Aussie surf snapper in a coma after he was found face down in the ocean at Olympic venue
A 19-year-old Australian surf photographer has been placed in a medically induced coma after being found face down in the water off the coast of Tahiti.
Byron Mcloughlin was found by American photographer Ryan Craig and local bodyboarder Angelo Fararie on an inflatable bodyboard at Teahupo’o, where the Olympic surfing games will be held later this year.
When he was turned over, his lips were blue and there was foam on his mouth.
In heavy, eight-foot surf, his rescuers managed to bring the unconscious teenager to shore, where he was rushed to hospital and fell into a coma.
However, by Friday morning, Mr Mcloughlin had recovered enough to thank his rescuers for saving his life.
“I don’t remember much of it, but I am very grateful to everyone around me who was on the scene and took quick action,” he wrote on social media.
Mr Mcloughlin was rescued just 30 minutes earlier after he ended up in a lagoon with his former tour operator. surfer Michel Bourez brings him back to the line-up.
The 19-year-old, who lives in Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, has previously experienced disaster while in the ocean.
Surf photographer Byron Mcloughlin (pictured left) is lucky to be alive after he was found face down and unconscious off the coast of Tahiti
Mr Mcloughlin was found by these two men on an inflatable bodyboard at Teahupo’o
Two years ago, he said he nearly drowned on Padang Padang beach in Bali after a six-hour photo shoot.
“I knew I was in trouble, I still had no local knowledge of this place because it was my first time here. It was getting darker and darker and I decided to scream for help,” he told The Inertia.
Luckily, two South African surfers came to his aid, paddling out while he held their surfboard oars.
“I remember being really panicked and telling them we needed to call the appropriate help: police, ambulance, etc.,” he said.
“But they kept reminding me where I was – Padang Padang – everything here is on a cliff. No one can get a boat or a jet ski here.”
Mr Mcloughlin, who lives in the northern Sydney suburb of Dee Why, has previously suffered near-tragedy while plying his trade
But the surfers were tiring under the weight of Mr Mcloughlin and his heavy camera gear.
They decided that one surfer would seek help while the other would stay with him.
After an anxious wait of about an hour, they saw lights and heard whistles. The surfer was able to catch a wave and bring Mr. Mcloughlin to safety.
“Once you think you have Mother Ocean completely figured out, she will quickly humble you and remind you that you are completely at her mercy,” he said of the experience.