A young surfer survived a harrowing ordeal after wind and currents swept him far from shore. Darcy Deefholts, 19, stayed afloat on his surfboard, eventually landing on the uninhabited North Solitary Island. And that’s exactly where rescue crews found the missing surfer after his father had a hunch to look there.
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Deefholts reportedly went out for a surf on Wednesday afternoon at Wooli Beach on Australia’s mid-north coast. He didn’t come back home. His bike and belongings were still where he’d left them at a beach-access point, and his family feared the worst.
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In reality, Deefholts was alive; he was just 8 miles away on a random island. The young surfer spent a lonesome night on North Solitary Island, but he was miraculously found the next day. Local news reports Darcy’s father had studied wind charts and urged search-and-rescue crews to check North Solitary Island at first light.
Upon rescue, Deefholts was “cold and suffering from exposure,” but otherwise, he was OK.
Watch a local news report about the missing surfer found on an uninhabited island off Australia’s coast here:
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