Grateful Scottish surfer saved after 30 hours at sea
LONDON — Rescue officials are hopeful that a surfer who was plucked from the sea after more than 30 hours adrift off the western coast of Scotland will make a full recovery despite severe hypothermia.
Matthew Bryce was being treated at Belfast Hospital in Northern Ireland Tuesday after an intense search the previous day ended with him being winched into a Her Majesty’s Coast Guard helicopter shortly before the light faded.
Coast Guard Operations Specialist Lawrence Cumming said the 22-year-old surfer is “making progress” after his ordeal.
“He was conscious and breathing but severely hypothermic,” Cumming said. “Lifting a hypothermic person from the water is hazardous, but it was done successfully, and he was then taken to the nearest big hospital, which was in Belfast.”
He said Bryce’s survival was greatly aided by his use of a thick wetsuit that included boots and a hood. The surfer also managed to remain atop his board, lessening his exposure to the cold water.
Bryce said in a statement released by the hospital that he is “so grateful” to the rescue team.
“I cannot thank those enough who rescued and cared for me,” he said. “They are all heroes.”
Bryce apparently suffered stomach cramps and was unable to paddle properly and was swept out to sea, said Steve England, editor-in-chief of Carve magazine, a surfing publication.
“It’s not mega-common, but it has happened before,” England said. “He was really lucky. There are very strong currents up there.”
The search was complicated because officials were notified that Bryce was missing roughly 24 hours after the surfer entered the water, making it more difficult to predict his likely location.