Latest news with #TerryDeefholts
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Newsweek
Missing Teen Found Alive Day After Being Swept Out to Sea
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Darcy Deefholts, a 19-year-old surfer, was found alive on North Solitary Island, about eight miles off the northern coast of New South Wales, Australia, on Thursday after spending a night adrift at sea. The Context The multiagency search effort began after Deefholts' family discovered his clothes at a beach access point at Wooli, east of Grafton, ABC News in Australia reported. The family alerted police and Marine Rescue NSW to his disappearance. Marine Rescue NSW crews searched the Australian waters from Bare Point in the north to Freshwater Beach in the south for a missing 19-year-old surfer. Marine Rescue NSW crews searched the Australian waters from Bare Point in the north to Freshwater Beach in the south for a missing 19-year-old surfer. Marine Rescue NSW What To Know Deefholts was seen fishing at the Wooli break wall around 3 p.m. Wednesday. His family found his bike, shoes and clothes about three miles north. His father, Terry Deefholts, asked the public for assistance on Facebook. "HELP – I NEED BOATS, BEACH WALKERS, DRONES AND 4WDs and PLANES AT FIRST LIGHT," Terry wrote. Marine Rescue NSW Inspector John Murray said in a press release that crews searched the waters from Bare Point in the north to Freshwater Beach in the south beginning around 10 p.m. Wednesday. The search was temporarily suspended overnight before resuming the next morning. Darcy was found about 9 a.m. on North Solitary Island after drifting out to sea on his longboard. Terry called his son's survival "one in a million" in comments to The Daily Telegraph. A rescue skipper told ABC News that Darcy was found cold and suffering from mild exposure, but he was not injured. He was taken to Grafton Base Hospital for assessment. What People Are Saying Terry Deefholts, in comments to ABC News: "It's kind of surreal. I was at the point of thinking the absolute worst." Family member Melissa Smith, in comments to ABC News: "He'd obviously gone out too far on his longboard and he couldn't get back. He's a survivor, a strong boy, he would have known that was a safe place I guess." Marine Rescue NSW, on Facebook: "Our search crews from Marine Rescue Wooli & Marine Rescue Coffs Harbour were jumping for joy this morning when the call came across their radios that the missing 19-year-old man on the North Coast was found safe on an island off Wooli. What an incredible outcome!" What Happens Next A spokesperson for the Northern NSW Local Health District told ABC News that Darcy was in a stable condition at Grafton Base Hospital and "in good spirits and being supported by family." Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Missing teen surfer ‘miraculously' found alive on remote Australian island
An Australian teenager who went missing after going for a surf off a New South Wales beach has been found alive on a remote island. Darcy Deefholts, 19, failed to return home after heading out for a surf off a beach in Wooli, a coastal town 480km north of Sydney on Wednesday. His father, Terry Deefholts, a real estate agent from Grafton, raised an alarm on social media asking for locals to help in finding his son as he "feared the worst". "HELP - I NEED BOATS, BEACH WALKERS, DRONES AND 4WDs and PLANES AT FIRST LIGHT," he wrote in an emotional plea. "My boy Darcy is still missing. Marine Rescue searched tonight from Bare Point to Pebbly Beach at sea. They have been stood down for the night but expect they will be back early to resume the search," he wrote on Facebook "I am asking anyone with a seaworthy vessel to please meet me at the main Wooli boat ramp and take me to sea to help with the search. "We are overwhelmed by the community efforts in the search so far. There is only one thing we want now - our beloved boy to be found safe," he added. The New South Wales police said they officials were alerted by the teenager's family after he failed to return home. Police launched a land and water search around Wooli Beach and the surfer was located safety on a small island the next day. The teen was found marooned the North Solitary Island, located about 12km off the coast of Wooli, according to reports. He was taken to a medical centre for treatment. Terry Deefholts told the Daily Telegraph that his son's survival was a 'one-in-a-million miracle'. 'I haven't had the chance to talk to him yet, I'm just so over the moon,' the father said, adding: "I'm still just processing everything. We've had no sleep and it has been a lot to deal with."
Fox News
6 days ago
- Fox News
Missing teen surfer found alive on remote island miles from shore: 'Didn't give up hope'
A surfer who went missing after paddling out in the ocean Wednesday afternoon was located the next day on a remote island roughly 8 miles from where his bicycle and clothes were found at a beach access point in New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales Police Force said in a news release Thursday morning the 19-year-old man, later identified as surfer Darcy Deefholts, had been located after being swept away and going missing the day before. Police said Deefholts left his home in Wooli on a bicycle at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday toward Wooli Beach. After failing to return home, concerned family members contacted police, and a search on land and sea commenced around Wooli Beach. The next morning, Deefholts was located safely on a small island called North Solitary, about 8 miles southeast of Wooli Beach. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported Darcy's father, Terry Deefholts, could not believe the news Darcy had been found at about 9 a.m. Thursday. "It's kind of surreal. I was at the point of thinking the absolute worst," Terry Deefholts told the station. "I didn't give up hope, but, jeez, I was close." Earlier in the day, the teenager was seen riding his bike around town and fishing at the Wooli breakwall. Family members became concerned Wednesday night after Darcy's clothes and bicycle were located at a beach access point in Wooli, just east of Grafton. Melissa Smith, a family member, told the station Darcy likely went out too far on his surfboard and could not get back to shore. "He's a survivor, a strong boy. He would have known that was a safe place, I guess," she said. ABC reported that family members believed Darcy had a Malibu surfboard with him, though his smartwatch and cellphone were left at home in Wooli. Search efforts continued through about 1 a.m. Thursday and commenced at first light. Thursday morning's efforts included six private vessels and a Marine Rescue team, though what was puzzling to some was how calm the sea conditions were and the small amount of wind and swell. "There is a fair bit of current running north to south further out, so I suspect he has ended up in [a] current and drifted south," Marine Rescue skipper Matthew McLennan told ABC. Later that morning, one of the search crews found Darcy and reported that he was cold and suffering from exposure, though he was not injured. Darcy was transported to a nearby hospital after returning to shore. A spokesperson from the local health district in Northern New South Wales said in a statement obtained by the station that Darcy was in stable condition and "in good spirits and being supported by family."
Daily Telegraph
6 days ago
- Daily Telegraph
'Pure torture': Aussie dad finds son lost at sea with Facebook search operation
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parenting. Followed categories will be added to My News. When 19-year-old Darcy Deefholts vanished this week, his dad Terry faced every parent's nightmare. But he responded in the only way he knew how: with action. 'It took all my resolve to hold my s**t together and focus,' Terry told Kidspot. Darcy had failed to return home after going surfing at One Tree, Wooli, on NSW's North Coast on Wednesday afternoon. Rescue teams located Darcy on a remote island off NSW on Thursday morning. Image: Supplied RELATED: 'Why dad alone, when we can dad together?' "Fearing the worst" Once marine officials stood down for the night, with the search set to resume Thursday morning, the determined dad turned to his community. He refused to sit back and wait. 'Tears and shouting at the wind weren't going to find my boy,' he said. Taking to Facebook he wrote: 'My boy Darcy is still missing. Marine Rescue searched tonight from Bare Point to Pebbly Beach at sea. They have been stood down for the night but expect they will be back early to resume the search.' 'I am asking anyone with a seaworthy vessel to please meet me at the main Wooli boat ramp and take me to sea to help with the search.' He gave a rough description of Darcy's last known location, what he was wearing, and the wind conditions. 'Of course we are fearing the worst,' he wrote. 'There is only one thing we want now. Our beloved boy to be found safe.' Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. "The dark night of the soul" Terry launched a grassroots mission of his own. One late-night Facebook post at a time. Within hours, strangers were launching boats, drones took flight, and a digital village rose up to help. The post spread rapidly through local community pages, and a dedicated search group was created and monitored. 'There's much to say about the gratitude I've felt for this astonishingly beautiful community,' Terry said. The thought of losing his child had taken him to the brink. 'The idea of potentially losing my Darcy, well I'm going to call it the dark night of the soul. Pure torture that weighed so heavily it was almost crushing,' he explained. At around 8am Thursday morning, Terry got the news he'd been desperately hoping for. Darcy had drifted kilometres from shore and ended up stranded on an offshore island overnight. A private helicopter, arranged by a volunteer, spotted him. A boat was quickly dispatched to retrieve him. He was found cold, disoriented but miraculously unharmed. After nearly 16 hours missing at sea, his son was finally safe. Terry could finally breathe. 'I'm currently in the aftershock of a traumatic ordeal that had the best possible outcome,' he said. Terry was going to stop at nothing to find his son. Image: Supplied RELATED: Police use sound of mum's voice to try bring home her missing son For all the technology and rescue protocol, it all came down to a dad and a Facebook post. What could have been a tragedy became a miracle. Terry is now preparing a way to properly thank those who answered his call. 'I'm preparing a story to try and thank everyone. It's going to be a long one,' he said. This week proved that a parent never stops leaning on their village. Originally published as 'Pure torture': Aussie dad finds son lost at sea with Facebook search operation
The Sun
6 days ago
- The Sun
Teen surfer dramatically rescued after being swept 9 miles offshore and spending night stranded on remote desert island
A 19-YEAR-OLD surfer was miraculously found alive and well after getting marooned on an offshore island in Australia. Darcy Deefholts's dad described the rescue as "one in a million" after a major search operation located his son. 5 5 5 The teen had been missing for 17 hours when he was found on North Solitary Island off the New South Wales coast. He had taken his surf board to Wooli beach on Tuesday afternoon, but his parents contacted the police when he did not return home. Darcy was swept some nine miles out to sea, and his parents put out a panicked plea for help on social media. His clothes, bike and shoes were found at an access point to the beach. His dad Terry wrote that he needed "anyone with a seaworthy vessel to please meet me at the main Wooli boat ramp and take me to sea to help with the search". He posted: "As far as we can tell, Darcy took a cream Malibu surfboard with him to One Tree at Wooli and went for a surf in very small swell some time around 4pm. We think he was wearing a dark rashy. "Of course we are fearing the worst. We are overwhelmed by the community efforts in the search so far. "There is only one thing we want now – our beloved boy to be found safe." Authorities later confirmed the teen was found on North Solitary Island - where he had been marooned overnight - at 9am on Thursday. A NSW police spokesperson said: "Following a land and water search around Wooli beach, including local police, PolAir, Marine Area Command and Marine Rescue, the man was located safe today on a small island off Wooli." Love Island star reveals she's moving to Australia to get a 9-5 job A spokesperson for the Northern NSW local health district said he was in a stable conditionat Grafton base hospital. "The patient is in good spirits and is being supported by family,' the spokesperson said. "The family would like to thank emergency services and members of the community involved in the search, after the alarm was raised late yesterday when he failed to return home from a surf." Family friend Casey Meaker set up a Facebook group to find Darcy during the fraught few hours. He wrote: "After an incredibly long and cold night, Darcy was found this morning out on the islands off Wooli. "He made it a long way out – but he's ALIVE, safe, and getting the care he needs. "We are absolutely blown away by the strength of this young man and the power of this incredible community." Terry called it a "one in a million" rescue. He said "Who survives this?" "It's kind of surreal. I was at the point of thinking the absolute worst." 5
