YOU NEED TO KNOW
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The Coast Guard said authorities were notified Jan. 9 of a missing 68-year-old man who failed to return to his Airbnb in Puerto Rico.
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The man’s daughter said that her father went surfing the day before in the vicinity of Surfer’s Beach
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He was later found and rescued by helicopter
A 68-year-old man who went surfing in Puerto Rico and was reported missing after failing to return has been found alive more than 30 hours later.
In a statement over the weekend, the Coast Guard said they first heard the man was missing on Friday, January 9, after he failed to return to his Airbnb — at which point he had already been missing for more than 24 hours.
When they spoke to his daughter, officers were able to confirm that the man went surfing in the vicinity of Surfer’s Beach in Aguadilla at noon local time on Thursday, January 8, and has not been heard from since.
With help from other authorities, the maritime law enforcement agency said an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was dispatched from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen to conduct onshore and offshore searches north of Aguadilla.
“During their shore search, the helicopter crew spotted an individual matching the description of the missing surfer stranded on a rock outside Surfer’s Beach, next to a surfboard and trying to signal to the aircraft,” said the Coast Guard, explaining that “due to rocks, reefs, and surrounding sea conditions, the location was not accessible by foot or boat.”
US Coast Guard Southeast
The Coast Guard has shared footage of a 68-year-old man who previously went missing after surfing in Puerto Rico
The Coast Guard later shared footage of the 68-year-old man, who appeared to be holding on to walking sticks as he made his way to safety.
He was then placed on a stretcher and lifted by the rescue chopper.
“The aircrew performed a flawless hoist operation and safely recovered the individual on board the aircraft despite difficult night conditions and low visibility,” the agency added.
Capt. Robert Stiles, the deputy sector commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan who coordinated the search and rescue mission, praised the outcome in a press release.
“We activated the interagency search and rescue effort as soon as we received the information, especially after realizing it had been over 24 hours,” Stiles said. “It was truly a team effort and I appreciate the response and professionalism of Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, the San Juan Sector Command Center and our local emergency responders.”
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Stiles encouraged those entering the waters to have a plan, wear proper life-saving equipment, and to tell someone about what they plan to do in advance.
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