A 19-year-old boy, who had gone missing while surfing off the northern beaches of New South Wales, has been found alive on a remote offshore island.
Darcy Diffholt surfed at Wooli on the north coast on Wednesday afternoon but didn’t return home. His father, Terry Diffholt, a real estate agent from Grafton, took to social media to express his deep concern, saying he was “fearing the worst.”
Diffholt made an emotional appeal for help that same night, urging the community to assist in the search, saying, “Help – boats, beach walkers, drones, 4WDs, and planes are needed at first light.” He mentioned that Darcy was still missing and that search efforts had commenced but would continue the following day.
“I’m hoping the rescuers will come back soon to continue the search,” he added, clearly distressed. While he had concerns, he requested that people focus their comments on how they could help rather than on expressing sympathies.
In a remarkable turn of events, Darcy was located on Thursday morning, nearly 13 kilometers away, on a desolate island north of Uri.
Diffholt referred to his son’s survival as “a miracle.” He expressed immense relief, stating, “I’m very up above the moon,” and noted he hadn’t yet had a chance to speak with Darcy directly. He couldn’t quite fathom how his son had managed to survive, given the circumstances.
“Right now, everything is overwhelming. We didn’t sleep much and had a lot to sort out,” he remarked. Just hours before learning of Darcy’s discovery, he had been pleading for help with local searches.
In another update, he specified that a boat was needed to reach the remote island, mentioning that someone else had been washed up there last year. His Facebook posts garnered over 1,100 shares, reflecting a community coming together in support.
Diffholt expressed gratitude for the assistance they received, adding, “We are overwhelmed by the community’s efforts in the searches so far. All we want now is for our beloved boy to feel safe.”
NSW police stated that Darcy had left his home around 2:30 PM Wednesday for Wooli Beach, and when he didn’t come back, his family contacted the local police.
“His disappearance is out of character, which is troubling,” they noted, describing him as a slim young man, about 180 cm tall with gray hair.
Inspector John Murray of Marine Rescue NSW reported that a rescue vessel, Woolli 30, was dispatched for search operations Wednesday night. The volunteer crew conducted a thorough search from the northern area down to freshwater beaches and returned to continue searching the next morning.
Under the direction of the marine region, the crews maintained specific search patterns to maximize coverage of the area.
