Japanese surfer rescued six kilometres off Wollongong
On Friday morning a surfer was plucked from the ocean off Wollongong by a nearby container ship. The fellow had spent 16 hours afloat on his board and had drifted six kilometres from the coast. The surfer, a 37-year-old Japanese tourist, was brought safely ashore after he drifted alongside the MSC Damla, Panama-registered ship container ship.
The man entered the water at Bulli Beach north of Wollongong on 5pm Thursday. Conditions saw a two foot north-east swell breaking with a light north-east seabreeze. He told rescuers the waves began to grow too big for him, so he paddled out behind the sets. Improbably he was then dragged six kilometres out to sea.
Sergeant Sean Netting from Port Kembla Water Police said the man appeared unfazed by his ordeal.
"[MSC Damla] crew were able to lower the gangway, he was able to paddle over and they basically just plucked him out of the water," said Sergeant Netting. "We couldn't believe it. He's out there on a surfboard, adrift, at nighttime. The risk would be hypothermia from exposure to the elements, and drowning, should he have become separated from the board."
"Most people that get themselves in that situation die. He's just so lucky that someone on ship spotted him."
The man was surfing alone and no-one appeared to realise he'd gone missing. He hadn't been reported and an alarm hadn't been raised.
"He's a survivor," said Sergeant Netting
Comments
WTF!!!
Kare wa baka da.
Bloody hell, what a story!
Just waiting for the big set way way way WAY out the back! He should go and buy a lotto ticket.
Someone told him NZ had better surf.
He is more than welcome to come surfing with me up the coast, just not with that silly yellow board or a shield thingy. That's a great story to tell the Grandkids.
Reminds me of that swimmer washed off currumbin beach at sunset and grabbed the shark buoy on the way past, clinging to it overnight. The lifeguards found him on their early morning training paddle out to the buoys and back.
Can someone with better knowledge of currents explain how you can end up 6kms offshore?? Surely the wind would blow you into the shore? Surely when the start setting you would say fcuk it and start paddling home?
Outgoing Spring tide?
Incoming tide i think ?
He may have been trying to take a close up of the moon, but he must have dropped his camera.
I don't think the story that he was found that far out is bullshit, but something about this is.
There is no way that ocean currents, a strong nor east wind and wind swell pushing him towards land would have seen him 6 kms offshore. Unless someone wants to posit an Ekman Transport Theory on him.
And stop calling him a surfer, clearly he is just a nong who bought a surfboard.
Drug pickup gone wrong?????
hahaha
... and this is what happens when you pay someone on fiverr to promote your website.
I surfed Bulli several times and it is incomprehensible how you could end up 6km out to sea unless there was a cyclone blowing offshore - but with 200 container ships an day cruising past the gong it was probably not that hard to get picked up
So wtf did he do just fucking sit there upright all night .....lights on the shore clearly visible... no attempt to paddle towards land ?
Yeah, very fishy indeed. First, there's no way a current can take you six kays offshore without you paddling some of the way, yet he would've had lights showing him which way to paddle so not like he could paddle the wrong way.
Apparently there's a bunch of Japanese fellas camped down at Bulli caravan park. No idea if they're involved but we don't get that many Japanese visitors down here and my hunch is he's part of that mob. But if so, why didn't they raise the alarm?
All very weird...
I"m calling it! 2017 - year of the 2nd coming of Christ - he's Japanese and he surfs - resurrection was 16 hours, only way he could be 'unfazed' by being 6 kilometers offshore in pretty cold water at night
I love a faith based explanation! No further speculation or inquiry necessary!
I would like to know what colour that board is on the bottom, as it could be a real spot the dog shade for my next board. I know it has green rails. The fact that he did not paddle and make bubbles may have been a good thing. Very smart if you were not paddle fit.
Maybe he was scrounging for a few dollars from the tabloid tv shows.
Relatively easy way to pick up 10k?
Ship from Panama found him eh..Aussie water Police brought him to shore and said there you go mate..If that blank was made of Cocaine that is probably the best scam in history.or maybe we are just getting sneaky Japanese singular boat people on surfboards now...one must ask...was he ever on our shores to start with?...Hmmmm
Whilst the story does seem incredulous, it's not uncommon for the bodies of drowned swimmers or rock fishers to be found many miles away from where they were last seen.
Here's a short story from 2003 regarding an EPA (Qld) buoy that went adrift for some 5,500km through the Tasman Sea.
I think once the current took him out he misjudged the distance to the ship on the horizon and though it would be easier to get there than to get in.
We all shouldn't forget that Thursday was the full moon and that crazy shit happens when the night is like the day.
Not to mention more shark activity. He's lucky he didn't turn into human shashimi.
How far out was the EPA buoy? The wave rider buoys are several km out so that is still a decent paddle. Maybe he lay down and had a snooze for a while then woke up further out....very lucky dude
"I find that hard to believe" (Maxwell Smart to the Chief)
There was a tiger on his surfboard the whole time. As it ran to shore it didn't look back.
How far out was the EPA buoy?
It was pretty far out man.
King tides swamp East-coast of Oz mid Jan each summer.
'Tidal coefficient'(don't ask) was extreme @ 99 during Wheres Huey paddle quest.
Wrong country,wrong place in time for surfing sojourn.
Be thankful Border Patrol Tony didn't drop in !
Welcome to our Planet.
Silly seasonings... Hooroo!
Decent effort what a trooper. " Unfazed by the ordeal "
the tidal coefficient was very high
During a Full moon
Im calling kamakazi mission! He was obviously hunting the protected great white shark! Most likely jumped overboard from the Ex Japanese whaling boat that got busted with heaps of cocaine south of tassie today.
Got loaded, grabbed a knife and a yummy yellow surfboard! These Japanese seem relentless in there pursuit of protected species.
Here's the link must have been good gear... https://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/01/18/14/30/six-arrested-over-60m…