Scottish Surfer Rescued After Spending 30 Hours Floating Off The Coast

After floating off the Scottish coast for more than 30 hours, Glasgow surfer Matthew Bryce has been found. Matthew was picked up 13 miles off the coast by local coastguard units. Prior to disappearing, the 22-year-old was seen in the St Catherine’s area of Argyll. He was heading out for a surf around Machrihanish beach near Campbeltown, failing to return 

Belfast Coastguard coordinated the search for Matthew after he went missing, with the alarm raising on Monday. RNLI lifeboats and coastguard teams utilised helicopters and boats to conduct searches from the sea to sky. When Matthew was found, he was hypothermic, despite wearing a wetsuit. 

Surfer Matthew Bryce was heading out to Machrihanish Beach when he disappeared.

“He was extremely lucky,” Dawn Petrie, a member of the coastguard search team, told BBC. ”Hope was fading of finding the surfer safe and well after such a long period in the water and with nightfall approaching we were gravely concerned but at 7:30 pm tonight, the crew on the coastguard rescue helicopter were delighted when they located the man still with his board 13 miles off the coast.

“He was kitted out with all the right clothing including a thick neoprene suit and this much have helped him to survive for so long at sea. He is hypothermic but conscious and had been flown to a hospital in Belfast.”    

“The response to our appeal to find Matthew has been outstanding,” Paul Robinson, a Scottish police chief inspector, told Glasgow Live. “It has been a real team effort and I would like to thank everyone who offered their assistance.”