Surfer survives: A surfer from South Africa was traveling to Indonesia to catch some waves when he was thrown overboard during a bout of sea sickness, spending the next 27 hours out at sea.
Brett Archibald floated on his back for more than a day, treading water, and swimming while dealing with intense sun, dehydration, and jellyfish, according to surf websites.
He was rescued last week, a day after his friends noticed that he was missing in the morning.
“The human body is an amazing, amazing thing,” Archibald was quoted by the Vibe website as saying. “I don’t think I could have gone much beyond today, by the time night came I might have been cactus.”
While he was floating, Archibald said he saw land five times but couldn’t get there due to the ocean currents.
He was ultimately picked up by a Australian rescue team.
“Lunchtime yesterday David Scard received a cry for help from a guy on a Mentawais boat (not one of ours) obviously distraught that one of his mates was lost at sea during the overnight crossing between Padang and the islands,” said Shaun Levings, Managing Director for World Surfaris, according to Surfline.
His wife was interviewed by a South African radio station and she said, “My husband is the most unbelievable man. He’s like MacGyver. He'd know exactly what to do.”
Another surfing website reported that Archibald continued on with his surfing trip to Indonesia.
