Dad Reported Missing Over 24 Hours After He Went Surfing and Never Returned. Rescuers Found Him Stranded, but Alive

Dad Reported Missing Over 24 Hours After He Went Surfing and Never Returned. Rescuers Found Him Stranded, but Alive

The Coast Guard shared footage of their dramatic rescue of the 68-year-old surfer in Puerto Rico

David Chiu

Tue, January 13, 2026 at 12:37 AM UTC

3 min read

U.S. Coast Guard Southeast Footage shared by the Coast Guard shows a then-missing 68-year-old surfer being rescued near a beach in Puerto Rico — U.S. Coast Guard Southeast
Footage shared by the Coast Guard shows a then-missing 68-year-old surfer being rescued near a beach in Puerto Rico

NEED TO KNOW

The Coast Guard said authorities were notified on Jan. 9 about a missing 68-year-old man who failed to return to his Airbnb in Puerto Rico
The man's daughter said her father went surfing the previous day in the vicinity of Surfer’s Beach
He was later found and rescued by a helicopter

A 68-year-old man who went surfing in Puerto Rico and was reported missing after he failed to return was found alive over 30 hours later.

In a statement over the weekend, the Coast Guard said they first heard that the man was missing on Friday, Jan 9, after he failed to return to his Airbnb — by which point he'd already been missing for more than 24 hours.

Speaking with his daughter, officials were able to confirm that the man went surfing in the vicinity of Surfer’s Beach in Aguadilla at noon local time on Thursday, Jan 8, and had not been heard from since.

With assistance from other authorities, the maritime law enforcement agency said an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was dispatched from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen to perform shoreline and offshore searches north of Aguadilla.

“During their shoreline search, the helicopter crew spotted an individual matching the description of the missing surfer stranded on rocks outside Surfer’s Beach, next to a surfboard and attempting to signal the aircraft,” the Coast Guard said, explaining that “due to surrounding rocks, reefs, and sea conditions, the location was inaccessible by foot or boat.”

U.S. Coast Guard Southeast The Coast Guard shared footage of a 68-year-old man who had earlier went missing after surfing in Puerto Rico — U.S. Coast Guard Southeast
The Coast Guard shared footage of a 68-year-old man who had earlier went missing after surfing in Puerto Rico

The Coast Guard later shared footage of the 68-year-old man, who appeared to be holding onto walking sticks, as he made his way to safety.

He was then placed in a stretcher and lifted up by the rescue chopper.

“The aircrew conducted a flawless hoist operation and safely recovered the individual aboard the aircraft despite difficult nighttime conditions and low visibility,” the agency added.

Capt. Robert Stiles, the deputy sector commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan who coordinated the search and rescue mission, hailed the outcome in a press statement.

“We activated the inter-agency search and rescue effort as soon as we received the information, especially after realizing that it had been more than 24 hours” Stiles said. “It was truly a team effort and I appreciate the responsiveness and professionalism of Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, the Sector San Juan Command Center and our local emergency responders.”

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Stiles encouraged those entering the waters to have a plan, wear proper-life saving equipment, and to tell someone about they’re planning to do in advance.

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