The lost surfer was found 13 miles from the Scottish coastline by the Coast Guard. Photos: Evening Times/Grough Magazine
A surfer who disappeared off the coast of Scotland yesterday has been found. He spent more than 30 hours floating on his board in near-freezing water.
According to reports, 22-year-old Matthew Bryce left home early Sunday morning to go for a surf at West Port Beach. By the afternoon, the man’s family was getting worried, so they called officials. Soon after, a search party was launched that lasted until around 7:30 pm Monday night. Bryce was spotted 13 miles from the coast by a Coast Guard rescue helicopter that was assisting in the search. Average temperatures in the area are around 7ºC, or around 44ºF. Rescuers were relieved to find him in decent condition.
“Hope was fading of finding the surfer safe and well after such a long period in the water,” Dawn Petrie, at Belfast Coastguard Operations Centre, told The Sun. “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. He is hypothermic but conscious and has been flown to hospital in Belfast.”
The man was found 13 miles from the Scottish coastline, then taken to Belfast, Ireland for treatment.
