Ocean Rower Caught in Cyclone Alfred Safely Rescued

A sole occupied rowing boat in distress in the Coral Sea, hundreds of kilometres off the coast of Queensland, Australia, on March 1, 2025. Australian Department of Defence

A Lithuanian rower has been rescued off the Queensland coast after he was caught in a tropical cyclone’s 130km/h winds and monster waves.

Aurimas Mockus ran into trouble about 740km east of Mackay while attempting a 12,000km Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego to Brisbane in his solo rowing boat.