Surfer missing for over 30 hours rescued alive, dramatic Coast Guard video shows

A missing surfer was rescued in Puerto Rico on Friday, following a huge search effort that involved multiple federal and local agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The surfer had been missing for more than 30 hours by the time he was ultimately found, in a dramatic ordeal that was captured on video.

The 68-year-old man had gone surfing near Surfer's Beach in the city of Aguandilla at around noon local time on Thursday afternoon, his daughter said, according to the Coast Guard. No one heard from him after that, according to the daughter, and the man's Airbnb host proceeded to report him missing Friday evening, after he failed to return to the rental home for more than 24 hours.

Video of the eventual rescue was shared online, showing the Coast Guard crew hovering above the stranded surfer and, later, hoisting him from a reef into the aircraft.

After the successful rescue, the Coast Guard released audio of an emotional call between the surfer's family and Capt. Robert Stiles, the deputy sector commander of the Coast Guard Sector San Juan, who relayed the good news.

"I'm sure he's dehydrated, I'm sure he's had a rough night, but he's conversant," Stiles says. "We're gonna have paramedics standing by to check him out but he's alive and well."

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much, thank you so much!" a woman replies on the phone. "Thank you so much for what you do for him."

Coast Guard watchstanders worked with the Puerto Rico Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, a specialized Puerto Rican maritime unit and local emergency responders as they began to probe land and sea for the lost surfer. 

The Coast Guard launched a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from its Air Station Borinquen, which proceeded to search for the surfer offshore and along the shoreline north of Aguandilla, the agency said.

While scanning the shoreline, the helicopter crew discovered a man who matched the missing surfer's description and was stranded on rocks outside of Surfer's Beach. When the Coast Guard spotted him, the man was standing next to a surfboard and appeared to be trying to communicate with the aircraft. 

He was standing in an area surrounded by rocks and reefs that, along with challenging seas, made the location impossible to access by foot or boat, the Coast Guard said. The helicopter crew went on to rescue the man by hoisting him up from the rocks and pulling him up into the aircraft to safety. 

"What a terrific outcome!" Capt. Stiles said in a statement. "This case could have easily had a different outcome. We urge all mariners and anyone entering the water to have a plan, communicate your intentions with someone and wear all proper life saving equipment."

• United States Coast Guard
• Puerto Rico
• Missing Person