INJURED SURFER WRITES “HELP” IN THE SAND

An injured surfer was rescued Wednesday after writing “HELP” in the sand before collapsing on a remote New Zealand beach. The man was surfing by himself at Karekare Beach, near Auckland, when he was swept into rocks by the waves. He lost his board and scrambled to shore after suffering serious injuries in the water. The surfer then spent two hours trying to escape the beach, but became lost in the surrounding thick bush. He returned to the beach and wrote a giant “HELP” in the sand. Luckily, a woman walking on a path above the beach spotted him writing “Help,” so she called a local surf club and two lifeguards raced to the scene on a jetski, gave him first aid and got him to a hospital.
* Surfing is one of those sports you should always do alone and in an isolated area, like backcountry skiing and extreme rock climbing.
* At least keep a bullhorn on a strap around your ankle.
* A couple other hikers just walked by – they thought he wanted help with sandcastles.
* I’ve gotten lost in the surrounding thick bush a couple times, if you know what I mean.