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A Dramatic Rescue: Adrift at Sea for 36 Hours

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A day at the beach turned into a harrowing adventure for a young woman visiting Shirahama Ohama beach in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture.

According to The Japan Times, a Chinese woman in her 20s was enjoying the water with a friend around 7:30 p.m. local time when the situation took a turn for the worse. Less than half an hour later, she disappeared. “It was around 7:55 p.m. on July 8 when we received the information after the woman’s friend reported to a nearby store that she was missing,” a local Japan Coast Guard official said, per The Guardian.


For the entirety of July 9, the woman was missing. Early in the morning on July 10, about 36 hours after she had drifted out to sea, a cargo ship spotted her. By then, she had drifted over 80 kilometers, the equivalent of drifting from Auckland Harbour to the Coromandel. The cargo ship radioed a passing LPG tanker, the Kakuwa Maru No. 8, for assistance. In a display of heroism, two crew members jumped into the ocean and rescued the woman approximately 50 miles offshore. She was found dehydrated around 8 a.m. local time and taken to a hospital in Yokohama.

So, how did she end up so far out at sea? Underwater currents and winds from the nearby mountains swept her away, and swimming with a rubber ring possibly made it harder to swim against the currents.

In a video released by the Coast Guard, the rescued woman, dry and wrapped in a pale blue blanket, stood on the tanker’s deck, clearly shaken but relieved. Crew members stood by her side, ready to support her if she lost her balance. A Coast Guard helicopter hovered above, and as she was safely lifted into the chopper, she waved gratefully to the tanker crew.

The heroes of the Kakuwa Maru No. 8 shared their story with TV Asahi. They shouted to the woman, urging her not to give up as she bobbed in waves about two meters high. Two brave crew members leaped into the water, secured her with a rope, and others pulled her to safety.

Stay adventurous, but stay safe! 🌊🛟
Watch the dramatic rescue video here.

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