SAVED AT SEA
THIS is the dramatic moment the Coastguard rescued a Scots surfer who had been stranded at sea for a day and a half clinging to his surf board.
The Coastguard released the footage of the rescue today.
The image shows a member of the coastguard team being lowered to the sea to rescue Matthew Bryce, 22, inset, who survived his traumatic journey by clinging to his surfboard.
He was immediately airlifted to hospital in Belfast where he was treated for hypothermia.
His parents were this morning on their way to Belfast to be reunited with their son.
CLINGING onto a surfboard has helped a young man cheat death after he was in the sea for more than a day and a half as he was swept from the Scottish coast towards Northern Ireland.
The Coastguard has praised Matthew Bryce’s surfing knowledge after rescuing him at around 7.30pm last night, drifting 13 miles from the Argyll coast.
Matthew, from Airdrie, was initially reported missing by his family when he failed to return from a surf- ing trip off the Argyll coast of Scotland on Sunday afternoon.
Police Scotland launched an investigation into the disappearance after becoming concerned that the 22-yearold was last seen at around 9am on Sunday in the St Catherines area, believed to be heading to Westpor t Beach near Campbeltown.
The coastguard also launched a large-scale search, with rescue teams from Campbeltown, Southend, Gigha, Tarbert and Port Ellen all involved.
He was eventually found by a search and rescue helicopter before he was rushed to a Belfast Hospital for treatment for hypothermia. The coastguard said his body temperature was very low.
The coastguard believe his knowledge and wetsuit saved his life. Conditions in the Irish Sea were also “fairly benign” throughout Monday.
Dawn Petrie, from the Belfast coastguard operations centre, said: “He’d been in the water for some 30 hours when the helicopter was delighted to spot him. “He was extremely lucky. “He was wearing the right equipment, had a very thick neoprene wetsuit on and did the right thing by staying with his surfboard.
“That must have helped him to survive for so long.”
She said Mr Bryce was conscious when he was taken to hospital.
Police thanked everyone who had been involved in the search.