Overview
- Rescue agencies are looking for 28-year-old Arran Strong after he vanished about a mile offshore near Arrifana during a paddleboarding leg.
- His companion, José Maria Pyrrait, said he found Strong’s board drifting, dived repeatedly and alerted emergency services while a local fisherman helped search.
- Maritime police, the coastguard, lifeboat crews and an Air Force aircraft have been deployed and resumed operations today, but morning fog and deep water have limited visibility-dependent searches.
- Pyrrait has publicly mourned and said there is ‘virtually no chance’ Strong survived, and an unnamed source has suggested a possible health issue without official confirmation.
- Strong was born in the UK, raised in Portugal and competed at junior international level, and authorities say the search remains active as families and the local surf community await developments.