Seek for British skilled surfer missing off coast of Portugal | News World

The seek for a British skilled surfer who disappeared while paddleboarding off the coast of Portugal has resumed today.

Rescue crews are searching for Arran Strong, 28, who vanished within the Atlantic Ocean near Arrifana, a preferred browsing destination on Portugal’s west coast, on Monday morning.

The alarm was raised shortly after 11.30am after Arran became separated from his board around a mile offshore while participating in a long-distance paddleboarding journey.

Search teams, including the Portuguese coastguard, maritime police, lifeboat crews and an Air Force aircraft, spent hours combing the realm before the operation was suspended overnight. It resumed this morning.

Because the search continues, Arran’s close friend and fellow paddleboarder Jose Maria Pyrrait shared an emotional tribute, describing the missing surfer as ‘like a son’ to him.

Explaining what happened, he said the pair had stopped offshore to drink water and take photographs before setting off again.

Jose said he allowed Arran to paddle ahead before catching up, but when he stopped to attend he found Arran’s board drifting alone within the water.

‘I paddled to it as fast as I could and dived over and all over again searching for him, but we were in very deep water and visibility was extremely poor,’ he wrote.

A close-by fisherman helped search the realm while emergency services were alerted.

In his heartbreaking message, Jose added: ‘Arran was like a son to me. Since he was 10 years old he trained with me and spent weekends and holidays with me.

‘He all the time told me he would die young. At once, I feel a deep pain. The one faint comfort is that he departed at sea, the place he loved most.’

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