A fisherman in Bali rescued a foreign surfer who had been drifting at sea for around 20 hours after being swept away by strong winds.
The incident gained public attention after a video of the rescue went viral on social media. The footage shows the man floating in the open sea while holding onto his surfboard. He appeared weak and repeatedly asked for help.
The video was first uploaded on TikTok by the account @ajuzyohana. In the clip, the man’s hands and feet appear extremely pale as he tries to stay afloat in the water.
“The Russian foreigner was found adrift for 20 hours due to bad weather and exhaustion from surfing,” said Ajuz Yohana, quoted on Monday, 9 March 2026.
The fisherman approached the man and helped him climb onto the boat. Once on board, the middle-aged surfer looked extremely thirsty and immediately drank water offered by the fisherman.
The surfer was later identified as Lurii, 64, a tourist from Russia.
@ajuzyohana Penemuan bule rusia terombang ambing 20 jam akibat cuaca buruk dan kelelahan saat main surfing #mancing #fishing #bali ♬ suara asli – Ajuz yohana
Family and Rescue Teams Meet the Survivor
According to information shared in a later video post, Lurii was found in waters near Lebih Beach in Gianyar Regency on Friday, 6 March 2026.
After news of the rescue spread, Lurii’s family, the hotel where he was staying, and officers from BASARNAS travelled to Lebih Beach to meet him.
Medical personnel later checked his condition to ensure he was safe after spending many hours at sea.
Officials from the Gianyar Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency and the local Balawista rescue team assisted the evacuation once the boat reached shore.
Earlier, Lurii’s family had reported him missing to the Polairud Resta Denpasar on Thursday, 5 March 2026. According to the report, he had been swept away by strong winds while surfing.
The viral video also prompted a wave of reactions online, with many users praising the fisherman who found and rescued the stranded tourist.
“Hopefully Bli and Bli’s family will always be healthy, God, thank you Bli for being a good person and being useful to other people,” one netizen wrote.
Another commented, “Bro, thank you for your help. It turns out there are still many good people on this earth.”
Others also shared similar messages of appreciation.
“Thank you, bro, you are a good person. You have made Bali’s name better for its people,” another user wrote.
