the NSW navy spoke of an “incredible outcome” after finding Darcy. He suffered from a slight insolation and was transi from cold, but he is now in a stable state in the hospital.
“Who survives that?” I have not lost hope, but damn, I was close, ”said his father Terry. According to the father, there was “a chance over a million” to recover the young Australian living.
