A surfer miraculously survived 27 hours in the sea after he fell off a tour boat on the coast of Indonesia. He was floating for more than a day without a lifejacket.
Brett Archibald, from Camps Bay, South Africa, was found alive when he was picked up from the Mentawai. He was sunburned and dehydrated but he was in a good mood after the ordeal.
Archibald was able to stay alive despite drifiting 11 miles from where he disappeared in rough seas. He was one of ten passengers who were on an overnight trip on the Indonesian tour boat Naga Laut from Panang to the Mentawai Islands, which is a popular surfing location.
Archibald became seasick on the boat as it encountered rough seas. He was throwing up over the side of the boat when he is believed to have passed out and fallen overboard.
He came to when he thought someone was splashing water on his face, but he quickly realized that he was in the water about 20 miles from shore and the boat was sailing away.
The passengers on the tour boat didn't realize he was missing until he didn't turn up for breakfast. As soon as they knew, a massive search and rescue began by the Indonesian Coast Guard.
Charter boats from Padang and the Mentawais were brought in to search for the man but rescue crews began to lose hope after he was missing for more than 24 hours.
However at hour 27, the Sydney-owner cruise boat, Barrenjoey, spotted Archibald floating on his back. To their surprise, he was still alive.
A Facebook page that was set up while the search was ongoing, gave updates about the rescue.
The 50-year-old surfer was taken to Panang, West Sumatra to be treated. He was in good enough condition to speak to his wife, Anita, on the phone.
Archibald was able to share the story of his ordeal. He told his wife of how he almost drowned at least eight times. He was stung by jellyfish, seagulls tried to peck his eyes out and fish were nibbling on his body.
Yet he joked that he wasn't quite done with his surfing trip and he hopes to finish before returning home.
"I didn't fly all that way to tread water for 27 hours," Archibald joked.
According to the Facebook page, he's already back to surfing.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
