Japanese man rescued after night at sea on surfboard

A Japanese surfer who spent a night at sea
clinging to his surfboard has been rescued by the
crew of a container ship off the east coast of
Australia.
The 37-year-old told police a current had pulled
him out to sea off Bulli Beach, 80km (50 miles)
south of Sydney on Thursday evening.
Sailors on the MSC Damla spotted him floating
about 6km offshore and pulled him on board using
a lifebuoy.
They gave him food, drink and warm clothing and
contacted the authorities.
A pilot vessel from Port Kembla returned him to
shore. He was taken to hospital but discharged
shortly afterwards.
The man was in "remarkably good spirits", MSC
Australia's managing director Kevin Clarke said.
"Our crew are always being observant of marine
traffic, but it is exceptionally fortunate they were
able to spot this man waving for help from his surf
board," he said.
The man had spent six hours trying to paddle back
to shore before running out of energy, Inspector
Darren Wood said.
He is estimated to have spent about 16 hours in
the water but temperatures only dropped to 21
degrees during the night, preventing him from
getting hypothermia, the Australian broadcaster
ABC reported.
The safety organisation Surf Life Saving New South
Wales said surfers should tell other people of their
plans before setting out and be aware of local
conditions, ABC said.