DESPERATE SEARCH

Rescue Teams Find Missing Surfer Survived Thanks to ‘One in a Million Miracle’

Darcy Deefholts, 19, had disappeared after leaving for the coast.

Rescuers pulled off a “one in a million miracle” early Thursday when they found a teenage surfer alive on a remote and uninhabited island miles offshore. Australian Darcy Deefholts, 19, had vanished after heading out for an afternoon session Wednesday, prompting New South Wales Police to launch an overnight land-and-sea search once he missed dinner. His father, Terry, posted a desperate Facebook plea for “anyone with a seaworthy vessel” to join the hunt. At first light, Marine Rescue NSW crews spotted the teen hunkered among rocks on North Solitary Island, a barren speck seven miles off Wooli Beach, New South Wales. Volunteers were reported to have been “jumping for joy” at having located Deefholts before they ferried him back to the mainland. Having “feared the worst,” Terry Deefholts hailed the rescue as a “one in a million miracle,” in an interview with Australia’s Daily Telegraph. Officials believe Darcy survived the chilly night by sheltering in crevices and keeping his wetsuit on. He was treated in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.