Local Man Recounts Daring Sea Rescue After Vessel Sinks Near Indonesia

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A local man who was involved in a daring rescue at sea while on a surfing excursion on the far side of the globe recounted his story to CBS2.

Drew Boyles of El Segundo was on a surfing trip off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra when the vessel he was on suddenly became a rescue ship. The crew and passengers of another surf tour boat, the Rip Curl Quest One found themselves in distress when their vessel began taking on water.

Cellphone video captured the event as Boyles' boat powered toward the expected spot where the Quest One went down, with the bow rising 8-10 feet over waves.

While no one had the coordinates of the sinking vessel, the rescue operation was made even more challenging by the fact that the boat's emergency beacons were not functioning properly.

Fortunately, Martin Daly, the captain of the rescue boat, knew that the Quest One was motoring from one surf spot to another, and he and his son were able to spot a life raft.

All crew and passengers from the Quest One were rescued after nearly five hours adrift at sea.