The incident occurred near the German island of Borkum. The man went out on the water with a surfboard and then lost contact. Rescue teams deployed several boats and helicopters to search for the missing person. The search operation had to be temporarily suspended at night due to a lack of results and the onset of darkness. The situation was complicated by the weather conditions. Strong winds were blowing in the region, and the water temperature was around 16 degrees. The hope of finding the surfer alive diminished with each passing hour. On Friday, October 9, 2026, the man managed to reach the shore on his own on his board nearly 19 hours after his disappearance. According to rescuers, he encountered equipment problems at the beginning of his journey, which caused him to detach the sail. Due to the strong tide, the man was initially carried upstream on the Ems River, and at night the current brought him back to the island of Borkum. Medical personnel provided the rescued individual with necessary assistance.
