Logo

79-yo man swims back to shore just as Coast Guard begins search

79-yo man swims back to shore just as Coast Guard begins search

2026-05-27

A 79-year-old man in Taitung sparked a full-blown missing person scare on Tuesday after heading out on a friend’s boat to go spearfishing and snorkeling off Pirate Bay in Beinan Township. While out at sea, he was away from the boat for so long that his friends started getting worried. They couldn’t find him anywhere so they returned to shore to report him missing. Just as the Coast Guard got ready to launch a search for him, he suddenly appeared onshore. He was exhuasted and furious, believing that his buddies had ditched him, forcing him to swim for almost three hours to make it back to shore.

Deploying a speedboat, the Coast Guard is searching for a 79-year-old man along Pirate Bay in Taitung’s Beinan Township, after they were notified that he had gone missing.

Just as Coast Guard officers were busy searching for him, the elderly man, completely drenched, appeared onshore and rested upon a black off-road vehicle to catch his breath. He asked for water from an angler. The group of anglers was looking on towards the horizon, hoping to spot him, and yet he’s already appeared right in their presence, alive and well.

Angler
Pirate Bay
We asked him, “Uncle, how come you’re here?” He said that he was ditched by friends. I asked him how he made it here, and he said that he’d swum to shore. That’s how we realized it was him that the Coast Guard was looking for.

Fortunately, it was all just unfortunate timing. According to the man, he had gone snorkeling and spearfishing with friends and taking their boat. After he’d surfaced, his friends were nowhere to be found. Furious and believing that his friends had abandoned him, he decided to swim back to the fisheries conservation area himself, which took nearly three hours.

79-yo man
Stranded at sea
It was at least two to three nautical miles. Fortunately, the currents were drifting towards the shore, otherwise it wouldn’t have been possible.

- Do your friends know?
- He said his friends ditched him.
- I called but he didn’t pick up. Well, he could’ve checked if someone called first.
- Oh, so he knew that he should call you?
- No, the police.

The man still believes that his friends should have stayed a little longer and only seek help when they’re sure he’s truly missing. Fortunately, it all ended well. The only thing now is to repair trust between friends.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#fishing #angler #diving #snorkeling #tropical #fish

失蹤烏龍! 79歲老翁浮潛"友人放鴿子" 花3小時游回岸邊

2026-05-27

台東卑南的「海賊灣」,週二上午驚傳有名79歲老翁疑似溺水失蹤,海巡人員獲報後,立刻出動快艇展開搜救,沒想到搜救到一半,發現這名老翁早已上岸,還跟一旁的釣客要水喝,原來老翁浮潛完起來時,發現朋友的小艇不見了,火大被放鴿子,一氣之下自己花了兩三個小時,游回岸邊。

海巡人員出動快艇在岸邊搜救,因為不久前,接獲民眾報案,有名79歲老翁,在台東卑南「海賊灣」溺水失蹤。

就當海巡人員忙著搜救同時,一名全身溼透的老翁,靠在一輛黑色吉普車上喘息,還不忘向一旁的釣客要水喝。這群釣客,本來正朝海上眺望,希望能找到失蹤者,哪知道人就在這。

[[釣客]]
“我們問他說,阿伯你怎麼來?他說我被放鴿子。我問他說,你從哪邊來?他說我游上來的,那就知道海巡就是在找他。”

所幸是烏龍一場,據了解,老翁上午11點多,搭乘朋友的小艇到卑南海賊灣外海域浮潛打魚,不料,浮上來卻沒看到小艇,火大被朋友放鴿子,一氣之下索性自己慢慢游回往北的護漁區岸邊,他說自己大概游了2到3個小時。

[[遭放鴿子老翁]]
“(游了)應該有兩三海里喔。那邊的流剛好往岸飄,不然不可能。”

-你朋友知道嗎?
-他說他朋友放鳥啦
-我打電話都沒有接,不然也要拿電話看有沒有人打給他
-啊他還會打給你們喔
-報警啦

面對海巡人員詢問,老翁氣憤直呼被朋友放鴿子,所幸最後人平安無事,只是友情的小船恐怕是說翻就翻。

更多新聞內容,請鎖定:
民視台灣台(152頻道)週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台(53頻道)週二至週六凌晨1:00

Related News

Nvidia CEO unveils Taipei HQ design, announces NT$150B investment

2026-05-27

Cheerleader slammed for wearing high school girl’s uniform at show

2026-05-27

Tainan’s A Sha Restaurant unveils menu for Paraguay presidential banquet

2026-05-27

Woman pulls out stool to road after car lights disrupt reading

2026-05-27

Cave-like entrance sets Yunlin’s Thousand Buddha Temple apart

2026-05-27

Self-serve buffet uses AI to calculate meal price

2026-05-27

Lai unveils new strategy to boost childbirth and family support

2026-05-27