Thursday night was a bad one for a Japanese man visiting Australia. He spent it floating around on a surfboard, undoubtedly thinking about sharks, contemplating his life choices, and whatever that movie is where the people get stranded in the middle of the ocean before being torn apart by sharks.
The man, who is 37-years-old, told police that he was pulled out to sea by a current off of Bulli Beach, about 50 miles south of Sydney. According to police inspector Darren Wood, he spent six hours attempting to paddle back to the beach before he was too exhausted to continue. Authorities estimate he spent around 16 hours in the water. Luckily, temperatures hovered around 70 degrees, so he escaped hypothermia but ended up with a crippling case of prunefoot.
When he was finally rescued, he was nearly four miles out to sea. Sailors on a vessel called the MSC Damla found him bobbing around in the middle of the ocean, threw him a lifebuoy, and dragged him aboard. After giving him food and water, they called whoever one calls after finding a man on a surfboard in the middle of the ocean. He was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for mild embarrassment and released. “Our crew is always being observant of marine traffic,” MSC Australia’s managing director Kevin Clarke said, “but it is exceptionally fortunate they were able to spot this man waving for help from his surfboard.”
