A 68-year-old surfer paddled out near Surfer’s Beach in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, around noon on a Thursday. More than 24 hours passed before anyone reported him missing. When a Coast Guard helicopter crew finally found him, he was on the rocks, trying to signal the aircraft, in a spot no boat could reach and no one could walk to. This is the story of the missing hours, the search, and the night hoist, told from the public record. Chapters 0:00 The Session 1:18 The Night 2:24 The Search 5:22 The Rescue 6:45 The Lesson The Coast Guard’s advice: have a plan, tell someone your intentions, and wear proper life-saving equipment. Sources
- U.S. Coast Guard press release, “Coast Guard rescues stranded surfer near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico” (Jan. 12, 2026): https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4375509/coast-guard-rescues-stranded-surfer-near-aguadilla-puerto-rico/
- DVIDS video 992626 and photo 9474494 (U.S. Coast Guard): https://www.dvidshub.net/video/992626/ and https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9474494/
- Global News, “Surfer found alive, saved in daring rescue after missing for 30 hours at sea” (Rachel Goodman, Jan. 12, 2026): https://globalnews.ca/news/11609558/surfer-rescued-puerto-rico-video/ The “more than 30 hours” figure and the phone-call quotes are as reported by Global News. The U.S. Coast Guard says he had been missing for more than 24 hours when he was reported. Credits Footage: U.S. Coast Guard / DVIDS (rescue video and photo courtesy of Air Station Borinquen) Representative helicopter footage and helicopter ambience: U.S. Coast Guard / DVIDS Ocean footage: Wikimedia Commons, “Ocean surface waves” series by Mostafameraji (CC0); “Crashing waves in the San Juan Islands” and “Sunny waves at Cattle Point” by BLM Oregon & Washington (public domain) Ocean sound: “Ocean Waves on a Tropical Beach” via Wikimedia Commons (CC0) Maps: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Natural Earth Use of U.S. government imagery does not imply endorsement.
